Nods news , A fixorage happened

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:47 pm

Well the Singers steering racks got no oil , a steady drip over time must have drained it , though it was the gaiter but no , one of the steel clips that hold the end gaiters on had broken off , so Ive refilled it with oil and fitted a new clip , what a relieve as ripping the rack off doesnt appeal whatsoever

Meltdown · Post by **Meltdown** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:07 pm

It wasn't that long ago you declared the Singer well and truly finished

Forth Bridge syndrome...

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:23 pm

Ordered a pair of new hypoid oil seals for the transaxle , another lovely job to do before national

Meltdown · Post by **Meltdown** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:21 am

I have acquired a spare pair of output shafts recently, I'll have a look for wear. If they're ok you're welcome to them

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 11:09 am

You could always do this for yourself. May be easier to obtain the parts, cheaper (unless you're lucky enough on the 'Bay), and more satisfying too

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:50 pm

Big big thanks to Malc as I got the diff seals today

,
Passengers one was leaking and there was distinct wear on the output shaft seal face so thats been replaced and a new seal fitted , topped up the Transaxle but it didnt require much , drivers side is dry and not leaking ATM but I did get two seals so im prepared should it decide to leak at a later date .
Driving 170 miles on Saturday to Powderham and back which should prove if its stopped , A good little test run for the 500 plus miles to national and back
Another job jobbed

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:11 pm

Well the Singers dead ,
On the way to Powderham and just off the M5 , in the middle lane of three coming to a roundabout the dash burst into a plume of smoke , shut the thing off and wrenched a few smoky charred wires off after pushing it on to a grass verge , let the smoke clear and then nervously turn on ignition , car started fine , no horn , no holding coil for indicators and no wipers

,
Got the car to Powderham OK and did some checking , some charred wires but it was still running , I ran a bypass to get the earth back to the wipers just in case but the switch was permanently on , so got a switch from the jumble
Bingo I have wipers ,
We left at 4.30 and drove home a tad nervous but made it .
Once home I removed the dash , lots of secondary heat damage to lots of wires , main cause is not certain but it seems the shared earth for the wipers and the earth return on the horn shorted against the white wire from the ignition switch to the flasher unit , this earth also feeds the indicator warning light and the main beam one , Didnt start at the ignition switch or the flasher or the left and right feeds to the indicators on the switch as theres not major damage at the ends .
Needless to say the Singers dead and not going to national this year or indeed anywhere for that matter , heat damage has tracked a fair way up the loom .
Inthe first pic ive just spotted those horrible red / blue crimps I hate , no fire there though

Anyone got a perfect loom for a MK1 Chammy

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:20 pm

And heres the spiders web left after removing the dash completely and splitting the loom apart .

I though id caused this by fitting the hazards last week but this was still working fine with the new switch untouched

ChrisBenoy · Post by **ChrisBenoy** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:28 pm

Ouch

I feel for you Dave, this must be horrible on such a lovely well sorted car. I know from overheating wiring on the race car how tedious this sort of thing is to sort out, I wish you the best of luck, hope someone has a good loom sitting around for you.

imp.sport · Post by **imp.sport** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:46 am

Blimey.

Well done for being so quick in diagnosis and saving it.

With the plasticity of the wiring becoming gradually harder and harder the fact that lots of Imps have no fuses doesn't help here.
Have to ask if you, after fixing it would you consider fitting one or more fuses now you have experienced this?

HARTWELL MK1 · Post by **HARTWELL MK1** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 9:36 am

Time to fit a new loom with relays and fuses!. This is what my hartwell will get. Have planned and layed the loom out on a board already.

On the singer I had a big 40 amp fuse on the main brown wire running from the solernoid that powered everthing.

On porsches brown wires are earths!

This is all because you said the singer was FINISHED. It nearly was all over

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:45 am

Luckily you were able to stop so quickly and stop the damage getting any worse, could so easily have been a total loss, and no doubt would have been to many people that werent so quick thinking and knew exactly what to do, hope you get it up and running again soon.

I could never understand why they never fitted fuses to the Imp and even the later ones like mine what fuses there are is hardly adequate, thats why I thought it a good idea to also carry a fire extinguisher and fit a battery master switch.

The list of jobs to do on an Imp is never finished even if you are thinking it could be, good job the Chamois had some real wood to touch, when you said that.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:51 pm

Cheers for the moral support everyone

Ive split the loom up further and its a bit of a mess.
Right now i wish id let it burn up , least then id not have to do this job .
Lucas are f****** idiots quite frankly , the earth wire that went up does 6 different things , horn , indicator holding coil , flasher earth , indicator tail tail , something else ive forgotten and the main beam tail tail , all done in series in a big loop , this is then bound in the main loom with all the lives so when a fault occurs in any of those circuits the whole lot goes up , looks like the horn end of the earth shorted out , this took everything else with it .
Im going to try and sort out whats fitted and then NOT loom the earths in with the rest but rather run separate earths all labled up , oh and some fuses will be added later
Lucas arnt called PRINCE OF DARKNESS for nothing

Mike , cant find your phone number but do come over if you wish

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:34 pm

Sorry to hear about your latest woes, Dave. But you have all the skill and moral support anyone could wish for and I'm sure your Singer will be singing again soon.

IM

Lotus-e-Clan · Post by **Lotus-e-Clan** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:48 pm

Similar thing happened to my Stiletto in 1979 when I went to start it up in the Punch Bowl pub car park, Feock in Cornwall. Lots of smoke under from under the dash....it stopped smoking with the ignition off then I removed the battery earth and walked home (probably should have anyway

). Cause was my dash mods (Ammeter) which shorted to earth 'cos I hadn't insulated the connections to the ammeter.

Pain to rewire that lot though. But I'm sure yours will be the best protected loom when you've finished mind you.

Kinger · Post by **Kinger** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:42 pm

Dave will be along any time soon to explain these
Mike

Kinger · Post by **Kinger** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:43 pm

Battle Scar!!! but back together

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:45 pm

After a mammoth 10 1/2 hours , mahoovive help From Kinger who came over the things running again ,
I used bits from scrap looms to keep the original colours correct , these were joined together using brass bullet and sieved connectors , exactly the same as rear lights are done , earth is no longer through the stupid series effort but all separate and these are no longer bound with the main lives but away from them
Still need to sort out a fuse box and wire this in but at least Im back where we started before the smoke and everything works again
Lost my confidence in it though which isnt good
Mike took some piccys so a vision of spaghetti soon

THANKS MIKE
THANKS EVERYONE

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:51 pm

Ye gods that was quick Mike , thanks
First pic is an initial refitting of wires , all the repairs were done and you can just see one of the bullet joints directly under the Volt meter
Second has everything reconnected and some zip ties added to aid some loom tape to be added
Third has the tape on it , didnt go much further with this as its impossible with it in the car
Forth one is strange , somethings missing and the steerings very heavy

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:09 pm

Horn has been replaced with a new modern horn and rewired as per Jeffs post
Its bl***y loud for only one horn

M'coli · Post by **M'coli** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:25 pm

That'll be because it needs to be to be heard through a modern's soundproofing and stereo system!

chris d · Post by **chris d** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 11:50 am

well done dave
nice job
dont loose heart drive and enjoy knowing that it is in better and safer shape than before the little fire
see you at national
ill buy you a pint
chris d

ben · Post by **ben** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 12:23 pm

I was in shock then Dave

glad you are just pulling our legs

I should imagine your car is very trustworthy now with all that recent work.

Ben.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 4:49 pm

Perhaps someone could invent a Fly By Wire system for the Imp so we can throw the loom away.

I reckon its the next big thing in technology, no more wires for anything.

impmann · Post by **impmann** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 11:11 am

I think the next step will be iPhone control for your car. Download an app, then use the iPhone's motion sensors for turning corners etc. Might be 'interesting' if you try to take a call while driving... I reckon it should be called iCrash.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:45 pm

It's great to see your car fixed and better than ever, Dave.

That's another gremlin eliminated.

IM

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sat Jul 16, 2011 12:14 pm

Been having a slight " comfort " issue with my new seats in the Vusky , basically because they are narrow bucket seats and because the steering wheel is angled there,s a slight alignment problem .
So ive devised and built a simple bracket system which allows the angle of the seat on the floor to be changed so its more in line with the steering and pedals , it also allows the height and angle of the seat base to be adjusted ,
Ive been playing with the angle / height / fore and aft adjustment and it seems absolutely spot on now but wont know for certain untill ive done a long drive

These are the seats in question

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:29 pm

Simonise and Carbunkle : All gone to look for America !!

Can I claim my prize now ?

Fab seats those, what are they from ?

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:49 pm

617sqn wrote:Simonise and Carbunkle : All gone to look for America !!

Can I claim my prize now ? Fab seats those, what are they from ?

Andy G.

Might get you a pint at national , seats did look like this

, they are 70s Huntmasters

bazzateer · Post by **bazzateer** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 2:26 pm

Looking for America, Simon & Garfunkel?

bazzateer · Post by **bazzateer** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:46 pm

Hear that? It's Andy frantically tapping away at Google!

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 4:05 pm

It's far easier than that, my friend

Andy G.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:14 pm

Further to my recent fire ive decided to fit fuses everywhere , Doing this in three stages
First all the accessories which are ignition controlled will go in one fuse box
Second a permanant live feed from the battery will be fed to the front , im using 50A alternator cable which will be fused very near to the battery to cover the cable itself , this will run stuff like the clock , radio memory , hazards etc , cable is man enough to fit a cigarette lighter socket for running sat nav should i get one
Trird will be another fuse box and relays to cover the lights etc , this will be a bit involved as it means altering the cars wiring a fair bit
First two should be done for national on the Singer
If sucessfull the Vusky will get the same

imp.sport · Post by **imp.sport** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:25 pm

Well its got to be a vastly better and safer way of Imping.
All the early cars run on the hope and fear that this kind of meltdown never happens.
Don't forget to take spare fuses everywhere though, just in case.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:59 pm

Noddy,

Is there a simple check I can do on my '66 Mk. 2 Chamois to ascertain whether or not I am at risk of earth-related short circuits due to the construction of my loom? It has been modified, partly by me and partly by the person that supplied my vehicle. Obviously I do not want to run the risk of electrical maladies or worse.

My switched live feeds are already fused.

Where should I unwrap the loom and what am I looking for in there?

Your plans sound impressive and you should be rewarded with a reliable electrical system.

IM

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:41 pm

ImpManiac wrote:Noddy,

Is there a simple check I can do on my '66 Mk. 2 Chamois to ascertain whether or not I am at risk of earth-related short circuits

Where should I unwrap the loom and what am I looking for in there?

Yes but its long winded ,
first off avoid all this type of crimp below especially the one marked B, You can use any of the others if you must but best remove the coloured sleeve , crimp on , solder and use proper insulator boots . Check all the wiring for chaffing and damage , clean every contact especially in the engine bay , the original insulator boots have now started to give up after 40+ years , I found 6 bare live terminals behind the dash of the Singer

Lucas,s wonderfull idea of looming the earths with the lives is barmy and can be sorted but you would need to remove the tape from behind the dash and redo completely , hell of a lot of trouble unless you have to , as did I . Theres only one like this that I can tell , its marked B ( black insulated cable earth ) just before the earth symbol in the diagram and theres 6 of them , All the ones marked B are in fact one wire in series , Easy to find one end as its under the screw that holds the flasher unit in place ( usually two wires in an eye crimp ) , After much " going everywhere " this earth system ends up screwed on one of the studs holding the speedo to the binacle ( again two wires ) this lot is what melted in mine

Add fuses if you can , Dont fuse the ignition circuit as a blown or loose fuse will grind you to a halt , possibly in a really dodgy place ( boss told me this )

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:49 pm

^^ Cheers, Noddy. That's very thorough and I can actually understand it too!

IM

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:14 am

Whilst I agree with Nod's penchant for soldering connections, which is better electrically as well as mechanically, I also feel that provided they are done properly, crimped connectors are fine. And soldering isn't always either convenient, nor possible, nor safe. I'd add that you need to have a PROPER crimping tool of the professional type and not some cheap, single clamp Itchyfanny type make from the far east. Or pound shop. And the vast majority of manufacturers looms are crimped and not soldered anyway, especially those with multiplugs. Use one like this :-

Andy G.

Nod : Under your Thumb, Godley & Creme.

And : Shallow are the actions, of the children of men.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:30 pm

deleted

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:43 pm

First two stages are done , fuse box on the left is permanent live fed via a 50A cable direct from the battery , this cable is itself fused near the battery via another 4 way fusebox( which also has the brake lights and my engine bay light covered in the engine bay ), you can just see the thick brown wire feeding it on the bottom left of the box , theres three spare ways , one will be for a cigarette lighter to power a sat nav when i get it , hence the 50A cable , overkill or what

Fusebox on the right is switched live from the ignition , this is fed via the larger white wire bottom left , this is also fused before it gets to the box just in case .
Loops on the bottom link the fuses to give a common live on each box , I really wanted a busbar type fusebox but couldnt find one that didnt cost a fortune and wasnt huge so this was the next best thing .All crimps are soldered and insulated .
Relay in the middle runs the front fogs and ive used its mount as a good earthing point .
Next is the headlights , sidelights and rear lights , not before national though as I need to map out the best way to achieve this which may take some time .

cov_climax · Post by **cov_climax** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:29 pm

Looking good Dave, I too fuesed everything, also i run relays on all the headlight circuits (dip and main) so the runs are more direct but also the column switch isn't having to take big currents.

james · Post by **james** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:06 pm

Looking good there.

As part of my course at University, we (briefly) looked at ways of terminating cables. IIRC, NASA use uninsulated crimps combined with clear heatshink (the fact that it's clear allows the termination to be inspected at a later date - important when you want utter reliability). Soldering the terminal after crimping it will reduce corrosion of the wire and crimp, as the connection becomes gas-tight. However, care must be taken to prevent the solder running up the wire beyond the strein relief offered by the heatshrink, as the strands might become fatigued where the wire flexes.

Soldering in it's own is perhaps less than ideal in a car - solder isn't very strong mechanically, and soldered terminals have been known to fail. Where the Earth wire in domestic equpient connects to the case, the terminations have to be crimped rather than soldered to avoid the possibility of a broken solder joint preventing the earth bonding from working.

chris d · Post by **chris d** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:33 am

awsome work dave
glad your back up and running
see you at the national
chris d

Meltdown · Post by **Meltdown** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:28 pm

My crimping tool is an ancient pair of pliers where the cutter has a worn notch. Having used it for over 25 years and never had a failed connection, plus being cr*p at soldering, I'll resist the urge to change...just don't ask me for a professional looking job!
Nice work, Noddy. Looking forward to seeing the Singer in two weeks (plus you and yours of course)

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:16 pm

Finished the Singers wiring today , A forth box was added covering the horn and heater fan , Lights would have been a fair upheaval to do individually as in a modern , so after a look at the wiring diagram me and prometheus Dave came up with removing the live feed for the lights from the ignition switch and running the lights from the permanent live on the fusebox in my picture , this works fine and although not ideal as if theres a problem the whole lot go out its a start , lights are covered by a 15A fuse .
We tested a few circuits by underfusing ,For example on the lights a 10 A will cover side and dip but blows when main beam is on , also deliberately shorted the clock circuit just to see if it did actually work which it did ( expensive clock so good

)
Also added a cigarette lighter for sat nav etc .
None of the ignition circuit is fused in any way but everything else apart from the interior light is and this could easily be done at some point .
As well as all this Prometheus Daves car now has three fuseboxes as well , although its not finished properly yet the horn , fuel pump and some other stuff are now protected

I plan to redraw a wiring diagram to match the Singers exact specification for future reference .

Prometheus · Post by **Prometheus** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:41 am

Thanks a lot mate, finally got something approaching a half decent wiring system and getting the electric washers installed and getting rid of those awful ill fitting things fitted on the scuttle panel is especially satisfying. Also it was really great to get a hands on appreciation of the dark art of vehicle wiring for the first time in my life, under Dave's expert tutelage of course.

.

.

Prometheus · Post by **Prometheus** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 10:53 am

Just a thought...

You said that you have split out the interior light and fused that .........

Therefore presumably this has gone to the permanent live side ........

Therefore you have used the last terminal on that fuse box ..........

Where are you going to put the feed for the modification to come ???

.

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:14 pm

Just to add extra peace of mind ive changed every bullet connector and the bullets themselves , My boss lent me the proper crimper for fitting the bullets to the cable , like the ones used on rear lights etc , it has 50 pence shaped jaws and is brilliant , bought a load of new brass ones and used most of them.
Its quite shocking the state some of these connections were in , Im surprised they still worked

Since doing this ive noticed the indicators flash slightly quicker , the headlights are brighter and the starters quicker as well , checked the alternator output today at work with an uber expensive digital meter , 14.45 Volts off load and 14.21 Volts with every thing that is possible to switch turned on , quite chuffed as i wound the alternator myself

bazzateer · Post by **bazzateer** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:50 am

Hopefully the nearly 50 yr old wiring itself is still OK?

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Wed Jul 27, 2011 1:26 pm

Wire condition is basically very good , A lot of the bullet connections looked dodgy before I changed them , fuel gauge wire was very brittle and was changed , probably due to a petrol leak from the sender at some point , Main permanant live for the lights etc is new , fuel pump and some of the ignition wire is also new as it all the alternator wiring , Ignition switch is also NOS .
Whatever happens now ive done my best