Special thanks to Gerald Van Vlack who helped me finally realize that I have
a TR4A wiring harness installed in my TR-4.
Yep.
Can't even blame it on a previous owner either.
My own stupid fault.
Although I could swear I ordered a TR4 harness from Moss back in the late 80's.
I don't have the receipts to prove it though.
I guess that really isn't fair.
It is probably just sour grapes on my part from the TR-4 seat springs.
That I'll pin on Moss.
This I can't . . .unless I find the receipt.
Around 1988, I melted down what was left of the wiring harness in my 1963 TR4.
It was a patchwork of lamp cord, duct tape and wire nuts behind the dash.
Everywhere else it was brittle and in terrible shape.
I bit the bullet and bought a new wiring harness.
What likely happened is that I ordered it while I was in college, and the car
sat at home. My brother probably started the installation. Probably many
months (if not more than a year) after I ordered the wiring harness.
I was irritated to see how poorly the harness seemed to fit.
The starter solenoid wires didn't reach.
The brake light swich wires were up by the pedals .. not down by the union.
Other dash wires didn't seem right. And the horns. . god knows the horns
weren't right.
None the less . .we made it work somehow. Patches out of the old wiring
harness.
Now I'm looking at it again .. and it finally dawns on me . .this might be a
good TR-4A harness. Not a poorly made TR-4 harness.
I consult the bentley manual and find a single wiring diagram in the electrical
section. The book supposedly covers both TR-4 and 4A.
But then I remember other things from this list:
Don't 4A's have horn relays? and dual speed wipers?
Are some of the controls moved around?
Hmmm.
So in my discussions with Gerald Van Vlack, he points out that the wiring
diagram IN HIS DRIVERS MANUAL for his 4A shows all these components.
Son of a @#$@%#.
The first section of the bentley manual is the owners handbook . . and has
pages from both the TR4 and 4A manuals. There is the 4A wiring harness.
It looks to match up great with the one I installed in my 63 TR4.
Damn I feel like an idiot.
In my defense though . . . It is only in recent years that I've learned all the
differences between a TR4 and 4A.
The Haynes manual shows only the TR4 diagram and labels it as both TR4 and 4A.
The Bentley manual hides the 4A diagram up in the driver's handbook section.
And whatever you do .. . do not use a wiring diagram from a Clymer TR2-6 and
GT6 manual. Oh god. .. What a mess.
At least now I know how to solve some of my problems:
Anyone have a TR4A horn relay?
Anyone have a TR4A two speed wiper motor? (I have the switch)
Should making switching to an alternator much more easy.
Wonder if that has anything to do with the flasher problems.
The 4As had slightly different wiring cause of the side lights.
I could have stuff hooked up wrong.
Okay . . I'm done venting now.
Thanks.
Scott Tilton
I've got enough of an electrical handicap without this crap.
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