What should these wires do?

[Iyarno]

Just need some advice on some lose wires in my early +2 boot.

There is a black/white wire to the left of the fuel tank, and a black/yellow wire on right side near the battery. I also have a couple of purple/white wires which run from the left of the fuel tank over towards the battery ending with a bullet connector. All the wiring looks original and are complete with very dirty bullet connectors etc. See pics.

Can anyone suggest what they should be connected to. I was guessing it might be for a boot light, or maybe an electric aerial was fitted at some point? I have consulted my Workshop Manual but it's not that clear.

Ian

[CBUEB1771]

The black/white to the left of the fuel tank is the switched +12v supply to the rear screen heater element. The purple/white wires go to the interior lamps above the doors, purple is +12v and purple/white goes to the door switches. I am not sure about the black yellow, my schematics don't shown a black/yellow at the rear of the car.

[Iyarno]

Thanks Russ, the purple wiring makes sense as none of my interior lights have worked since I took ownership a few months ago. But why the double connector? Is this just to extend the cable, or should I also have an interior light fitted to the boot somewhere?

The rear screen is still confusing. My heater elements are connected with a black/red wire on the passenger side and a blue/yellow wire on the drivers side - and it seems to work! Both of these wires are coming from the front of the car along the central console.

It's a 1968 car, so I believe it should be a positive earth car, but has been switched to a negative earth. I'm guessing something odd has been done by a PO.

Ian

[stugilmour]

Ian, I think the double connectors on the purple (12 v supply, hot at all times, fused) and purple/white (courtesy lights switched to ground at the door switches) are to provide separate wires to the lamps on each side of the car. A single purple and purple/white run to the front of the car. The connector system then ends up with unused pin slots in some of the connectors. My federal wiring diagram is kind of a combo physical and schematic diagram, and indicates the purple connector in the boot has two blank pin slots, with the purple wire running from the front of the car connected to a similar four slot connector at the left courtesy light. The purple/white with three connections to it is also located by the left courtesy light. If the purple connector tests as hot at all times, it is probably all good to go. You could of course use the extra purple pin slots for supply to a boot lamp if you chose; I think this is why they designed my early car loom this way, although the boot light was introduced later.

For the black/yellow, I also suspect a wire change of some kind. On my car, black/yellow was connected to blue/yellow and used for a portion of the windshield wiper circuits. My observation is Lotus did not use standard colours for the wiper circuits, so these can be a bit confusing. The other use of Blue/Yellow in my car is for the window lift motors, which is also a non-standard colour. Note the non-standard colours tend to change function & colour in a Lotus depending on model and year. Obviously neither of these functions would be found at the back of the car. Perhaps a previous owner did a repair with some available wire; your call if you bother to change it.

Black/Red is also a non-standard colour. Again, I think this is probably a PO mod. On my car's diagram it is used for the headlight micro switches.

Bottom line, if you can get the stuff to work and make note of what wire does what you are probably fine. Mention the other uses of the wire colours to avoid confusion when you trace them to the front of the car.

[davidj]

Hi,

I notice you have an early +2 with a heated rear screen. Is it the UK version with lucas toggle switches and if so, where is the switch for the rear screen located on the dash? Is there a light to show the screen is on? I now have a heated rear screen but no switch and there is no mention of it in the hand book or workshop manual.

Ta,

David

[theelanman]

If its an early +2......you should have a pull switch located by the drivers knee......to the right and below the drivers side electric window switch.......

[Iyarno]

Hi David, yep it's a pull/push button similar in size to the choke. If you're over 6' like me your left knee will hit the button located on the left side of the steering column. There are no lights on the dash etc. but then my full beam light isn't working at the moment, so thats not to say there shouldn't be.

I'm in the process of rewiring it to match the wiring diagram. For some reason a PO had routed the earth back to the dash with a blue and yellow wire...oh the joys of discovery.

I can post a pic later if it helps.

Ian

[Higs]

The black/yellow wire is show in the manual as a "spare" for the rear of the car. It runs from the dashboard to rear and is not connected to anything at either end.

Richard

[Iyarno]

Hi,

I notice you have an early +2 with a heated rear screen. Is it the UK version with lucas toggle switches and if so, where is the switch for the rear screen located on the dash? Is there a light to show the screen is on? I now have a heated rear screen but no switch and there is no mention of it in the hand book or workshop manual.

Ta,

David

I've attached a rubbish phone pic of the rear window heater knob, attached to the steeting column on a 68' +2. At least you get the idea.

***Updated the pictures***

[davidj]

Thanks. I would never have thought it went there! I was expecting a lucus toggle switch to the right of the steering wheel!

Next question is where do a find the correct period switch? Is that a white blob on the end?

David

[Iyarno]

David, I've just updated the photos above for better ones. Yes mine does have a white dot of somekind on the end of it.

I now have another question regarding hazard lights. I realised the other day that I don't know where the switch is, or even if I have hazard lights. I do have an orange light between the rev/speed counter so I guess there should be something - then I noticed that directly opposite this rear window heater switch on my steering column there is a hole for another switch. But I have nothing there... is this where the hazard lights switch should be???

[davidj]

Hi,

Thanks for the pictures. I don't think the early +2 had hazard warning lights and they were not even offered as an option. I have fitted them to my car using a very period push pull light switch from a Triumph Dolomite, but it required wiring mods and another flasher unit. I think having hazard warning lights are essential for a Lotus!

Maybe the extra light on the dash is/was meant for the rear screen heater?

D.