10 replies to this topic

[AVV IT]

OK somebody please help me, because otherwise I'm going to take an axe to my mini, or just set the bloody thing on fire & walk away!!! 

 

The Problem:

 

Having put my mini back together after a partial resto & converted to a centre binnacle dash, neither the indicators, or the hazards currently work. It's a 1993 Mini sprite Carb model, (the type with an indicator relay on the bulkhead, single flasher unit behind the dash & only four wires going to the hazard switch). As you depress the hazard switch, the flasher unit makes a single click, but the lamps do not illuminate, With the hazard switch depressed, the indicator stalk will then cause the flasher unit to also make a  single click, as either the left or right indicators are switched on, but again the lamps do not flash or illuminate. All four lamps + side repeaters will all illuminate independently if you add a direct feed to them & there's clearly power at the hazard switch, the relay, the flasher unit & the stalk.  

 

The History:

 

It was all working fine after the centre binnacle conversion & the car was ready for an MOT, but then the inline hazard circuit fuse behind the carb began blowing repeatedly when ever the indicators were switched on, accompanied by a buzzing noise from the flasher unit. I replaced the indicator relay, the hazard switch & the flasher unit, & the indicator stalk, but this just resulted in more blown fuses. Then for some reason I still don't understand, the n/s (red/green) wiring suddenly melted all the way back from the front n/s indicator up to the centre binnacle!! 

 

Assuming I had some horrendous & somewhat dangerous wiring fault (possibly caused by my binnacle conversion wiring). I figured the safest thing to do was to rip it all out, fit a new front loom (including the fuse box), & refit the original standard two clock/behind the steering column dash, .Which I completed today, but I still don't have any indicators/hazard lights!!    

 

 

[Shifty]

Are there 2 yellow relays on the right hand side inner wing, by the servo unit?

[cal844]

Sounds like poor earth's causing high resistance, is there power to the hazard switch and stalk?

[AVV IT]

Are there 2 yellow relays on the right hand side inner wing, by the servo unit?

 

No there's just the one on the o/s off the engine bay near the servo, which is the indicator relay. 

[AVV IT]

Sounds like poor earth's causing high resistance, is there power to the hazard switch and stalk?

 

Yes there's power at the hazard switch, the relay, the flasher unit & the stalk. The indicator lamps will all illuminate if you take a feed to them directly, so they appear to be earthing OK & the loom earths (on the o/s wing near the servo) are new as the loom was replaced today. 

[wile e coyote]

Had a similar problem with mine - without rewiring or conversion - not being much good with electrics scratched my head for days - in the end made the best move and called an auto electrician out - half an hour and forty quid later all sorted - can't remember where the issue was - but was a few quid very well spent!

[slidehammer]

It sounds like you have a short somewhere for the wire to burn out, like a trapped wire or an internal fault in a component in the circuit. The indicator power is taken through the hazard switch so that when the hazards are turned on it takes power away from the indicator circuit as they are powered by 2 separate flasher units. What I did when I had a problem with intermittent indicators on my daughter's Mini was photocopy the wiring diagram in the workshop manual and then high lighted all the wires in the indicator circuit so I knew which wires could be causing the problem, then get a multi meter and check the wires for a circuit between them and earth (this would indicate a short circuit). Take heart the circuit on the Mini's is fairly simple and a bit of patience and time and you will ready for your MOT. Good luck

[Spider]

One simple method I've used to help pin down Indicator and Hazard faults is to by pass the Flasher Can. There's usually a Green Wire and a Light Green Wire to the Can, connect those together. If there is by some chance a Black Wire, leave that disconnected.

 

By doing this, you can check your lamps and switches. They should come on, but won't flash. You can track down bad Earths, blown bulbs, corroded lamp bases etc. Be sure to have the right fuse in the circuit before doing this (a 5 amp one is good for working with Indicators and a 10 amp for Hazards) and if this blows, then clearly you have a short - somewhere.

 

Shorts can be more difficult to track down, after the obvious of looking over what can be accessed on the harness, try 'sectionalising' the loom by unplugging the front and rear harnesses. It should help narrow down where to look.

 

Once all the Lamps and Switches work, then try it with the Flasher Can in circuit. If they then give grief, at least you'll know it's the Can.

 

Above all, assume nothing, check everything.

[alex-95]

The fuse is blowing because it is overloaded, assuming all the bulbs are the correct size, the only other reason is you have a short circuit (down to earth) somewhere on the indicator circuit, the cable burnt out as it must have had a high load/amps, a high possibility that there  was a short circuit, Disconnect cable from the indicator light joints, the plug from the stalk etc, use a multimeter with a ( buzzer if possible ) or use the resistance setting to test the  cables to see if any of them are short circuit check the flasher unit it may have a fault. Replace the cables one at a time and checking if you have voltage.

[AVV IT]

It sounds like you have a short somewhere for the wire to burn out, like a trapped wire or an internal fault in a component in the circuit. The indicator power is taken through the hazard switch so that when the hazards are turned on it takes power away from the indicator circuit as they are powered by 2 separate flasher units. What I did when I had a problem with intermittent indicators on my daughter's Mini was photocopy the wiring diagram in the workshop manual and then high lighted all the wires in the indicator circuit so I knew which wires could be causing the problem, then get a multi meter and check the wires for a circuit between them and earth (this would indicate a short circuit). Take heart the circuit on the Mini's is fairly simple and a bit of patience and time and you will ready for your MOT. Good luck

 

Yeah that's what I assumed, which is why "I went for broke" & just replaced the entire front loom, fuse box, relay, flasher unit & switches, as I'd already spent days with a multi meter trying to hunt for the fault. I figured that way I'd be eliminate the fault as I'd be starting from scratch.

 

My model is post '88 & therefore isn't wired in the standard way. (i.e with two separate flasher units). What's worse is that it's also a 91-93 carb model, which means it isn't even wired in the standard post '88 way either, nor is it wired like the Spi models of the same year. I've never actually been able to find a wiring diagram that corresponds to it, which adds to the all the guess work & head scratching.

[cal844]

It sounds like you have a short somewhere for the wire to burn out, like a trapped wire or an internal fault in a component in the circuit. The indicator power is taken through the hazard switch so that when the hazards are turned on it takes power away from the indicator circuit as they are powered by 2 separate flasher units. What I did when I had a problem with intermittent indicators on my daughter's Mini was photocopy the wiring diagram in the workshop manual and then high lighted all the wires in the indicator circuit so I knew which wires could be causing the problem, then get a multi meter and check the wires for a circuit between them and earth (this would indicate a short circuit). Take heart the circuit on the Mini's is fairly simple and a bit of patience and time and you will ready for your MOT. Good luck

 
Yeah that's what I assumed, which is why "I went for broke" & just replaced the entire front loom, fuse box, relay, flasher unit & switches, as I'd already spent days with a multi meter trying to hunt for the fault. I figured that way I'd be eliminate the fault as I'd be starting from scratch.
 
My model is post '88 & therefore isn't wired in the standard way. (i.e with two separate flasher units). What's worse is that it's also a 91-93 carb model, which means it isn't even wired in the standard post '88 way either, nor is it wired like the Spi models of the same year. I've never actually been able to find a wiring diagram that corresponds to it, which adds to the all the guess work & head scratching.

We have a sprite which is the same, however the fault finding is the same.