Danieljta

While redoing the interior of my 1980 corvette I came across a yellow wire running from a relay behind the passenger seat and is spliced into the cigarette lighter wire. It has a foil sticker on the wire that reads: power for the memory circuit. And directs to be connected to to the constant power source. The wire was cut(no longer hooked up) when i reconnect the wire the relay clicks.
So my question is; what is this for exactly?
Judging by the tag and the way the wire is poorly ran under the center console I assume this isn't factory?

mapman

Welcome to the Forum.

Likely your Courtesy Lamp Timer. See UPC page 12L - sheet 9 (most likely page 542) of your 1980 A.I.M..

The courtesy light delay circuit diagram and narrative description is on pages 8A-34&35 of your 1980 GM Corvette Shop Manual.

DUB

You are correct in your "assumption". it is not factory. if it has been cut...I would not worry about it. Remove it and move on. I have never seen a wire spliced into the cigarette lighter wire ( from the factory) that has a foil sticker on it. Somebody probably had a stereo unit mounted in the rear at one time or another.

DUB

KapsSA

Could have originally been the trigger wire for the power antenna.
Does it share a plug at the relay with an orange and black wire?

Danieljta

I have just recently purchased the car (first corvette) and am still waiting on the a.i.m manuals.

I just confirmed that the yellow wire does run to the passanger side harness(three wires; yellow, orange and black) of the middle of the three relays there. And looks factory in the harness. But the other end of the yellow wire running to the cigarette wire looks like a real hack and slash job.

Any idea how this is suppose to go? Or if it is for surely not needed anymore. Is just like to make sure before I put the interior back together.

Some additional info:
The car came with no stereo or cigarette lighter, and a malfunctioning power antenna (ran constantly with antenna stuck up) I just pulled the antenna out for a rebuild(broke plastic cable)

Thanks everyone for the help!

80-Vette

My guess would be it is a constant power for an after market stereo.

Easy Mike

With a memory function for the presets.

CA-Legal-Vette

Unless you have a California 305 motor, there shouldn't be anything stock in a 1980 with a memory. Also, I don't think that GM ever labeled any wires with its function.

KapsSA

There ya go.
The yellow is the trigger for the power antenna. Connects to the "antenna" lead at the factory or even aftermarket radio. You verified this by noting the orange and black wires with the yellow at the relay plug.
Some clown hooked it to constant hot(lighter) and ended up clipping it to try to stop the constant running antenna.
Why someone hooked the yellow to the lighter is the mystery!

Danieljta

That makes perfect sense now.. Thank you!
Someone must have put a aftermarket stereo in that did not support the power antenna and tried to rig it up?

I plan to put the factory radio, and radio wire harness in the car so is it safe to assume there will be a yellow end from the new factory radio harness to connect my mangle yellow power antenna wire to?

KapsSA

A correct harness to a factory radio will have a 4 wire plug with TWO yellows.
One supplies power to the radio, the other pretty much is a continuation of that yellow, switched on inside of the radio that supplies power to the antenna.
Make sure you have the correct yellow going to the correct location.
You won't hurt anything connecting them wrong but you will notice some oddities if they're switched. Make sure you got them right before buttoning everything up.