Series 3 Tidying up my sIII pick-up SWB petrol

Time to tidy up the wiring a bit. I would call its state it came to me a dogs breakfast, but I feel bad for the dog. So, in no particular order..

• the ignition barrel only has two positions and starter motor was wired to a green panel-mount push button, but un-mounted, literally floated around near the air vents loose on its wires. Had to fish it out to get going. Security feature the bloke said
• An auxiliary fuse panel is fitted, also flapping about loose on the dash, fed by permanent live via a illuminated rocker-switch (!), serving horn, Fuel gauge (original maybe, within dash panel), and external 52mm temp gauge, fitted in a bespoke upcyled dash-top pod (an M&Ms tin)
• Horn activated by push-button in dash above drivers right knee
• Random wires flying around like bunting going through the bulkhead in odd places
• Electric fan conversion fitted, with control switch on auxiliary dash panel, but not used I was told (viscous unit still operating). Something’s still wired because if you are brave enough to go over 40mph the indicator lamp glows softly, powered by the fan spinning I presume.

First I’ve re-wired the horn as it should be, activated from the indicator stalk pusher. Then I put the starter solenoid circuit onto a push-button (well, handily the one that the horn had been on).

Next time I have 5 min I’ll pull a feed off position 2 for that aux panel rather than the daft rocker switch, which is bound to flatten my battery one day.

a dogs breakfast is a bit of an understatement , with the state it’s in perhaps a handy battery kill switch might be useful in case it decides on spontaneous combustion

Have you relocated the starter button? With it above your knee, I'd be worried about accidentally pushing it everytime you hit a pothole or bump. Unless the starter button is original (which I doubt) I'd get a proper series 3 ignition switch and do away with the button.

Col

Colthebrummie said:

Have you relocated the starter button? With it above your knee, I'd be worried about accidentally pushing it everytime you hit a pothole or bump.

Click to expand...

Yes, and I’ll check, but it’s quite far from the knee from memory.

Next instalment of electrical gremlins.
Somethings causing the indicators and headlamps to play up. It changes between two states, seemingly at random. State A: the headlamps do not come on, but do flash with the indicators (!), or State B: headlamps come on but won't turn off. When they do the latter, they respond to dipped/full beams and indicators work as normal.
Its got a crappy pattern-part indicator switch.
Any ideas?

Bad earth for headlights usually located on centre top of slam panel which is below front of bonnet indicators are sometimes earthed to the same location

Cheers, checked that out and cleaned it up but problem persists, two earths were attached to that tag but not sure whether headlamps or something else, will have to go deeper.

Blackburn said:

Bad earth for headlights usually located on centre top of slam panel which is below front of bonnet indicators are sometimes earthed to the same location

Click to expand...

The plot thickens. I can make it turn from state A to B by putting an indicator on and flipping between dip and beam on the stalk.

makes me suspect the stalk? But that wouldn’t account for the headlamps not turning off...

It's usually the stalk but seeing some of the other wiring you have to deal with.....

Check the earths to the indicators , had my sidelights working well for about three years went to fit some led bulbs and one would not work found it was reverse fed but as earth to wing was high resistance the light still worked.

olriley said:

Cheers, checked that out and cleaned it up but problem persists, two earths were attached to that tag but not sure whether headlamps or something else, will have to go deeper.

Click to expand...

Could it be that the whole panel that the earth tag is attached to, is no longer correctly earthed to the chassis? Run a temporary wire between the earth tag and the battery -ve terminal and see if that makes everything work correctly, perhaps. I'd still put money on it being an earth problem - nearly always is when non-indicators lights start blinking with the indicator stalk.

Well, this is embarrassing.
I done a stoopid

First step to being and expert is admitting your mistakes.

The good news is that I checked all the things suggested and they’re fine

Then I remembered something - when I was rummaging around under the dash to fix the starter button, I accidentally pulled a spaded wire off a terminal from up behind the dash somewhere. I stuck my mush under there and saw a prominent male spade winking at me, from the exact location this wire had come from. So I popped it back on and thought no more of it. Well guess what ...

the wire was the headlamp feed from the indicator stalk, and the spade was a spare on the flasher unit!

You have to laugh. I put it back where it should be, on the lamp switch two inches higher up, and all is well.

We've all been there at some time or another.

Passed her MOT today!
Garage couldn’t get her started, just got a click, so they dropped new solenoid in and bingo.

Nice one , can’t be that after all.

Family over so I escaped for an hour to lay under the Landy in the rain! I had the dreaded starter motor clicks (rapid and continuous), replaced the solenoid but still had them. Battery was testing fine. Today I put a jump lead from the battery neg to engine block and it cured it - so I knew it was bad earth. I pulled off the starter motor earth strap and the main one, cleaned up the surfaces with sandpaper, greased them up and re-tightened them. Sorted, starts in the button (literally in this case).

olriley said:

View attachment 196671 Family over so I escaped for an hour to lay under the Landy in the rain! I had the dreaded starter motor clicks (rapid and continuous), replaced the solenoid but still had them. Battery was testing fine. Today I put a jump lead from the battery neg to engine block and it cured it - so I knew it was bad earth. I pulled off the starter motor earth strap and the main one, cleaned up the surfaces with sandpaper, greased them up and re-tightened them. Sorted, starts in the button (literally in this case).

Click to expand...

Beasty had the same problem a few year back ... sorted at an LZ meet-up ...

Been enjoying the Landy. But then after a three weeks sitting, it wouldn’t fire. Thought I’d run it empty but stuck a couple gallon in and it wasn’t sucking fuel... ...fuel pump wouldn’t create suction

so after having the mechanical fuel pump off and stripped again, I reckon it was the seal around the sediment bowl. I used a little Vaseline and got it to re-seal so were running again. Crappy pattern part fuel pump!