Help with Trafficators

[57minor]

As a new Member of the MMOC and a new owner to a 57 Minor 2 door saloon, can someone advise me about Trafficators.

My Minor is in need of welding and other bits and pieces but I can handle most of this.

What I need is an understanding of how the Trafficators work (or dont as the case is). I have a good power source and a good earth but no response from the trafficator in the movement stakes.

I have to get these working as the car is original and has not had indicators fitted and I wish to keep it this way.

Thanks
Ex A30, A35 and Frogeye Sprite owner.
Now proud to be a Minor owner
Mark

[rayofleamington]

They are quite simple - it's just a solenoid which lifts the arm - Hopefully there will be someone here who knows how to diagnose faults on broken ones.

[Cam]

If there is no movement then it sounds like the solenoid coil might be open circuit. It will not light up until it is extended anyway as the contact at the top of the arm (next to the pivot) needs to be in contact with the sliding contact on the body of the unit.

Have a visual (and electrical if you can) check around the areas where the coil is soldered onto the coil former ends where the wires join on. They are quite simple units and not much can go wrong really (unless the coil has gone open circuit in the middle).

[rayofleamington]

And also check for a good earth!

[Matt]

Frogeye Sprite owner.

Another sprite owner

It does sound to me like the solenoid is broken!

[Scott]

Matt:

Ex Frogeye Sprite owner

Sensible chap.

Sorry Matt, couldn't resist.

It will not light up until it is extended anyway

Mine stick down sometimes but still light up creating an eery glow inside the 1/4 panel .

If they've been disconnected for years, then a good clean up might be all that's needed. If the solenoid proves OK, then make sure all the wiring/connections are OK. Don't lubricate the solenoid 'piston' as this will only attract dirt & cause more problems.
As Ray says, check the earth. They only earth through the 2 mounting screws to the body. If the paint is a bit thick here, they won't earth properly.

[Cam]

Mine stick down sometimes but still light up creating an eery glow inside the 1/4 panel

How on earth do they manage to do that?? the contact is not made unless they are in the extended position?? Maybe someone has replaced the sliding contact with a piece of wire??

[Kevin]

How on earth do they manage to do that??

The impossible they can deal with at once down under

[Scott]

The impossible they can deal with at once down under

Cam, these are on an early girl. They must be a different setup from the later ones as they're all original still. I know the solenoid male section is a different shape from the later trafficators.

[Cam]

Right. The ones on my '52 must have been replaced at some point with later ones. I have only ever seen the type with the sliding contact..........

[rayofleamington]

The ones on my '52 must have been replaced at some point with later ones

Well I've not looked at the ones on my 58 for 10 years so I'm not going to comment either way

[57minor]

Thanks for the info, I will be trying to fix these this weekend. I hope the open circuit is not dead!

Thanks again

Mark

[Scott]

Right. The ones on my '52 must have been replaced at some point with later ones. I have only ever seen the type with the sliding contact..........

Maybe they're different on my '48 to your '52, Cam. I've a '51/'52 sidevalve in the paddock, but I don't think there are trafficators left on it.
In 4 years I'm sure nearly everything changed in some small way.

[Cam]

You have a '48!?!? Wow. That's virtually unheard of over here. '49s yes, but not 48s.

Any chance you could post a picture?

With regard to the trafficators, they might well have changed them from '48 to '52 BUT mine is not really original (trying to get it back original!) so mine may well have been fitted with later type ones. I just don't know..............

[Scott]

Sorry Cam, cannot post a picture as the website I've found a picture on won't let me show it here. Here's a link though:

http://www.geocities.com/ndmmcc/_borders/Dcp00103.jpg

She's #728 off the line. There are two confirmed 1948's here in Australia. The other car is approx. 90 cars before mine, but my engine # is older. I assume by this they were both built in the same "batch".
I know most early cars were exported, but at least you have #1 still.

[Cam]

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! Page not available!!!

Help! I wanna see it

[Matt]

try this cam

http://www.geocities.com/ndmmcc/photo.htm

[Cam]

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! Thanks Matt, you're a life saver!!

VERY nice, Scott! VERY VERY nice!

[Matt]

Wahoo some praise.........at last!!

you cant link directly to geocities pics....

[Scott]

Thanks for your help there Matt,

Wahoo some praise.........at last!!

See Matt, it was worth the wait.

VERY nice, Scott! VERY VERY nice!

Awwww shucks .
She's getting on a bit now & has had a hard life. She was written off just after her first restoration in 1989 & has been on the road since this resto. was finished in 1991.
Someone actually did an article on it & got it published in Minor Monthly in around 1998 or so.

BTW, the Million lookalike in the same group of pictures is my wifes car. She liked the colour, so it ended up a copy.