Post by dave1800 on Dec 16, 2023 6:38:25 GMT
Halkyon's smoking alternator is a timely reminder of the importance of keeping a close eye on the integrity of the wiring especially in light of some shortcuts taken by our dear friends at Lucas.
As you are probably all aware not all the circuits are protected by the three fuses fitted as standard to the 1800. This means in the event of the insulation breaking down that the wiring loom(s) could be destroyed or at worst the vehicle catch fire.
I understand many of you wish to keep the car as original as possible but it may be a good idea to fit an inline fuse of around 40amps in the main battery feed to the regulator. Ideally each of the unfused circuits should have a fuse of an appropriate value, say twice the maximum current draw. I appreciate the thinking at the time was that the ignition feed should be unfused but I am not convinced this is appropriate but is something for you to decide for yourselves.
For those of you concerned about the dashboard switches these are becoming scarce and switching high currents such as the headlights puts extra strain on them as well as being a source of voltage loss. This can be overcome by using the switch to trigger a relay that can handle the power. The relay only takes a small current to operate it. Finding a suitable location for the relays may be a bit of a challenge if you want to keep them hidden, if not they can simply be connected to the connector where the 2 headlight feeds are commoned and a separate (fused) power lead and ground provided
If anyone has modified their wiring in this way it would be helpful if you could post details or have any other thoughts on keeping the electrical system healthy.
Thanks
David
As you are probably all aware not all the circuits are protected by the three fuses fitted as standard to the 1800. This means in the event of the insulation breaking down that the wiring loom(s) could be destroyed or at worst the vehicle catch fire.
I understand many of you wish to keep the car as original as possible but it may be a good idea to fit an inline fuse of around 40amps in the main battery feed to the regulator. Ideally each of the unfused circuits should have a fuse of an appropriate value, say twice the maximum current draw. I appreciate the thinking at the time was that the ignition feed should be unfused but I am not convinced this is appropriate but is something for you to decide for yourselves.
For those of you concerned about the dashboard switches these are becoming scarce and switching high currents such as the headlights puts extra strain on them as well as being a source of voltage loss. This can be overcome by using the switch to trigger a relay that can handle the power. The relay only takes a small current to operate it. Finding a suitable location for the relays may be a bit of a challenge if you want to keep them hidden, if not they can simply be connected to the connector where the 2 headlight feeds are commoned and a separate (fused) power lead and ground provided
If anyone has modified their wiring in this way it would be helpful if you could post details or have any other thoughts on keeping the electrical system healthy.
Thanks
David