Hi,
I'll start by introducing myself. My name's James, I'm 22 and I've just bought a 1970 Trafalgar blue Traveller I had it delivered today and all is working well apart from a few electrical problems. Basically the brake lights, indicators, wipers, heater fan and fuel gauge don't work. I've checked the fuses and there is power on either side of each fuse so they are okay. What could be causing this problem?
James
Congratulations on your acquisition.Hope you enjoy many years of safe driving.
Did the previous owner pass on any workshop manuals/ Haynes manuals , etc with the car that included wiring diagrams ?
Having a diagram by your side will help you enormously to get your head around electrical problems.
The items you listed are all on the ignition side of the wiring i.e the ignition must be " on " for them to work.
The white wire from the ignition switch goes to the fuse ( and onto the distributor and fuel pump 2 more white wires ).
The other side of the fuse goes to three Green wires supplying the things you listed.
At 44 years old the vehicle's electrical contacts are probably in need of a little TLC / cleaning and in some cases replacing
small items.
Work your way systematically through the wires / connections cleaning with emery/ sand paper back to shinny metal.Battery negative terminal disconnected.When testing don't leave the coil on for too long otherwise it will over heat and die !
Basics.
Are you getting full battery voltage both sides of the fuse , particularly the 3 green" supply" wires , on your Multimeter
Are both the battery terminals clean and is the earth strap by the battery to the body in good condition and attached to
clean bare metal.There is... or should be !!... a second earth strap from the engine block to the bodywork by the engine mount bolts ( front passenger side ,alongside engine on the horizontal metalwork ).
Enough for now.Keep the questions coming, the experts on the Forum love problem solving and enjoy hearing about the outcome .If you add your "location" you may find a " local " willing to take a look at for you. Just the nearest big Town on the Forum will do..don't put your full address/ phone number on the system !!
Check the wiring diagram at the top this section - print it off and laminate it! I know you say you have checked the fuses - but check again.. Take the fuses out - clean the holder prongs, and the wire connectors -swap the two fuses over.. May just do the job...
Thanks for the quick replies. I should have the Haynes manual arriving tomorrow and hopefully it won't rain so I can have a proper look at it. I'll work through the connections bit by bit tomorrow and let you know how I get on. All in all the car seems in pretty good condition though. No rust that I can find, fibreglass wings, new interior, good wood and it starts first time! I haven't driven it properly yet (only up and down the drive) but hopefully it wont take too much getting used to after a modern car. Although the clutch and brake do feel very different! I'm in Hastings so pretty near to ESM.
Haynes !!! Known by some as HBOL - Haynes Book of Lies....... Just Google for 'Morris Minor Workshop Manual' and get a free download of the REAL Manual... It's not perfect - but very useful...
If the fuse holder has been replaced with a new one see if you can find an old one instead.
That's what I had to do to get my electrics working properly again
I think they have found a way of making a brass coloured material that doesn't conduct electricity very well!
"Once you break something you will see how it was put together"
Okay,
I spent a couple of hours working on the car this morning. I've now got everything working except the indicators (so brake lights, wipers, heater, fuel gauge). I printed the wiring diagram then went around with a multimeter working out where all the connections were. The brake lights, wipers etc. turned out not to be working due to dodgy connections to the fuse box. I cleaned them up with some fine sandpaper and then switch cleaner, tightened them and put them back in place. That fixed the problem. I also cleaned up the indicator connection but this didn't help. The power is getting to the flasher unit but they are not working. When you flick the indicator stalk there is a single click from the flasher unit but nothing else. Any suggestions?
Indicators
Before you buy a new Flasher can...have you checked the bullet connectors.There is a small loom taking the wires up inside the steering column to the indicator stalk.
Have a hunt under the dash/ just above knee height and you will find 6 or so wires bunched together.Battery off.Remove individually, clean and replace.
The Green / Brown wire from the flasher can takes power to the flasher switch.
Battery reconnected , then retest.
Bob
My uncle (who has worked on Minors and other classics) has just been round to look at it. He switched the indicators on then gave the flasher unit a whack with a screwdriver handle. It made a buzzing sound and flashed intermittently when it was hit so it looks like it's just a faulty flasher. I tried the local car parts place but they didn't have one so I'll get one from ESM as soon as I can.
To prove the flasher can is faulty you could connect all the wires from it together, then all lights will come on. Make a note of the connections first though.
Richard
Opinions are like people,everyone can be different.
beware - many of the 'new' flasher units either don't work at all - or only last 5 minutes.... Try to source a good 'old stock' can - or even open that one up and gently clean the contacts inside.
bmc,
The flasher in there at the moment looks to be quite new. It's in a black plastic package rather than a metal can. I'll try to look for a NOS can. I'll probably buy a new one for the moment (since they're so cheap anyway) and keep an eye out for a NOS one to replace it with when it goes. Thanks again for all the replies everyone! I've only owned the car for a day and I'm already getting on very well with it
I picked up a flasher unit today. I've wired it in and it works but the indicator stalk light does not function correctly. It flashes when the indicator is pressed but when it is in the centre position, rather than switching off, it stays on. What could this be caused by? Also, the indicators flash rather slowly.
My guess would be that you have (another) faulty flasher unit. Something I've had experience of myself. Twice .
Do you know anyone locally who has a similar car with a working one? At least you could temporarily swap them just to check?
My guess is that as you have only now told us you have a 'flat battery' - that may very well be why the flasher is not operating properly. So -get the battery/charging sorted out and then let's see what happens.
I had it delivered today and all is working well apart from a few electrical problems. Basically the brake lights, indicators, wipers, heater fan and fuel gauge don't work. I've checked the fuses and there is power on either side of each fuse so they are okay. What could be causing this problem?
.