Where's this wire go?
 

Hello, have a Zenith, I believe to be a Z1819JZ chassis is a 15z31. Tubes light up but no picture or sound. First thing I've found is this exposed wire. It has a current but I can not find where is supposed to connect to.

Got a schematic? Know where the end below chassis goes to? Those details will tell all.

The service manual will tell that the wire is there to isolate an open tube heater, as this set is a transformer less series string set.
You were instructed to take a continuity test between that wire and the chassis for a part of the series string and from that wire to another point, probably the damper tube socket. It was supposed to make open heater troubleshooting easier. :scratch2:
I did it both ways, pulling tube from the beginning of the string and from the end. I never took me that long to find an open heater. I knew the tube heater pins by heart, so I could do it real fast with an Ohm meter. :thmbsp:
If the tubes light, your problem isn't there.
Motorola did the same thing!

I've got a Sam's but the spot where the wire is located is so fuzzy on the diagram I can't tell. It's a short wire and only reaches a few spots. I'm wondering now if it was not meant to run throw that hole since it was sticking out straight. I tested it and it's has a slight current so I assume it has a point not just a random exposed wire that is hot placed there just to mess with a guy 60 years later

Dieseljeep says above that it is a test point for the heater string and not meant ot be connected...He knows his stuff so I'm inclined to agree with him.

BTW unless you connect something to the end of that wire there is no "current" in it....You have to have a closed/complete circuit for current to flow (or an arc from the end of the wire to someplace). Voltage is the potential for current to flow, current is the flow and resistance is the restriction of the flow rate.
Use an air compressor tank as an analogy (assume tank is the positive terminal and the atmosphere is negative of a battery) if the tank valve is closed you have pressure (voltage), but no flow (current), is you open the valve half way you still have voltage but also now have flow (current), the restriction of the valve represents resistance to equalization of pressure/limit of current flow.

I understand. I figured it wasn't likely to be a broken connection or it wouldn't be straight out like that. Oh well, hunt for the real problem continues