4 replies to this topic

[daemonchild]

Model: Mini 1000
Year: 1973
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):

This is a problem with my recent £100 1973 acquisition. (Little 'Em in my signature).

Yesterday, I plugged in the Wipac Halogens that I'd soldered together.
I just connected it all up and bingo.
The light switch was a bit intermittant, so I took it apart and cleaned it up with contact cleaner and wire wool.



To confirm, at this point the boot mounted numberplate light was also working.
The dash lights are working fine.
You could flash or select full beam on by pushing forward - blue lamp comes on as expected.
There were no rear lights on the car.

So. I connected up the rear lights and rear indicators.
There are no front indicators (I have them here at work thought today - thank you ebay).

The problem is that now I have a blue full beam warning lamp as soon as the light switch is on (either position).
But NO lights from the front end or the rear end. The numberplate light is off too.
It doesn't matter whether the full beam is on or off on the stalk.
I can flash and get a weak flash from the front end.

I ran out of time before I had to go pick up the kids.
The plan was to disconnect the rear end lights to see whether that has any impact.
Also going to jump start the battery a bit by providing juice from my other mini.

Anyone else think it might be the stalk switch?
The horn gets power - although it's a 'clunk' not a honk.

[Dan]

Check the headlamp bowls. Cars with steel headlamp bowls don't have quite enough room for a Halogen conversion, especially the Wipac kit. The pins on the back tend to bear into the bowl and once they cut through the paint they short out, but usually only a little. This can feed back into the main beam circuit and cause all sorts of odd things.

[Pauly]

I had this problem, turned out to be a dodgy earth with the bullet connector on the front, under the slam panel.

Paul.

[daemonchild]

Right guys, thanks. Knew I could count on some esoteric things to check.
As soon as it stops raining....

[daemonchild]

Checked all those things. Started to go a little mad, so went back to basics.
I removed the headlight switch to enable me to put a screwdriver across the terminals and .... it fixed itself.
Bear in mind the problem started happening BEFORE I disturbed the switch at all.
My cleaning has done little good it seems other than making the switch work every time rather than needing rocking backwards and forwards to get it to engage.

It's not happened again since.
So thanks for the ideas - I have a spare switch somewhere (although maybe not suitable given the car's age?).
If it happens again, I'll just swap it out.

Could there be a short in the binnacle itself maybe?