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terrible wiring
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petermeachem



Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Posts: 358
Location: Chichester Sussex

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 1:50 pm    Post subject: terrible wiring Reply with quote

This seems to afflict Austin 7's or maybe I just notice them. For instance in http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1936-AUSTIN-SEVEN-RUBY-Saloon-ARR-/222128347197 look at this http://aceclassiccars.com/ebay/austin51/image65.JPG
Just awful. Even Austins that don't have random extras tacked on always seem to have really messy wiring
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7215
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Peter,

I think quite a few owners are blind to modern detritis. Like you, I'm not and hate it.

Peter Twisted Evil
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kevin2306



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 1359
Location: nr Llangollen, north wales

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My Singer's last (and first) owner was an auto-electrician, but even then I spent many hours going through the car changing the blue crimped connectors for original style ones.
it was only on things like Radio, Spotlights and the original Lucas electronic ignition conversion but still took ages! looks so much better though (and probably more reliable as I soldered the connectors after they were crimped)

Kevin
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Riley Blue



Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Posts: 1751
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You'd hate looking under the dashboard on my Riley! A previous owner added a hazard flasher switch to enable all four indicators to flash at once. Unfortunately the switch is in a box with a tangle of wires into and out of it. It looks awful and one day I'll pluck up courage to try to fathom it out. I've no idea why he did it, the car hasn't been a 'breakdown queen' while I've been driving it.
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1963 Riley 1.5
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kevin2306



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 1359
Location: nr Llangollen, north wales

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 8:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just do it one wire at a time, soon gets done

Kev
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Rick
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Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22786
Location: UK

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2016 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Note to self - never post an under-bonnet photo Smile

RJ
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baconsdozen



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 1119
Location: Under the car.

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

riley541 wrote:
You'd hate looking under the dashboard on my Riley! A previous owner added a hazard flasher switch to enable all four indicators to flash at once. Unfortunately the switch is in a box with a tangle of wires into and out of it. It looks awful and one day I'll pluck up courage to try to fathom it out. I've no idea why he did it, the car hasn't been a 'breakdown queen' while I've been driving it.

Snap.... I have a similar contraption fitted to my Mk1 transit,all the wires in and out are the same colour. One day I might have a fiddle but I dont like electrics much at the best of times.
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Dipster



Joined: 06 Jan 2015
Posts: 408
Location: UK, France and Portugal - unless I am travelling....

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 8:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of my pet hates in life in general is when I have to work on something already constructed or fitted (such as an additional wiring loom) where the original installer/fabricator has left no diagrams. Worse, when no attempt at clarity (eg. same colour wires) has been made.

I have come across this many times both in cars and houses (particularly buried pipework and cables. Grrrr!). It takes a lot of time, careful thought and tracing to sort things out.
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MikeEdwards



Joined: 25 May 2011
Posts: 2707
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Thu May 26, 2016 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My pet hate is Scotchlok connectors.

I once spent ages trying to sort out an intermittent running fault on a car, only to look at it in the dark and see one of the low-tension cables arcing to the engine. It had once had a Scotchlok connector spliced into it, the offending connector had been removed and the connection made properly, but without noticing that the part where the insulation had been pierced was exposed enough to earth to cause the problem.
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goneps



Joined: 18 Jun 2013
Posts: 601
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2016 1:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first thing that strikes my eye when a bonnet is opened is the wiring, and invariably it's dreadful. Nasty thin plastic-coated wires instead of proper braided cables man enough
for a 6V system, plastic insulating tape instead of braided sleeving, those horrible crimp terminals instead of decent soldered connections, suppressor plug caps instead
of brass spades, and the whole catastrophe made worse by no attempt to arrange things tidily. Even the HT cables are usually an ugly bird's nest.

More often than not the owners are the same characters who complain bitterly that the lights are pathetic, and heap totally unjustified insults upon Joseph Lucas and 6V electrics.

Richard


Last edited by goneps on Mon May 30, 2016 12:27 am; edited 2 times in total
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petermeachem



Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Posts: 358
Location: Chichester Sussex

PostPosted: Sat May 28, 2016 11:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Couldn't agree more. Replacing a loom on an Austin is not exactly a huge job, braided ones are easily bought. They want an enormous amount of money for this car, they could at least have made it look decent. makes you wonder which other bits have been skimped
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7215
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2016 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not just 7s here's an otherwise nice 16.


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Riley Blue



Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Posts: 1751
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2016 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That really is unforgiveable!
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David

1963 Riley 1.5
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goneps



Joined: 18 Jun 2013
Posts: 601
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2016 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree that's quite bad enough, but there was an even worse example at the Galaxy of Cars event in February. A row of three very presentable pre-war Riley saloons, all with
open bonnets, and there, on the middle one, for all the world to see, was wiring taken from a modern car complete with white plastic multiple spade connector plugs.

Had it been my car I'd have been too ashamed to open the bonnet with anyone else around. We can but hope that a special place in hell awaits the perpetrators
of such crimes.

Richard
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Da Tow'd



Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Posts: 349
Location: Bella Coma British Columbia Canada

PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2016 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not a classic but terrible idea on the wiring on the electric windows,doors locks and mirror in a 1995 Jeep wagon. The multi wires all bunched up in the door jam bent 90*, there must be 12 wires and I found 5 broken. No wonder why nothing worked but a paying job is a paying job.
I relate that to the nicer set up used on the Volvo wagon.
cheers
Hank
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