Window motor wiring route and restraint S4 Elan

[RichardHawkins]

I bought my Elan as basket case, the doors were dismantled, I didn’t make any notes or take any photos of the doors as received which was probably a mistake.

I am now considering how to run and secure the wires. I read many posts about window motors, switches, relays, and wire size, which have been very interesting and helpful, but cannot find an answer. I assume that the wire within the door needs to be restrained/clipped somewhere to stop it being damaged as the window moves and the door opens and closes. I also assume that there must be a loop of wire somewhere (within the car or the door) to allow flexibility as the door opens and closes.

Am I correct in my assumptions? Where should the wires be secured within the door, and where should the flexibility be?

Thanks in anticipation,

Richard Hawkins

[steve lyle]

My car is a later Sprint, so tifwiw.

The wires run through a metal tube near the upper hinge which protects the wires as the door opens and closes.

As to restraints within the door - that sounds like a good idea that any volume manufacturer would have implemented. But since it would have added weight and cost, Lotus chose not to. So far it hasn’t been a problem in my car. The wires drop down from the tube, then run along the bottom of the door to the motor. I don’t see any way for them to get entangled with the window mechanism.

[RichardHawkins]

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. One of my concerns is that the wires could chafe within the door restraint tube and eventually cause a short circuit or fire.

Richard Hawkins

[Craven]

I wired mine with thin wall cable this allows plenty of room to use an extra overall sleeve through the tube and you can upgrade the current rating at the same time. I used heat shrink, un shrunk very tough stuff, cable tie at each end to stop slippage. Wires just drop down to bottom of door, well away from any moving parts.
FWIW.

[steve lyle]

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. One of my concerns is that the wires could chafe within the door restraint tube and eventually cause a short circuit or fire.

Richard Hawkins

I don’t see how that could happen given that in practice there’s no relative movement of the wires and tube. in any event fuses are your friend.

[pharriso]

in any event fuses are your friend.

Or would be... The window motor swtiches get their power straight from the Voltage Regulator... I kid you not... no fuse...

[steve lyle]

in any event fuses are your friend.

Or would be... The window motor swtiches get their power straight from the Voltage Regulator... I kid you not... no fuse...

How about “or should be”? That circuit is fused in my car, ever since I rewired it.

[billwill]

in any event fuses are your friend.

Or would be... The window motor swtiches get their power straight from the Voltage Regulator... I kid you not... no fuse...

That can't be right can it? Why would window motors need a 10 volt pulse-width regulated supply (mechanical regulator)?

[pharriso]

in any event fuses are your friend.

Or would be... The window motor swtiches get their power straight from the Voltage Regulator... I kid you not... no fuse...

That can't be right can it? Why would window motors need a 10 volt pulse-width regulated supply (mechanical regulator)?

The Voltage Regulator under the hood(Bonnet).... not the 10v regulator for the Fuel gauge!

[RichardHawkins]

Thanks all for your help and comments. I have upgraded to thin wall cable of a larger size. I tend to over engineer things, and was considering a bung in the tube with holes in the bung that would compress and secure the wire. Craven your solution is much more practical.

Thanks again,

Richard Hawkins

[nmauduit]

in any event fuses are your friend.

Or would be... The window motor swtiches get their power straight from the Voltage Regulator... I kid you not... no fuse...

indeed, on my '68 s4se I'm amazed everytime I happen to try a window switch without the contact on, and they operate still... as for a short, since the power goes through the switch, as long as one do not insist too much on the switch when it starts to smell burnt wire inside the fire could be stopped early I suppose...

[billwill]

Or would be... The window motor swtiches get their power straight from the Voltage Regulator... I kid you not... no fuse...

That can't be right can it? Why would window motors need a 10 volt pulse-width regulated supply (mechanical regulator)?

The Voltage Regulator under the hood(Bonnet).... not the 10v regulator for the Fuel gauge!

No wonder I was confused!. Surely a Regulator under the bonnet only exists with a dynamo and surely S4 cars have Alternators not dynamos. With an Alternator the 'regulator' in normally inside the alternator and would not usually be referred to directly.

[RichardHawkins]

Bill,

I think you are correct about an S4 normally having an alternator. My car is an early S4 with a dynamo, some people refer to this as an S3.5 as it has the S3 crash pad and S3 radiator. The dynamo has since been changed to an alternator.

Richard Hawkins

[steve lyle]

No wonder I was confused!. Surely a Regulator under the bonnet only exists with a dynamo and surely S4 cars have Alternators not dynamos. With an Alternator the 'regulator' in normally inside the alternator and would not usually be referred to directly.

I believe Elan’s used generators during their entire production run, or at least through my Dec 1971 build date.

[pharriso]

Some late Sprints in the UK may have had alternators, but the vast majority of Sprints & all S4s were built with Dynamos; irrelevant for the original topic... but there you go.