Last spring, when I first joined the brit-cars group, I related the
tale of finding an injured sky-blue 1980 TR-8 convertable and buying
it with the help of my brother Tim. Since then, the joyous arrival of
our third child, followed by the depressing arrival of the doctors
bill meant that it was time for us to shed some toys. Yea, I know
what you guys are thinking, "Where are your priorities, shed the kids,
shed the kids!!". But not all is lost, 'cause it stayed in the family
and its new owner Tim will continue the TR-8 saga over the next few
days.
Lawrence Buja
ccm0b@vm.cc.purdue.edu
P.S. We're still working on getting a safe FTPable site to release the
brit-cars archives from.
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Let me introduce myself, as I am sort of a newcomer to these
parts.....
My name is Tim Buja, and I am in the process of getting a 1980
Triumph TR-8 convertible back into showroom condition. Some of you may
recall a number of articles that my brother Lawrence contributed here
last spring regarding the acquisition of a 'lost' TR-8 that suffered a
"Loss Of Coolant Accident" (his terminology, not mine) while up in the
canyons above Salt Lake City, along with his efforts to free the TR-8
from the clutches of someone who didn't realize the difference between a
Fatal Engine Disease and a Near Miss. My story is about that same TR-8.
(Somehow the LOCA phrase strikes a nerve in many people, but I was very
amused when I read it as I had worked as a testing engineer during the
construction of both units at the Byron Nuclear Power Station 8-).
Lawrence is posting my messages on the net since I don't have access to
it other than by him USmailing me a disk with all the pertinant messages
from the British Car postings, and me sending a disk back to him to be
posted. So, if you send a reply, be prepared to wait at least a week or
more for a response. On with the story.....
You've already heard about the story of the trip back to Illinois
from Salt Lake City on Memorial Day weekend with the TR-8 (1400 miles,
average speed 69 mph, uneventful except for some instant-on radar), so
I'll fill you in on some of the details of what has happened since that
time...
I noticed that the battery would discharge itself within 2 weeks if
the TR-8 wasn't driven. (hmmm...I could just hear it thinking to
itself..."drive me everyday--or I won't be reliable for you" but then I
remembered that it said LUCAS on the fuse box...) I was able to detect
a steady current drain of 25 milliamps even when the ignition switch was
off and all of the fuses were pulled. With a bit of detective work, I
finally found a warm relay under the carpeting that is on the right side
of the passenger's footwell, just ahead of the door hinge and below the
glove compartment. I found that this relay was always energized, and
when I unplugged it from its socket I was able to eliminate the 25mA
drain on the battery. The relay had gotten warm enough over time to
partially melt the plastic harness connector as well as drip some black
goo out of its innards. BTW, this relay and associated wiring do NOT
appear on any of the wiring diagrams that are in the TR-8 Owner's Manual
or Repair Operations Manual--I've already looked there. Doing some more
detective work, I was able to trace the circuit out, with DC positive
(supplied directly from the RED battery cable that goes to the starter)
going to one side of the relay coil, and a BLU-BLK wire going from other
side of the relay coil towards the rear of the car. This BLU-BLK wire
eventually turned up again underneath the driver's seat and was
connected to the seat switch (normally open, closed whenever someone is
sitting in the seat). There was also a mysterious 3M jumper (the kind
that slits the insulation with a small metal clip that connects the
wires to be jumpered, surrounded by blue plastic insulating material)
connecting the BLU-BLK wire to a BLK wire which connected the other side
of the seat switch directly to ground. I removed the 3M jumper and
heard the relay pick up and drop out when I applied and removed weight
on the driver's seat. Now I've got the relay coil circuit figured
out--what about the circuit connected to the relay contacts?
I put all of the fuses back in, turned the ignition on, and tried to
start the engine. To my dismay, I found that the engine would not
crank. I noticed that the IGN light did not light until I sat down (and
picked up the relay). When I was seated, the IGN light lit and I was
able to start the engine. Once I got it started, the engine would
continue to run but the lights would dim as soon as I got up off of the
seat. To make a long story short, it appears that the seat switch relay
contact affects the starter (or starter relay) as well as the alternator
field. (Loss of alternator field = no alternator output = dim lights =
Joseph Lucas strikes again!)
In order to get the TR-8 back to a semi-normal state, I replaced the
relay with a jumper in place of the relay contact. This would allow the
engine to be started and the alternator to charge the battery even if I
wasn't sitting in the driver's seat--most cars nowadays have this
feature, don't they?
This brings me to the following questions:
1) What is the purpose of the seat switch and relay? Is it a relic
from the seat belt starter interlock days of 1973 or 1974? Is there
some European requirement for an interlock of this nature?
2) What do owners of other 1980 TR-8 convertibles find installed in
their cars? Is my car a mutant or are they all like this?
For those who wish more information about my TR-8, consider the
following: VIN: TPVDV8AT2141nn Mfd Date: July 1980 (found on the
commission number plate on the driver's door.) There is a paper tag on
the wiring harness that goes from the passenger footwell towards the
rear of the car describing it as RKC 4627. The Roadster Factory's Red
Price List (1/15/90) describes RKC 4627 as "T8 HARNESS, BODY, CARB
COUPE". I know I've got twin carbs, but I just don't know about that
"coupe" stuff!
The saga of the TR-8 will be continued in another message--it's
getting late and I'm ready to hit the sack.
Tim Buja Cherry Valley, IL
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