S4 Elan (Federal) Wiring Issues
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:43 pm
Hello All,
Well, it's been 4 months since I first contacted you trying to sort out an ignition wiring problem back in March. I got my Elan in February, a 70 S4 (Federal) convertible, Car# 7002040030K, previous owner disclosed some electrical problems - headlights didn't work, lights mechanicalaly held down, horm, wipers, turn signals, all inop - he suspected a faulty ground. I drove it around a few times, then it quit and left me stranded. No power to the coil. Ran a jumper from the fuse block to the coil and it starts and runs (although it won't start until I release the key from the spring loaded start position), and I've been driving it around that way about once a week since.
Now that I've finished two other cars I've been working on, this week I'm diving back into the Lotus. Many electrical questions. I have the workshop manual, the workshop Series 4 wiring diagram, and I've been reading through many previous posts to try to resolve questions. I'm trying to get the lights and the turn signals working so I can drive it, then I'll work on the windshield wipers, horn, windows, emergency flashers later as I get to them.
The wiring on this car is a real mess - many dangling wires, many wrong color wires, many electrical taped splices, several in line fuses. My first impression is I need a new wiring harness. What do y'all think, is that much more trouble than it's worth?
Here are some individual system issues that I've discovered so far.
1. Headlights - it's very hard to tell what my system is supposed to look like and how it works. What is right and wrong on the diagram for my car? I don't see the headlamp micro-switch that's on the diagram anywhere in the car. From what I've read, that switch has moved from the front of the car on the light buckets to the vacuum switch behind the dash for the Federal car. Only there's no wiring to my switch, just a white jumper wire from one terminal to another. The vacuum nozzles on the switch are broken off, the vacuum tubing is there.
The wiring diagram shows the smallFailsafe Headlamps box in the upper right hand corner, but there is precious little information there. Can someone explain what that little box is trying to tell me. The wiring diagram shows the Headlamp Flasher Relay, Unit, and Micro-Switch. I haven't found any of those things on my car - are they on my Federal car, and if so, where are they? Also, if so, I've never heard of a headlamp flasher in any of my other little British cars, so how does it work, what is it's purpose? I can't see that it does anything from the diagram.
The Workshop Manual, Section M, page 106, in a special paragraph for Failsafe Headlamp cars, states "headlamp illumination can only ever be obtained with the ignition on". So why is it that the wiring diagram shows a path to power the headlights, and with the ignition switch off and the Lamp rocker switch on, I get power all the way to the Main and Dip headlamp relays. The only thing keeping those relays from powering the headlights is there's no ground through the black with red stripe wire to the micro switch. Seems like if I just grounded that wire, the lights would work. The Manual also says the parking lights work without the headlights on apparently depending on the position of the vacuum switch and micro switch. My parking lights work with the Lamp rocher switch turned on. There's no indication of the microswitch unless that's it in the Failsafe Headlamps box at the upper right hand corner.
2. Horns - that's an easy one. They're not working because they're missing.
3. Turn signals. Well, they didn't work before, but once I started poking around and checking for power through the system, they started working. Sounds like the flasher is only clicking once, and the lights are blinking very rapidly like there's a bulb out somewhere, but no, all the bulbs are working. I'm thinking the flasher is bad. Yes? The indicator warning light bliinks very dimly in the Speedo when the turn signals are flashing. However, the indicator warning light stays on bright with the Lamp switch on (ignition off). Not supposed to be any power to that light from the headlamp system. Must be a crossed wire or a bad ground somewhere.
4. Ignition. I'll save that long discussion for another post.
Any help with these things would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Rick
70 Elan
Well, it's been 4 months since I first contacted you trying to sort out an ignition wiring problem back in March. I got my Elan in February, a 70 S4 (Federal) convertible, Car# 7002040030K, previous owner disclosed some electrical problems - headlights didn't work, lights mechanicalaly held down, horm, wipers, turn signals, all inop - he suspected a faulty ground. I drove it around a few times, then it quit and left me stranded. No power to the coil. Ran a jumper from the fuse block to the coil and it starts and runs (although it won't start until I release the key from the spring loaded start position), and I've been driving it around that way about once a week since.
Now that I've finished two other cars I've been working on, this week I'm diving back into the Lotus. Many electrical questions. I have the workshop manual, the workshop Series 4 wiring diagram, and I've been reading through many previous posts to try to resolve questions. I'm trying to get the lights and the turn signals working so I can drive it, then I'll work on the windshield wipers, horn, windows, emergency flashers later as I get to them.
The wiring on this car is a real mess - many dangling wires, many wrong color wires, many electrical taped splices, several in line fuses. My first impression is I need a new wiring harness. What do y'all think, is that much more trouble than it's worth?
Here are some individual system issues that I've discovered so far.
1. Headlights - it's very hard to tell what my system is supposed to look like and how it works. What is right and wrong on the diagram for my car? I don't see the headlamp micro-switch that's on the diagram anywhere in the car. From what I've read, that switch has moved from the front of the car on the light buckets to the vacuum switch behind the dash for the Federal car. Only there's no wiring to my switch, just a white jumper wire from one terminal to another. The vacuum nozzles on the switch are broken off, the vacuum tubing is there.
The wiring diagram shows the smallFailsafe Headlamps box in the upper right hand corner, but there is precious little information there. Can someone explain what that little box is trying to tell me. The wiring diagram shows the Headlamp Flasher Relay, Unit, and Micro-Switch. I haven't found any of those things on my car - are they on my Federal car, and if so, where are they? Also, if so, I've never heard of a headlamp flasher in any of my other little British cars, so how does it work, what is it's purpose? I can't see that it does anything from the diagram.
The Workshop Manual, Section M, page 106, in a special paragraph for Failsafe Headlamp cars, states "headlamp illumination can only ever be obtained with the ignition on". So why is it that the wiring diagram shows a path to power the headlights, and with the ignition switch off and the Lamp rocker switch on, I get power all the way to the Main and Dip headlamp relays. The only thing keeping those relays from powering the headlights is there's no ground through the black with red stripe wire to the micro switch. Seems like if I just grounded that wire, the lights would work. The Manual also says the parking lights work without the headlights on apparently depending on the position of the vacuum switch and micro switch. My parking lights work with the Lamp rocher switch turned on. There's no indication of the microswitch unless that's it in the Failsafe Headlamps box at the upper right hand corner.
2. Horns - that's an easy one. They're not working because they're missing.
3. Turn signals. Well, they didn't work before, but once I started poking around and checking for power through the system, they started working. Sounds like the flasher is only clicking once, and the lights are blinking very rapidly like there's a bulb out somewhere, but no, all the bulbs are working. I'm thinking the flasher is bad. Yes? The indicator warning light bliinks very dimly in the Speedo when the turn signals are flashing. However, the indicator warning light stays on bright with the Lamp switch on (ignition off). Not supposed to be any power to that light from the headlamp system. Must be a crossed wire or a bad ground somewhere.
4. Ignition. I'll save that long discussion for another post.
Any help with these things would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Rick
70 Elan