Michael Corbitt wrote:
I was amazed at all the disconnected wires under my dash the first time I
looked. No wonder Lucas has been referred to as the Prince of Darkness.
Further to my earlier post on this issue (can't remember which list) - the
disconnected wires will have two key reasons/causes for being the way they
are. The more likely is previous owners fiddling with things they didn't
understand. The other is Standard-Triumph. Few appreciate that to minimise
production costs and to meet the many very varied levels of electrical
legislation in many markets, the company used two main "fit all" wiring
harnesses - one for LHS cars and the other for RHS. May seem daft but when
you're selling in 130 plus markets, you can't afford 130 different types of
loom. Maybe they can in Japan - but I doubt it. So, unused terminals (i.e.
those not required for US spec) were taped out of the way during assembly so
as not to 'interfere.' If anyone gets the (unlikely) chance, look at how cars
had to be wired for Italy and then the "Fix it again Tony" acronym/wotsit for
FIAT might be clearer?
But as the cars were never expected to last more than 10 years at the most,
this probably explains why the insulating tape has already given up the fight
30 years later! The issue isn't really the fault of Lucas or Ripaults cables
who made the looms - it's the national legislators who could never agree what
was needed, how it had to be wired or for how long the legislation was to stay
in force, because they didn't care. After all, what more can you expect of a
politician? Poor old Joe gets blamed again...
Jonmac
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