Hazard light kits

[KevinB]

Any recommendations or suggestions for fitting hazards please?
I think they are pretty essential these days. I see there is a kit offered by Retronics and possibly others?

Thanks in advance

[Andmurph]

Many people use the Lucas SFB300 kit. We have one in the pickup. If you have LED indicators you need to change the relay for a digital one. That is very easy to do.

[svenedin]

Yes I have the Lucas SFB300 hazard system.

It has some advantages. It is period correct for 60's cars at least. It does not care about polarity because the flasher relay is of the thermal type. It lights up the switch when the hazard lights are on.

There are some downsides. The modern copies have not followed the original wiring colours. It is not difficult to work them out. I don't know whether this is true of all Minors over the years but in my late convertible the SFB300 bracket is too long to fit under the dashboard due to a raised lip under there. I cut down the mounting bracket (and cover) and mounted the switch under the dashboard and the relay the other side of the raised lip with a sticky pad. The modern instructions are daft and tell you to cut wires. There is absolutely no need to do that, you just fit male bullets to all of the wires coming from the SFB300 and female bullet connectors at existing cable junction points. The modern instructions also say to interrupt the power to the flasher can on the engine bay bulkhead but the same effect (and what the original instructions said to do) is to interrupt the output from the flasher can (it makes no difference where the circuit is interrupted). Doing that means existing junctions can be used but you may need some female bullet connectors that accept a greater number of connections than what is already there behind the dashboard.

The end result is very neat with no permanent changes to wiring whatsoever.

For earlier cars with more complicated indicator systems the Retronics kit is probably better. You can download the circuit diagrams and instruction from the Retronics website.

Stephen

[Bill_qaz]

I recently bought and fitted a kit from
https://www.carbuilder.com
It was for a series 1 Landrover but its a universal kit, easy to fit, good instructions, period looking switch.

[geoberni]

It really depends on what Indicator System you have.
Post '63, it's pretty simple.
If you have a DB10 Relay system, either as standard or adapted to provide separate indicators, it get's a little trickier.
If you have a Trafficator car pre 1961, that has 'Standard' conversion typical of the 1960s, again it's usually pretty simple.

The Lucas SFB300 Replica is the benchmark for aftermarket items IMHO; it looks the part and fits neatly under the dash.

[svenedin]

As Berni said, if you do have the Lucas DB10 relay indicator system the Retronics system is better. Note you need to order the additional leads.

As Retronics say, it works on positive or negative earth but a small point I raised with Retronics (having looked at the circuit diagrams) is that the switch only illuminates when the hazards are on with negative earth. On positive earth the switch illumination would not work unless the switch was totally electrically isolated from the car bodywork, which it is not....I then discovered that the switch illumination is an LED which can be turned around to switch the polarity of the contacts so that it would work with positive earth. Anyway, for my needs the Lucas SFB300 was much better.

https://retronicsonline.com/product/retronics-shop/


The Lucas SFB300 which can be found second hand, occasionally new old stock (which I found years ago) or a modern copy is very good for the later cars with simple Lucas FL5 type flasher can.

Since fitting hazards in my car I have had rather more opportunities to use them than I care to mention (another thread, unreliable ignition coils)

https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/ ... hazard-kit

Stephen

IMG_3175.jpeg (2.49 MiB) Viewed 217 times

[KevinB]

Thank you all for the detailed info as usual.

So for my negative earth, 67 saloon with as far as I know standard flasher unit, I'm tempted to go for the Car builder kit mentioned by Bill. It seems simple to fit and straightforward to order. I will check with them though that my (soon to be) led indicators will work fine. It's also less expensive than the Lucas.

Or should I go for the Lucas? ....

[Bill_qaz]

If you go for led indicators you will need an electronic flasher unit,
that are not load dependant, rather than bi metal type. Order the hazard light kit for led as it has its own ìntergrated flasher unit.
Good luck with whichever kit you choose

[geoberni]

Well.....
The Car Builder Solutions one you are referring to (based on your comment " It's also less expensive than the Lucas.") is a bit more basic. In that regard it's more like an early 1970s arrangement.
I'm guessing this one at £21 https://www.carbuilder.com/products/hazard-switch-kit rather than this one https://www.carbuilder.com/products/pus ... -kit-black at £43.

Their £43 one seems to be the Lucas SFB300 reproduction that several of us have mentioned , which typically is priced elsewhere at around £32/£33.....

Compare the 2 diagrams.
They may mean nothing to you, but basically on the left, the £21 model, the separate Hazard Sw simply has 2 outputs that connect to the Left and Right Indicators via the 2 Blue wires.
There is nothing to stop you putting the Hazards on while the Indicators are on (to one side or the other) allowing the hazards to go a bit crazy as both Flasher Units are simultaneously connected . Nothing wrong with that as such, I actually have such a switch on my Minor, because it's a genuine 1970s aftermarket Hazard Sw I had stored away in my garage for 50 years... It simply wasn't a consideration when they were first available as an aftermarket fit.

I don't get why that basic one states 'OPTIONAL FEED TO HAZARD WARNING LIGHT' from the Relay, because the Switch appears to have a Lamp that will flash (the symbol of a circle with 2 black segments). It is a legal requirement to have a warning that the Hazards are flashing.

The SFB300 version on the Right has the output from the Indicator Flasher (Green/Purple) routed via a set of contacts in the Hazard Assy, which acts as a Pass Through for normal use but if the Hazard Sw is operated it isolates the output from the Indicators. No chance of Crazy Lighting effects with that one..

Note that in your case there would not be the 2 separate side repeaters that are on the Right Hand Diagram, that's just their artist getting carried away with their drawing ....

The Choice is yours, ....but now you can make an informed choice.

Hazard Switches.JPG (72.67 KiB) Viewed 125 times

[Bill_qaz]

The one on the right, that isolates the indicators when in hazards on mode is the one I used. So assume the more expensive version. Can't remember the cost as it was two years ago and I wasn't paying.

[KevinB]

Thank you Bill and geoberni for the detailed investigation.
I have ordered the less expensive version (#hazkit) from Carbuilder (left wiring diagram) and will give it a try and find out how well it works. Initially with my current non-led bulbs.

The seller have told me the kit has an electronic relay and MAY work with LEDs, so I can have fun trying them later on.