Electrical question for you Classic guys:

I've got what I think is a 90 model Mini. I'm guessing that is the year based on paint color (note I didn't say paint code....I don't have that data plate either ) The car is very clean with about 38,000 km, it's a German spec car and the wiring harness is very original looking. Read that as not molested.

A little background: Had a hell of a time figuring out that both low beams were burnt out. High beams only but the high beam indicator was out of sync with reality. Luckily an old VW bug bulb has the same connector and I was able to fit a known good unit in and work through that problem.

I picked up the car right before the Dragon and took it up for Thursday and part Friday, no problems except the exhaust hanger rusted out and I had to use a coat hanger to keep it from dragging. But since its North Carolina no one noticed!

I’ve had 3 “events” where the turn signals would act up. The first time they didn’t work, I also lost the brake lights, reverse lights and interior light – but the Hazard switch worked. I futz and played with connectors, fuses and the hazard unit and they started working again.

The second time it happened, I replaced all fuses in the fuse panel and replaced the “8-track player style” inline fuses with some Mini ATA fuses of the same amps. I also removed all the bayonet connecters and splitters from under the slam panel and soldered and shrink wrapped all the new connections. I also check all the solder joints with a multimeter to make sure none of them were cold. Once again the turn signal started working correctly.

Well last weekend they went out again, but this time the brake lights and the reverse lights work. However the hazard flasher and the interior lights don’t. I put a known good flasher unit (black 3 pin relay, under dash) and still they don’t work. I’ve got volts through the fuse panel and up the steering column to the turn signal lever haven’t had a chance to check the output side of it yet, but I really don’t think that is the problem since I have other effected circuits.

So my question is ………. Is there another inline fuse I’ve missed or maybe another relay? I’ve had the dash apart and the “clocks” out, found the flasher unit that way, but didn’t see anything else in there. Of course I wasn’t looking for it either.

TIA

Oh and here is my car as it currently looks. UJ roof and bonnet stripes are enroute to me. Anyone know the paint color? I'm thinking its Caribbean Blue (pearl) BLVC911 but I'm not sure could be Teal Blue BLVC18. Any ideas??





And a close up of new speaker pods.

 

I experienced the same problem, which actually started when I tried to put in a Volkswagen Turn Signal Switch (a new one I found in my garage; must’ve been my spare of my previous car) on my Mini. I was thinking that I messed up with the wirings, fuses or relays. But, it wasn’t fixed even when I already installed the right parts. I given in up and brought it to a mechanic. They had if fixed but they weren’t able to clearly explain what really caused the problem and how they were able to fix it. I just then thought they had the luck but didn’t actually know the exact solution. I’m still curious about it but won’t ever wish for it to happen again.

 

The spare flasher unit is one I picked up locally. During my research I found that one of the SJS Jags and Rover Freelander use the same unit, based on part number of the one currently installed. I managed to cross ref that to a Tirdon EP-35 unit that sells for around $12, verses the one that MM sells for $34 plus shipping

Just to add to the mix, I pulled all the turn signal bulbs and checked them. While there I cleaning the bulb holders with some emery cloth and check all the grounds.

 

For the interior light, check for 12V at the light. The switch, if it's like mine, switches the source of the ground connection: either directly at the switch to the frame of the car, or through a purp/wht wire to the door buttons, which ground that lead when either of the doors are opened. So if the light works when you manually switch it on then the problem is the ground going to/coming from the doors. If you don't have 12V at the switch, then follow that wire (purple) back to a 15A LINE FUSE (!) that also feeds.... the hazard flasher! Dunno where that fuse is, but my guess is on the motor side of the wirewall or in the dash area.

 

I'd already check the light and no dc volts, which does make sense since they are on the same circuit. I've got nothing at the hazard unit either........ so I guess I'll be removing the dash and follow the wiring through the firewall.

Ah well its raining today so nothing better to do

 

When you find the line fuse, post its location here so in the future someone looking will know where it is. The Haynes book is very vague on line fuse locations. Something like "They are here, or they could be there, or maybe they're somewhere else."

 

No problem, planned on it...... I was hoping someone else had battled this already

Ref the Haynes manual, don't forget the old standard "installation is opposite of removal" big help there

Thanks for the comments.

 

To help find your year, check out the wiper motor and the boot latch assembly. The wiper will have a week and year stamped on it, and the boot latch will have a year.

Smokey - (gasp) Minimania overcharge for parts? Nahhhhh. Back when they were still linked up with Minispares you could take the same part numbers and check prices. Even *with* the exchange rate and shipping from the UK you could usually beat MM's price. I try to only buy small things from them now. Most of my orders go to Minisport in the UK, 7 Enterprises, or Heritage Garage.

 

I've seen that mentioned a few times and although my wiper motor has numbers stamped on it, nothing looks like a week/year marking. The rear boot latch has nothing printed/stamped on it at all. Rather bizarre

 

It'll be a series of numbers if I remember correctly blah blah 12v and then something like 1268 or whatever, which would indicate the 12th week of 1968. Or it's 6812... I can't remember. If I can do it tomorrow i'll take a photo of my '66 S to show ya what I mean.

 

Your symptoms indicate you may need a new fuse box. The Lucas boxes do go bad (loose connections and especially corroded terminals). I always install a new fuse box in every Mini. They're cheap, too. I've had "intermittant" loss of various lights/flashers in a few cars and found the fuse box a culprit on a few occasions.

 

Thanks, I'd really like tyo figure this out

You just might be right. Even though I've cleaned all the fuse holders and replaced all the fuses in the block, I think I'll be giving this option a lot of merit. I'd like to get one that is the newer blade style, so this might be the excuse.......... er I mean reason to do it.

We've been out of town for the last little bit and I haven't had an opportuinty to pull the dash and follow the wire from the fuse box through the firewall and into the car. Hope to get to it soon, I'm jones'in bad to drive it

 

Had a few hours to do some more trouble shooting and believe I've found the fault

The non-spring end of a fuse holder was recessed into the plastic of the holder itself, and although it was clean.......... it wasn't making contact with the fuse except intermittently. I haven't replaced the entire fuse holder yet, but I have replaced the contact and the white plastic end. I'm looking for a local source for smaller gauge fuse holders, that 10 gauge wire is too difficult to work with and really overkill for these circuits.

I'll post up some pictures fuse location when I finally get around to replacing it.

I do offer up this picture! It's one of the many pictures I took for wire location reference as I was removing the dash.

Pretty colors




I basically gutted the dash and removed all the sound proofing material from the engine side of the firewall. Found a few things that needed some cleaning up; one wire rubbed through by the air cleaner housing and 4 pounds of German Maple seeds . It also gave me a chance to remove what I'm guessing to be waxall from a lot of the engine compartment. Now I don't get covered with it when I work on the car.

The dash went from this:



To this:




If you look close you can see I got the steering drop bracket mounted. Big improvement! I used a couple washers as shims to remove all the lateral play in the brackets. Nice change; hands are lower and I can see the oil & alt warning lights.

Tomorrow I finish the air horn install.


Hmmm if you say so

Here's what mine shows:

 

Mounting the tach to the UNDERSIDE of the dash rail is a brilliant idea... Why didn't *I* think of that? (( runs out to see if the tach I have will mount that direction )).