Owning an early spitfire without such luxuries as hazard lights and heaters
with more controls than 'on' and 'off', I wonder what the collective can
come up with for this problem that I had sent to me. My diagnosis is the
flasher unit...
==
Phil Johnson
Coventry UK
Club Triumph (UK) Spitfire/GT6 Secretary
http://www.club.triumph.org.uk/
66 Spitfire4 Mk2 FC73949
77 TR7 ACG15216
77 TR7 ACG10378A Ongoing Sprint Conversion
> I own a 1979 (T-reg), original condition Spitfire 1500. 45000 miles
> on the clock, well looked after, with no bodges as yet
> detected...until this weekend.
>
> Having driven from London to Suffolk, my indicators stopped working
> during the journey...as did my hazard lights. Up to this point they
> both worked fine (and have done for the year I have owned the car,
> during which time it has has covered 6000+ miles).
>
> On inspection:
>
> 1) I found that the six-lead pug that comes off the back of the
> mounted hazard warning light switch was empty. Its corresponding
> socket in the main wiring harness was plugged into a separate hazard
> light switch assembly, taped up and hanging loose behind the
> dashboard. When the tape was taken off, I found the switch in the
> "off" position, and could operate the hazards from this switch.
>
> 2) When removing the taped up plug from the socket in the main
> wiring harness, and reconnecting the wiring harness into the back of
> the mounted hazard switch, the hazard lamps work, but the indicators
> still do not flash.
>
> 3) The indicators do not flash. When bypassing the flasher unit,
> the indicators glowed continuously, when operating indicator lever
> up/down. However, I did not drive like this in case of overloading
> the circuit.
>
> 4) I checked the continuity across each of the indicator lights
> witha multimeter, and confirmed that power was getting to the flasher
> unit.
>
> My questions?!
>
> i) Is this a common fault? Reading the (less than useful) Haines
> manual suggests that indicators can stop working if there is a bulb
> blown. All bulbs OK.
>
> ii) Looking at the wiring diagram in the Haines manual, it seems
> that there are two separate flasher units, and so if one had broken
> for the indicators, the hazards would independently work. Is this
> correct?
>
> iii) It would seem that the component at fault is the indicator
> flasher...but why then has someone inserted an alternative plug into
> the wiring harness?
>
> iv) When symptoms suggest two seperate component failures I get
> suspicious. Could it be something simple like a dodgy earth
> somewhere?
>
> If you are able to shed ANY light on this problem I would be very
> grateful!
>
> Incidentally, I am also just about to replace my (old) vinyl hood
> with a double-duck one. I have bought the hood etc, and would very
> much appreciate any advice/suggestions of articles etc on "how to
> replace a hood"
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