The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Just what are all these wires and connectors?

When I did my Apprenticeship I spent a few months in each dept. and when I worked in the Electrical section I soon earned the nickname 'Breville'........everything I wired up got hot!

Needless to say, as a Mechanical Engineer I do usually try to steer clear of the dark side but when needs must......

I bought a new loom for my Sprint and when I took the old one out I thought it so obvious that I would remember what every connector went to, and with the aid of a wiring diagram, I would easily know what went where.

Guess what.....haven't got a clue what does what as it was about 18 months ago that I took the original one out and can't quite spot some of the wires or connectors on the diagrams! Dopey I know!

Here's some pics....let's see if anyone can spot what is what....a bit like a Sparky 'Ask the Family'* if you will

These are all under the dash though the first is for the Gearbox, but no idea what the second lot is all about! Here goes.....

1:


2: these are on the same link as the gearbox bit....I think the white connector goes t the handbrake but as for the others....?



3: these are under the dash....can't see 'em on the wiring diagram......at the top....green/slate? plus green/yellow? on the right, red/black into a big connector plus a purple....left, 2 purple joined (no connector), 2 black into a connector plus red/blue into a connector...



4: A purple wire and a black one coming out of the same line as the connector that goes to the rear lights etc.




5: these go to the heater in the engine bay I think but not sure what does what....especially the pink and white wire!!

slate/green + green/yellow wires, plus a green one and a pink/white...



6: 2 reds and a blue/red.....?



7: bhind th instrument panel, blue/white and a pink/white...



So there we go....stupid I know but any help wold be greatly appreciated!

Ps - As I'm after an ignition feed for the electric water pump, and as the pink/white is possibly for the radio and is therefore dependent on the ignition being on, could this be used as a feed?





















*Google it Young 'uns!

I've got some ideas but would like to confirm against my wiring diagrams which are currently (geddit?) at the workshop, lest I unwittingly add to your rep!
Pink/white is normally radio and is ign/aux switched, not fused and possibly too small dia for running the EWP, dunno what it draws. A relay may help here.

Steve

Oh, the purple and black wires in the boot are for the boot lamp, which I should imagine you are not using!

The EWP will definately need a relay so the small wire may be good enough for a relay switching feed, although I 'd rather see a separate feed and a fuse for the pump. Are you going to use a controller for the pump?. Running flat out on the pump will shorten its life and will overcool IMO

Tony

Some basic lucas colour codes

Black Earth
Red Sidelight
Green Fused ignition live
White Unfused ignition live
Brown Unfused permanent live
Purple Fused permanent live
Blue/red Dipped beam
Blue/white Main beam
Green/red Left indicator
Green/white Right indicator
Green/purple Brake light
Green/black Fuel guage
Green/blue Temp guage
white/red Start feed

Steve

Hi Shaun, Working down the photos from top to bottom, there are some connections I think I can identify, but some that are a bit of a boggle.
Yellow / purple : this one goes from the overdrive switch on the gearbox to the O/D solenoid. From memory the right angle Lucar connector goes on the gearbox switch. There should be a yellow / green wire on the other side of the gearbox switch.
Black wires are generally earth .... with many exceptions.
Is that wire in the middle actually yellow/ black ? This doesn't appear in the Sprint wiring diagram. Can you confirm this please ?
As you say the black / white wire goes to the handbrake switch and the Handbrake light. Now this is where it gets problematic. There is an error on the circuit diagram of how the > 50,000 numbered cars were wired for the PDWA. Is your car / loom an early or late one ?
The 2 cables looking like Brown / green wired together doesn't look right. There should be a Green wire in and a green / brown wire out to the reverse lamp switch. If this is how it is connected the reverse lights would be on all the time. Can you check please ?
Red / Blue is the cigar lighter illumination or the optional lead to the Auto-Box gear selector light..
Blue /Red is headlamp dipped beam . Not sure where this goes though.
Get back to us with some more news and I'll see what we can sort.
Tony.

Shaun

Second picture shows what looks to be the wiring for the handbrake, wiring for the passenger seat pressure pad + wires for the seat belts (ones that the seat belt buckle clips into.

paul

Chaps, the car is a P Reg '75 car but I think I dropped cod and somehow ordered a later loom which is why I'm having problems working out which diagram to use!

I'll get back to you to answer the questions re the wire colours etc. soon but I think the fact that it clearly has a loom for the seatbelts etc. pretty much confirms that it is a later loom!

Btw, the EWP does have the controller with extremely small gauge wires - don't worry, the pump feed will definitely be run through a relay so the radio feed maybe man enough as it looks to be twice the size of the pump controller wires....I'll post some more pics later....any suggestions please for a suitable alternative to drive the pump?

I have created a relay and fuse board that will sit in the glovebox with fuses and relays for the Ewp, electric rad fan, new fan heater and Factet fuel pump. It all seemed pretty straight forward when I started but now it has descended into anarchy and looks like a Rat's nest and my head is swimming!

As ever, thanks for all the replies!

Ps - Boot light?...the black and the purple wires connect at the front of the car and run all the way to the back separately Steve?

MIG Wielder wrote: Is that wire in the middle actually yellow/ black ? This doesn't appear in the Sprint wiring diagram. Can you confirm this please?......Tony.

Hi Tony cheers for the help....don't know what I was looking at previously but those two wires are yellow/green not black, and the other (male connector) is green/light blue....I'll go and look at a random wiring diagram and baffle myself some more now!

shaunroche wrote:
Ps - Boot light?...the black and the purple wires connect at the front of the car and run all the way to the back separately Steve?

How else? The purple is a fused permanent live from the fusebox which only feeds the one thing which is the tiny bulbholder near the o/s/r boot hinge thence via a black wire to an interior light switch on the back of the hinge to earth it when the boot is opened. All the plain purple wires in the car are to feed only a very few circuits, namely, interior lights, clock, horn, hazards and (oddly, i've always thought) headlamp flasher. Thinking about it, the black may not be specifically for the boot light - but you can never have too many earth wires available!

Steve

The picture 4 wires go to the front (or n/s B post) interior light, probably via the A pillar.
Picture 5, the 3 green/various are indeed for the fan motor. White/pink is redundant it is for an auxilliary heater (in fact it's the same supply as the radio inside the car)This may be your EWP switching wire!
Picture 3, will check on the top ones, the bottom sets are left, cigar lighter and right clock (the far left purple pair left free)
Picture 3 green/slate and green/yellow go to fan switch on heater control panel
Picture 7 pink/white, unfused ignition/aux controlled radio supply
Picture 7 white/blue is to the choke cable warning light switch
Picture 2 All this is to do with seatbelt warning and the h/brake switch as you surmised
Picture 1 the 2 large yellow/purple ones that are together probably go to O/D lockout switch on top of gearbox extension and the single one to the solenoid, the other 2 (which look black) are probably for the reverse light switch. There should be a couple more somewhere to go to the gear lever switch.

You've also got the possible fog lights and switch under the dash if you went for the latest spec loom and some extra middle dangly bits for the seat belt warning lights and switch on the passenger seat base and to the seat belt stalks.

Thats quite a few extras that may not have been there on an earlier car.

Jonners

I've just noticed I missed out pic 6, can I have a clue as to where these are? Red is a sidelight fed colour so probably for instrument illumination of some sort, may even be spares!

Steve

Cigarette lighter illumination....I kid you not... Goes to the center vent area.

Jonners

It's always bugged me why they used an orange ring for the cigarette illumination whilst all the dials are green.

Just when you thought it was safe.......

So we know I have a later loom....VA15001+ for a car that actually is up to VA15000.

I supposed that this didn't matter much as generally, the only differences might be the instrument wiring and the Seat/seat belt wiring.

The loom is now connected to the dash/instrumentation, the wiper motor and the rear lights.

It's not connected to the front lights, main, dipped, side or indicators, the seat belt circuit, the side lights, gearbox or any door or internal lights or rear number plate light.

I have connected the battery and turned the light switch on and turned the hazard lights switch on.......and nothing happens! The wiper motor works mind and everything that I have added, additional to the standard spec of the car works.

I realise the wiring diagrams look a bit different to each other, but surely the rear lights should work? I put all new bulbs in too btw!

I imagine I might need a new indicator flasher unit, but I spotted that if I wiggle the master light switch a bit, that the dash lights go on and off, so I might start with a newer switch I guess?

Do all the front lights need to be connected to make the rears work? I can't see that?

Any further thoughts?

Its just a thought, but have you replaced the front to rear harness as well as the dash/underbonnet loom? If not, check the colour codes across the joint between the two (n/s kick panel) I ran into this when building the Carledo cos I used a VA15000+ Sprint front loom against the original 74 Toledo rear loom and nothing much worked. When I checked the joint, most of the wires were mismatched!

Steve

But yeah, the master switch sounds suspect too. All the front lights are operated off the front section of the loom so you can't blame the join for faults there. You are, I hope, aware that there are 2 flasher units, 1 for normal indicators and 1 for hazards. I have listed above all the lighting colour codes you need, get a test light, start at the master light switch and work outwards until you find the faults. And get electronic flasher units, they will still flash if 1 bulb isn't working!