1800E Electrical shenanigans.

[sleek lemur]

Originally Posted by c1800

Lemur, I may have posted this previously, however I highly recommend one of these. I have one, its very easy to read and indispensable when working on my ‘71 E.

https://colorwiringdiagrams.com/prod...800e-1969-1972

Just what I need ! Manny thanks!

[sleek lemur]

142, Just to say thank you again for your post and the link to the manual. I'll give the switch a clean and see how I go. In the meantime, follows your description of how it works, I have made a small kit to hotwire my car, should I get stranded!

We have an excellent parts supplier here and if a replacement is available, they will find it.

[142 Guy]

Originally Posted by sleek lemur

142, Just to say thank you again for your post and the link to the manual. I'll give the switch a clean and see how I go. In the meantime, follows your description of how it works, I have made a small kit to hotwire my car, should I get stranded!

We have an excellent parts supplier here and if a replacement is available, they will find it.

I received your PM; but, I do not yet have privileges to respond to PMs (insufficient posts). If you are still having trouble getting an active link, in the box with PDF in it just next to the picture of the service manual, hover over the PDF with your cursor and an underline should show up below the PDF indicating an active link. Click and the manual should open in a new browser window (it does on MS Edge) and then you can save from the browser window. Worked for me.

If it still does not work for you, PM me with an email that accepts 12 MB file attachments and I will email the manual to you.

Good luck with the switch. I had checked with CVI, Scandcar, Skandix and VP auto parts. I figured that if at least one of them didn't have it, it no longer exists. Perhaps the 1800 switch is slightly different than the 140 switch and has an aftermarket supplier.

[sleek lemur]

Thanks 142. Switching browsers did the trick. I think my ign switch is different to a 142 and just as discontinued!

[sleek lemur]

On the wiring diagram, what colour is SB?

Ta!

[142 Guy]

Originally Posted by sleek lemur

On the wiring diagram, what colour is SB?

Ta!

Svart or black in English. I don't know where the B comes from unless SB was supposed to be SvartBlack.

[sleek lemur]

Thanks 142!

So, fuse 4 (indicators and dash gauges) failed again yesterday. I had noticed that the fuel and water temp gauges had stopped overreading. When the fuse blew, the indicators failed (obv), but the two gauges continued to function 🤯. Am currently under the dash tracing leads.

[sleek lemur]

Hope this isn't becoming boring.....

The blown fuse turned out to be one of the terminals on the indicator stalk assembly (which I had recently replaced "red face") touching the metal dash shroud. It's a aftermarket item and there's no movement I can achieve in either the assembly or the steering column shroud and I didn't want to bend the terminal as I've been warned they can be weak. Anyway, problem solved. Car is fully running.

But I have unearthed a horrible old bodge, which I want to correct. The first thing I need to say is that my ignition switch seems to be wired differently from that in the wiring diagram. I have the following leads:

Red - Live
Fat Yellow - Live with Ignition on (feeds fusebox)
Green - this is the starter lead.
Black - Live with ign on (feeds fusebox)
Slightly Slimmer Yellow - Live with ignition off **

**This cable doesn't appear on the wiring diagram.

However, I mentioned before that someone had run a lead from the red live terminal on the ignition switch direct to the brake pedal switch. There is a yellow lead exiting the harness close to the ignition switch, which has been spliced to another lead and that also goes to the brake pedal switch.

When I remove the fuse #9, which is for the brake lights, this makes the ignition switch completely inoperative; no red IGN light, starter doesn't turn.

My fuel and water temp gauges worked when fuse 4 had blown.

Reading this, it sounds like a stream of consciousness. If nothing else, it's set out a note to self of current issues. Something must be connected the wrong way round. I believe the two yellow cables should go directly to the brake light switch. This would give the correct number (4) of cables from the IGN switch.

Before I experiment and melt the whole wiring harness, does anyone have any comments (apart from "shut up!").

[Ron Kwas]

sl;

Given oe wires plus wires which have been added, this is somewhat unclear to me...and "My fuel and water temp gauges worked when fuse 4 had blown."...means they are getting power from another path, which clearly indicates wiring not per the Wiring Diagram. I sounds like a PO may have done some creative wiring to work around an open...this is what you need to find and address (verify if OK, or remove and return to correct and functional OE...and it might mean taking two steps back to go one step forward, at a time. Remember the only thing you should have a high confidence in, is the WD, and build your confidence in everything else with inspection and tests.

Refer to WD here: https://www.sw-em.com/1800E_71_Wiring_Dagram.jpg and Key here: https://www.sw-em.com/1800E_71_Wiring_Diagram_Key.jpg ...and go by the color codes given there, and return wiring to what it should be, then address any non or incorrect function one at a time after that.

Also, do not go by number of wires..."This would give the correct number (4) of cables from the IGN switch."...only connect wires and color codes which are accounted for in the WD, then address what doesn't function.

Good Hunting!

Edit: "Before I experiment and melt to whole wiring harness" If you are concerned about this, during tests which don't require starting or running, you can limit total energy available from Batt by disconnecting direct Batt connection, and temporarily wiring a 10A fuse in series...

[sleek lemur]

Thanks, Ron ! Wise words to follow the wiring diagram.

I bought the car as "Restored" from DK Classic cars, who are specialists in 1800s. This is what they had done:

The two brake light cables had been incorrectly routed throught the under dash and would not reach the pedal switch. So they connected one cable to the ignition switch (hence I had too many cables from the switch. The other brake light cable had been extended to reach the pedal and a separate cable had been lead from the red power lead to the ignition to the pedal. See attached photo "Bodge wire". This was why the entire IGN circuit went dead when fuse #9 was removed. with a bit of fiddling, I re-routed the brake light mini-harness and it reached the pedal perfectly

Secondly, they had wired the IGN switch incorrectly, combining the red and yellow cables on the two 15 terminals. This hadn't shown up as a problem, because the live brake light cable was supplying the entire IGN system of the car. This became evident once I correctly wired the brake lights and then I had no power to the IGN circuit.
Bodge wire.jpg
All corrected "per the wiring diagram".

Thanks guys, particularly 142 and Ron. What would I do without you ?