10 replies to this topic

[Howie1000]

Good evening, rather than dismantling my car and wiring loom even further, I thought I'd ask the question here.
I have a 1975 mini clubman, the sort with only one stalk on the steering column, my full beam has stopped working, I've checked fuse box fuses and inline fuses, all ok. But strangely enough 'flash' works.

Side lights ok.
Headlights ok.
Flash ok.
Full beam, just resorts back to sidelights.

Any ideas?

Many thanks,

[Matt Brighton]

I had a similar issue - turned out to be a poor connection in the block multipin connector by the steering column . I bypassed the block (blue wire) and all now works fine.

 

Hope this helps

 

Matt

[Howie1000]

Thanks Matt, I will test that one on mine. Cheers.

I had a similar issue - turned out to be a poor connection in the block multipin connector by the steering column . I bypassed the block (blue wire) and all now works fine.
 
Hope this helps
 
Matt

[CityEPete]

Sounds like a faulty/dirty stalk connection to me, if the flash works then the outgoing wiring must be ok although the feed comes from a different source to regular high beam.

[klivins]

Flash and full beam have separate wiring. When problems with headlamps I always start with bullet connectors behind the grille.

[tiger99]

This one is not the bullet connectors, although as you say they are notoriously unreliable. The main and flash do have seperate feeds but meet at the stalk. If dipped beam is ok the light switch is ok, as is the blue feed from light switch to stalk. So the stalk itself is about the only place where the problem can lie.

[CityEPete]

I actually started typing about the grill bullets then thought about it as tiger99 says it can't be this time, which makes a change!

[tiger99]

But to be fair, on very many other occasions, such as when both headlights conk out, or one, or a sidelight or indicator, it is the grill connectors. Those are best abolished, with separate left and right side wiring back to a junction in a less exposed area, and separate earths.

[CityEPete]

Not Alec's best idea were they?! Lol

[tiger99]

Alec did not do the electrical system, it would have been a draughtsman, who would simply have carried it over from other BMC cars of that era. Much of it is recognisable from the Moggy and A35. Alec himself was far too busy and did not have much electrical knowledge anyway.

 

But your point is worth making, because the design was none too clever. It was eventually changed, as a result of changes to the Construction and Use Regulations and standards in other countries, to for instance have individual headlight fuses, split left/right head/side/indicator earths and split side/tail circuits so they do not all go out when one fuse fails. But that was getting towards the tail end of production.

[Howie1000]

I've not got round to looking into yet, I suspect it may well be the stalk, which is a pain, it was new from MiniSport earlier in the year...... I don't find them too helpful after some previous awful customer service 😫👎