Cartech Automotive Wiring and Electrical Systems: Circuit Design and Assembly. Multi-function Harness Installation. Easy to Follow Troubleshooting. Electrical Principles Explained

Needed this for a project car.

Tony Candela has done a good job here of presenting automotive wiring to a lay audience in an easy to digest manner. You don't need a lot of math skills or highbrow reading and comprehension to understand and apply the information he presents. Although the layout and presentation isn't as good as I think it could be, it's still good enough to follow and be useful. If you read the book once from cover to cover, these shortcomings will be irrelevant, but if you don't give it one good read and try to refer only to specific chapters, you will miss most of what makes this book most useful.He presents just enough electrical theory to help you avoid common errors, and then goes straight to the practical.Topics covered are comprehensive ... if you read and understand the whole book, and apply what he recommends, you will be able to make reliable and electrically safe repairs and new installations that work right and look good.He assumes you are somewhat familiar with automotive work ... this is aimed at people who do their own oil changes (or could) or would install common aftermarket parts themselves but you don't need the skills of a professional mechanic. And even if you are a professional mechanic or someone with advanced automotive skill ... perhaps you can rebuild an engine in your garage ... you can learn from this book. I've seen plenty of otherwise excellent work by trained or skilled mechanics, or professional automotive electronics installers, where the electrical side of the installation or repair is not up to the standards Tony encourages you to practice.The book, because it is a relatively easy read, isn't too deep. For example, there is a chapter on making your own complete wiring harness for a vehicle. Don't expect a step-by-step guide to this rather ambitious task; it's not here. But, along with the information in the rest of the book and some practical execution of what he covers, you certainly would have the skills to plan and be able to complete such a project. Just realize that he expects you to use the book as a starting point, not a blueprint for your specific vehicle. I don't consider this to be a major failing ... one chapter, maybe even an entire book, can't be reasonably expected to cover all the variables from vehicle to vehicle and year to year. But, as an example, the chapter plus a simple wiring diagram is probably all you need to build a complete harness for a custom motorcycle.He has some great information about appropriate tools ... for example he goes into why you should never use a test light to work on any computer-controlled vehicle. It's the little gems scattered throughout the text, like that one, that make this book a "buy". I am far from a novice when it comes to vehicle wiring and yet I learned things from this book. Recommended.ABOUT MY RATING (4 Stars):As far as I'm concerned a 5 star rating indicates perfection or outstanding. Few books or products can earn 5 stars; to me it means simply "the best there is" and it's an inherently rare attribute. Any reasonably noteworthy flaws in an otherwise great book or product means 4 stars at most. I consider a 4-star product to be worthy of serious consideration; while a 3-star product to be of average usefulness; an academic "C" for a book or movie or CD; or in the case of a consumer product, an ordinary but adequate one. 2 or 1 star ratings mean that there are serious flaws or limited value. In some cases that may mean it is still adequate for you.

Wish it had more projects, seems a book for someone who knows nothing about electronics

Good to know what wire go's where.

Very informative book