9 replies to this topic

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

Anybody know how to wire up the resistor part? Cheers

[L400RAS]

is it a fuse rather than a resistor? The fuse is usually there to allow you to keep the readio memory etc. photo of the cutout would be good.

[Wil_h]

No it'll be a resistor. It's there to protect the alternator when you switch the car off. I don't have the wiring to hand but google should have it.

[Jamie_hail]

http://www.dazecoop....-cut-off-switch

[Cooperman]

Are you all sure it's not the ignition cut-off? Mine has an FIA switch and the main terminals are where each side of the battery line go and the lower smaller terminals are where the ignition feed from the ignition switch goes and then from there to the live ignition circuits. Thus, when you switch off it cuts both main battery and ignition feeds and the engine stops. Without this the engine ignition would continue to be fed by the alternator output and the engine would keep running until the alternator burnt out.

[DAVEY_C]

its a master cutoff switch

thats the 1 cooperman, just to be technically correct

[HUBBA.HUBBA]

http://www.dazecoop....-cut-off-switch

So looking at that diagram, it acts like a secondary ignition switch? Cheers

[Cooperman]

Interestingly I've had that ignition part of the FIA switch fail on 2 different master switches. The first was just before the start of an event and the second was on a speed test. Now I have an over-ride switch so that if that part of the FIA switch fails I can carry on with the event. Not strictly to the regulations, I know, but it's a rotary switch and is marked as something else on the dashboard. The scrutineers have never picked up on it (yet!).

[dklawson]

It's not a secondary ignition switch, it is a safety cutout for the ignition system. However, like the ignition switch, the FIA switch does have to be "on" for the ignition system to get power.

The link posted by Jamie_hail is how I have always seen the resistor wired up. As mentioned above, the resistor is there to "sink" the output of the alternator to earth when the master switch is turned off while the engine is running. This protects the electronics in the alternator.

[Kerrin]

Interestingly I've had that ignition part of the FIA switch fail on 2 different master switches. The first was just before the start of an event and the second was on a speed test. Now I have an over-ride switch so that if that part of the FIA switch fails I can carry on with the event. Not strictly to the regulations, I know, but it's a rotary switch and is marked as something else on the dashboard. The scrutineers have never picked up on it (yet!).

We had the same problem with a master switch burning out, and it wouldn't stop the engine at scruteneering, so I wired up a standard toggle switch and linked it to the master switch cable pull. It stayed like that for a good few rallies till the car was sold. They do seem quite fickle for an important part, tempted to go to a higher spec one for the current Escort build but the budget is getting a bit tight.