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1985 Mini. Recommended Indicator Upgrade?


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#1 mullet

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Posted 02 June 2018 - 08:36 AM

I managed to get hazards and indicators working thanks to several good posts on this site.

Essentially I bought new relays for hazards and indicators and cleaned up wiring contacts.

I bought an original-Like indicator relay (2 pin, barell,21wx2+5w). It worked, just slow tick tock that I assumed to be just natural speed on older type cars. Recently it became even slower. The lights dim, so dim in sunlight other drivers not seeing me indicate.

Hazards flash bright. So I put the old indicator relay back in that I kept (this one flashed erratically, but brightly).

To me it seems the relay isn't making contact long enough for bulb filaments to emit enough light. And the slowness seems to be a relay issue, too.

Maybe time for a modern relay? Can anyone recommend a compatible type? Something flashing at modern rate too for benefit of other road users? (Maybe it's my imagination older cars flicker more slowly?).

#2 dyshipfakta

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Posted 02 June 2018 - 08:39 AM

The tick speed is voltage dependent lower voltage slower tick. Perhaps you idle speed is abit slow or alternator or battery are weak. Of course could just be bad contacts as you say

#3 Swift_General

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Posted 02 June 2018 - 09:59 AM

I would get a solid state relay. I would however short the indicator relay just to ensure that the indicators are bright (and better still measure the potential drop between say the starter solenoid and indicator positive feed with the indicators on just to confirm that there is not a problem with the circuit elsewhere).


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#4 cal844

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Posted 02 June 2018 - 11:01 AM

A 3 pin relay works for me, all you need is an earth

#5 ukcooper

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Posted 02 June 2018 - 12:58 PM

ive gone with led ones and a led reylay work great and never need replacing juat passed a mot so all cool]

#6 mullet

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Posted 03 June 2018 - 08:48 AM

Thanks everyone. I haven't equipment to test voltages, but I think given the old (erratic) relay flickers the indicators brightly that there's a failure of the new relay?

#7 Bat

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Posted 03 June 2018 - 09:50 AM

Hi,

It does sound like a bad flasher unit. Just unplug it and join the two wires together.

Your indicators should now be nice and bright but won't flash.

Best to replace the flasher unit with an electronic one. Older fords or mpi mini has a 3 pin flasher unit lots of rovers did too. You'll need to make an earth connection to the flasher unit.

Cheers  :proud:



#8 Spider

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Posted 03 June 2018 - 10:06 AM

Some good suggestions there guys.

 

I just wanted to add to be careful with 3 pin flasher cans, some are for connecting to earth, like most of the modern LED types, but not all are. The 3rd terminal on some is for a single repeater lamp - Earthing that Terminal would be bad and in fact, can result in a small fire !

 

The MKI Minis and many other cars had such a flasher can.






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