Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi All,
When i purchased my car the previous owner he had fitted the electric light mechanism from a mazda miata (mx 5 in australia). It is a fantastic set up with no issues untill!!.

Recenctly I removed the engine and gear box for a rebuild when putting the lotus back together some wires became disconnected under the dash.
Putting the wires back where I though they went, the lights go up and down all the time.

It would be great if it was a volkswagen called Herbie, but not so good on a 67 elan + 2.

Has any one else done this modification and can assist on some wiring connections under the dash.
Thanks from down under,
Darren

Darren,

Sounds a good mod. I think you are going to have to get a circuit diagram from an MX5 for anybody to help you. I am not familair with how many wires go to the unit but you would have thought they cut their own throat locally at the upper and lower limit like a wiper motor. You would have thought that the switch sent a positive to raise. Then to lower, removed the positive and applied one to the lower circiut. It sounds like you have positive on both raise and lower. Is it possible that you have tapped off the same part of the switch for both raise and lower command wires. Sorry cant be any more help.
The circuit could be negatively switched? Same as described above except negative on both command wire. Please be aware as it is difficult to give advice without seeing some circuit evidence. An amount of electrical experience is required to understand what I am trying to say. Perhaps some one on the forum has an MX5 with the diagram????
I noticed a headlamp motor on ebay and it had five wires so there may be an external module to help switch it on and off at the end of the stroke??

I would be interested in seeing a Pic of your installation. Is the switch for operating it from an Mx5.

Mike

Darren

I have electrically raised headlamps on my S4, The motors are made by Toyota although when I bought them (from a Lotus dealer) I was told they were one Lotus fitted to an Eclat(?).

My motors have 5 wires and I needed 3 relays to operate them. Without seeing the digram for how yours are wired trying to diagnose the problem would be pure guesswork.

The Toyota motors have 2 wires connected directly to the brushes and the other 3 wires are connected (via diodes) to two 'parking' switches. In operation the motor only ever rotates in one direction and turns the output crank via a gearbox. The crank 'parks' in two positions 180 degrees apart.

It sounds that you may have similar motors, in which case whatever wiring got disturbed is somehow feeding the motor continuously.

One other type of headlamp motor I know of reverses the polarity of supply to the motor so that the crank goes clockwise and anticlockwise between the two parked positions.

Hope the above might be a little help

Ian Phillips

I can get hold of a wiring diagram for an MSX-5 if that will help? I could possibly scan and e-mail to you if you wish. I don't know if I can attach a file to a post on here.

Let me know what you need.

Regards

Andy

Darren
I have an MX-5 with retractable headlights and a workshop manual with the wiring diagram.
The raise/lower actuators are motors with intergral relays and position (parking) switches and five terminals; power, ground, raise, lower, and signal to instruments. They function as described in Ian's message on the Toyota motors.
Normally, the actuators are controlled thru the headlight switch and relay, but there is a retractor switch to raise/lower when the headlight switch is off.
The two terminals on the actuator for raise and lower function such that 12V is applied to one or the other for the desired headlight position.
The retractor switch is a three pole-two position that directs 12V to either of the two raise/lower terminals on the actuator.
I suspect that your installation is always operated by a retractor switch and the headlights are switched on independently.
If 12V is applied to both of the raise/lower terminals together, it looks like the actuator would cycle thru raise/lower continuously as mentioned in the previous messages.
So, the thing to check first are the connections between the actuators and retractor switch to make sure the actuators are not receiving 12v at both the raise/lower terminals at the same time.

Dave 72 Sprint DHC

I'm due to start re-building the car sometime soon - I'm taking the chassis off next week and it should be back a couple of weeks later with the addition of the restored bodywork - I'm really keen to find out how this was installed. Any chance of some photos of the mechanical installation etc?

I had actually been thinking of using the actuators that are fitted to the M100 elan, as they seemed to work well. So it's great to hear that there's a potentially cheaper option.

Sean.

Hi Sean,

I will get some photo's published, i will see this weekend. The set up is quite neat and works quite well (when you dont mix the wires up!!). The lights work of the light switch (keep in mind my only has the toggle switches) when you turn the main lights on the lights go on, and down when you turn the off. I will look into putting a switch on the back of old vaccuum switch on the dash so the operation will be like the original (except electrtic).
First project is to get the drivers door back on.
You know what it is like "lets do this simple job of replacing the door hinge bushes" and 3 weekends later you may get it finished.
That life fixing a Lotus!!
Cheers Darren

I have very recently aquired a Plus 2S and the vacuum headlight mechanism is a mess, I am very interested in the detail configuration and wiring of the electric system that was discussed during May as this seems to be a much more solid and reliable (safer) arrangement. Is there a someone who can supply me with the conversion details?

Here you go guys, one wiring diagram courtesy of Benny. Don't ask me who Benny is I just stumbled across the wiring diagram one day


http://www.benchapman.com/locost2/mx5/E1_Headlights.gif

Thanks for your help and thanks to Benny if he is out there somewhere.