Insanity and indicator switches

[simonswaffield]

Hello

I am really hoping for some advice from all you Minor gurus!

My old indicator switch packed up, so, bright eyed and bushy tailed I bought a new Lucas replacement, checked it was the correct part etc... the mechanism fitted a treat to the steering column but the fun really began with the wiring. A quick summary:

In the car:
1. A block of three female connectors, bottom 2 matching L/H and R/H, top one solid green and a live wire
2. Double female connector with one purple lead (horn?)
3. Single female connector with green/white
4. Ditto green/red
5. Ditto purple
6. Ditto black

On the new switch:
1. Green
2. Green/white
3. Green/red
4.Green/brown
5. Black
6. Brown/black

I am ignoring (1) and (2) from the car leads as they head off in the direction of the speedo and the others go down to the flasher unit. Trouble is, this leaves me with a spare green/black/green and black.

Just to add insult to insanity, the car has only ever worked on two of the three poles on the flasher unit, so there is no lead to the middle one.

Happy days

[simmitc]

What year is the car - wiring changed over the years, but from your desciption I'm guessing that it's relatively late. I suspect that the flasher can should have three wires connected, so have a look for a spare wire floating about. Does the switch have a green light on the end of the stalk, and does that flash when the switch is oiperated - I suspect it's there, buit isn;t working.

[simonswaffield]

Good point - '61 saloon

Green flasher at the end which lights up quite happily but nothing, anywhere, flashes..

[jagnut66]

Hi,
The plain black will be the earth wire and needs to be connected.
Green / White is right hand indicators.
Green / Red is left hand indicators.
Not sure about the green / black you mention though, looking at the wiring diagram in the workshop manual (section N page 29) this is code number 24 and goes to the petrol tank unit?? I don't see it in relation to the indicators?
Try this earlier post.
Best wishes,
Mike.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=28958#p294587

[StillGotMy1stCar]

I think/hope green/black is a typo and should be brown/black, if so:-
Brown/Black from switch goes to Purple/Black on car, this is the horn earth return.
Light Green from switch goes to Light Green on the car that should be on Flasher unit middle terminal marked P (if missing for whatever reason just add a new piece of wire) this is the feed for the Green stalk light. The wire might have been taken off the P terminal because of a faulty flasher unit keeping the stalk light on all the time!
Black from switch goes to Black on car or earth, this is the earth for the stalk light.
All the others should go from colour to colour.
It might be worth checking the other two wires are the correct way round on the flasher unit, X or B has the Darker Green wire on it and is the supply, L has the Green/Brown wire on it and is the Load output to the switch. If they are connected backwards it might keep the Stalk light on.
Regards John

[simonswaffield]

Fantastic, thanks John.

Rolling my sleeves back up...

[ManyMinors]

Hopefully you have got it sorted now! Confusion exists because you are trying to fit a later switch (with 6 wires) to a 1961 car where the original switch only had 4 wires. My similar age car still has the original 4 wire switch which matches the wiring diagram for a car of that age. Most 1961 cars didn't have flashing indicators when built although the majority will have been converted since.

[geoberni]

Since it was Aug '61 when the changed from Trafficators to early Indicators happened, is that when they introduced the first Stalk on the column?
The early '61-63 indicators were far more complicated that you would expect, because on the decision to use flashing brake lights instead of separate orange/amber.
I have some fun with Basil's wiring because he's a '55, but been fitted with a 61-63 cable harness (with DB10 Relay), which has then been bodged to provide separate indicators!
But all operated via a panel Lucas SPB120 Turn Switch still.

I hope your stalk replacement went OK in the end.

[ManyMinors]

Since it was Aug '61 when the changed from Trafficators to early Indicators happened, is that when they introduced the first Stalk on the column?

No. All Minor 1000s were built with a column stalk to operate the direction indicators - regardless of whether they were trafficators or flashing indicators. The earliest column stalk, from 1956, also incorporated the horn button and from 1959 the later type arrived with the green warning light on the end and the horn button reverted to the centre of the steering wheel. It was only the MM and Series11 cars which had a little bakelite switch mounted under the dashboard.

[geoberni]

No. All Minor 1000s were built with a column stalk to operate the direction indicators - regardless of whether they were trafficators or flashing indicators. The earliest column stalk, from 1956, also incorporated the horn button and from 1959 the later type arrived with the green warning light on the end and the horn button reverted to the centre of the steering wheel. It was only the MM and Series11 cars which had a little bakelite switch mounted under the dashboard.

Many thanks for that.
I try to work out when all these changes happened so I can understand Minors better, but the manual doesn't make it easy.
They seemed to have so many aspects that were either from a particular chassis number or there is the throwaway comment 'on earlier cars' or 'on later cars'!

[neilmorey]

I had to do this job a couple of years ago and with new switch the indicators worked fine but the horn stopped working. It turned out the new earth connection was slightly bent and not making proper contact.
I'm sure you'll check the indicators work but good to check the horn does too. Learned the hard way!