Indicator mystery...

I have a 1986 90, with wiring that could be a 12J or 19J setup, or some friday afternoon bodge. And indicators that don't work.

I've recently renewed the Column switches, flasher unit, hazard flasher switch and fusebox- and the indicators still don't work. I'm getting continuous( not flashing) lights on the left, right neither or both sides... so at last the fuses and bulbs are good. I know the problem is attached to the bulkhead somewhere!

Where else is there to look? Or am I going to have to trace and verify every wire in the harness individually?
Any bright ideas? Thanks!

Alpinewoodsman said:

I have a 1986 90, with wiring that could be a 12J or 19J setup, or some friday afternoon bodge. And indicators that don't work.

I've recently renewed the Column switches, flasher unit, hazard flasher switch and fusebox- and the indicators still don't work. I'm getting continuous( not flashing) lights on the left, right neither or both sides... so at last the fuses and bulbs are good. I know the problem is attached to the bulkhead somewhere!

Where else is there to look? Or am I going to have to trace and verify every wire in the harness individually?
Any bright ideas? Thanks!

Click to expand...

You looked @t the d@sh bulb for the indic@tors.
Norm@lly 99 percent of the time its e@rths.

Dash bulb is working. Or at least it was yesterday!

I had pulled off, cleaned and reattached every Earth I could find before ordering bits.

check that you have not pushed one or more of the connector out of the holder when you changed the hazard switch

To completely eliminate it being an earth problem, run a temporary wire from the battery -VE terminal to the lights or at least the common earth point.
Don't waste time routing it properly, just get a decent length piece of wire and run it point to point.
Will prove the earth once and for all.

Got out multimeter, went out to check earths, and was greeted by a sudden snowstorm... the wonders of not having a garage I can use!

My wife is off on holiday tomorrow, so I'll have time to solve this without being interrupted every five minutes..... thanks for the help!

@Alpinewoodsman , so you don't feel all alone...took my Ninety down to Goodwood yesterday and had the exact same indicator symptoms as you. I also hit the hazard switch for testing, no lights on dash and the hazard switch light glowing dimly, half on/half off. Let's compare fault finding notes...

Having been able, between wife, dogs and weather to spend a bit of time poking matters, I'm baffled.

I've got a short somewhere of switched live to LH indicators ( permanently on, no flash)- that stays connected with the column switch, dashboard, hazard switch and flasher unit all disconnected. RH indicators do nothing, unless I hit the hazard switch and so bridge LH and RH sides...

I can't see a thing, so I'm going to double check the trailer connection doesn't have a short. I don't think it is that, but I want to eliminate it just in case.

Then the next step is pull the dashboard off.

You did replace the flasher relay with like for like?
Some early blue Lucas trailer flashers hate been swapped with new black non trailer ones…
Don’t ask me why but I went through a few relays before finding a good 1

Hicap phill said:

You did replace the flasher relay with like for like?
Some early blue Lucas trailer flashers hate been swapped with new black non trailer ones…
Don’t ask me why but I went through a few relays before finding a good 1

Click to expand...

No, it was an blue one, swapped for a generic black one....I've still got all the suspected as faulty components that can be swapped back.

However the fact I've got lights on even with new or old components removed makes me think it isn't the components....

So I pulled off the instrument panel, bonnet, column shroud and seats, to check every wire I could.

Pulled the fuse box, and double checked every pair. Stuck connections back together- and nothing worked. Then I spotted the fuses I'd removed.... Put them back in and success. Various other electrics issues also disappeared.

Went to put the fuse box back on the bulkhead and the gremlins came back.

Turns out the replacement fuse box has insufficient rear clearance, so when fixing it back, various spade connectors are bending and shorting, or jumping off.