Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: 4129R on Monday,May 26, 2014, 08:47:47 AM
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I am in the middle of replacing the dashboard, and converting to right hand drive, and I am trying to tidy up and understand all the wires in the loom behind the dash.
These are my current mystery wires:-
1) A thick purple wire with a ring electrical connector, together with a black wire, about where the steering column is.
2) A pair of wires grey/green, and grey/blue, which to go just from the steering column area to the 4 gauge area. (Grey does not even appear on the wire colour coding).
3) 2 purple wires on the same connector, and a yellow/black wire, again by the steering column.
4) A bunch of yellow/blue, yellow/black, yellow/brown, yellow/white and a black wire all together around the fuse box and heater radiator area.
Does anyone know what these wires do, as they do not appear on the wiring diagrams?
Also, does anyone know where the red/white wire runs from the ignition switch/key to the starter motor? This wire is broken somewhere, and does not appear in the bunch of wires in the loom passing by the centre armrest.
Any help would be appreciated.
Alex in Norfolk UK, the home of Lotus.
Before I bolt the dash in, I just want to make sure all the wiring is attached, these wires probably do not do anything, but I just want to make sure.
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1) A thick purple wire with a ring electrical connector, together with a black wire, about where the steering column is.
As mine's a TC I'm reluctant to pitch in on the others, but could this one be the horn assembly where it sits in the top of the steering column ? Also it might be worth scanning the wiring diagrams for the other Europas
Brian
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Look carefully at your wires again and make sure you are describing them properly. White with a red tracer is the usual combination for the wire going to the starter solenoid. Red with a white tracer is usually dash lights after the dimmer/switch.
You may find this link helpful:
http://www.mgexp.com/article/lucas-colours.html
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Here is the wiring diagram for the S-2 and one for the TC
(http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/electrical/s2-diagc.gif)
(http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/electrical/tc-uk-diag.gif)
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I found another wiring diagram (Europa Special Wiring Diagram (Federal) 73083924R and above, showing all the yellow wires feeding a "Logic Box" which has 12 terminals. This has something to do with the "Seat Belt" warning system.
For some reason, the white/red starter wire also goes to this "Logic Box", then becomes a yellow/pink wire which feeds a starter relay, which then, becomes a white/red wire feeding the starter solenoid.
I do not have a "logic box" or a "Seat Belt warning system although the purple wires are on the seat belts, and above on the tunnel, but I will try tracing this missing white/red wire, as it could have disappeared up towards the heater radiator, and have been disconnected wrongly when the previous owner changed the dashboard for a cheap one with no writing on.
Alex in Norfolk
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Oh, colour wiring diagrams! Thanks Joe, I'm sniping these. Thats a bit easier on the aging peepers. Cheers. :beerchug:
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If you're converting a federal TCS to RHD, why not rewire the car to the specs for the UK Europas and delete all of the extra federal wiring crap.
I just looked at a couple of wiring harness' I have for a federal TCS. On your first question, there is no thick purple wire with a ring connection that I can see anywhere on either harness. To me a ring connector attaches to a ground connection or a dash instrument. For the white wire with red tracer on both harness' go straight from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid.
A related question , was a starter relay standard on later Europas?
Joji Tokumoto
Fallbrook, Ca
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A related question , was a starter relay standard on later Europas?
Joji Tokumoto
Fallbrook, Ca
Joji, I don't recall ever seeing one.
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There is not much difference in the UK and US looms, and putting in a complete new loom is possible, as a last resort.
The indicators and rear lights are the main difference. We have separate orange rear indicators, and the front little round lights are orange indicators too, so I have to take out the 8 pole relay and run new wires to front and rear.
I have printed the loom in colour on A3 paper, so tracing the wiring will be easier.
Enclosed is the diagram which most matches mine.
You will see the white/red wire goes from the key start switch to the "logic box" which must have been located by the heater radiator, as that is where all the redundant yellow wires are located. It then goers to the "start relay" as a yellow/pink wire. I will have to trace where the white/red wire goes, and if the yellow/pink wire even exists and its location if it does.
Luckily I have a decent meter to trace all the wires, and time and patience.
Alex in Norfolk.
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Getting here late, but the wiring diagrams were too compacted for my eyesight, so I started stripping components out. I got as far as the front and rear lights before some other crisis took my attention away. If these are helpful, I'll post the engine, instruments and other electrics in the same format as I get closer to my own re-wiring.
Bruce
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Yes Bruce, I also find that a wiring diagram which just has one or two circuits shown very helpful when you're trying to find a problem with a circuit. As you say, much easier to read than tracing a wire with your finger !
So yep, I'm on board, post away !
Brian
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I printed the wiring diagram for Europa Specials after 73083924R and it seems to exactly fit the car I am working on, 3755R. This I printed on an A3 sheet of paper in glorious colour, and all is now clear to me.
The white with red trace wire from the ignition key goes straight to the 12 pin open white plastic connector called the logic box. This is located by your left knee.
Then there is a yellow and pink wire which goes to a connector which was broken, by the back of the fuse box where the heater radiator is located.
Then this yellow and pink wire then goes back through the central tunnel, along with 14 other wires, and appears to the rear of the starter wires, with a white/red wire which goes to the starter, and two other wires, which must be earths for a start relay, which is missing.
So I need to short the white and red to the yellow and pink at the logic box, and fit a start relay to the rear right hand chassis rear of the starter motor.
Meanwhile the thick purple wire with the ring on it turns out to be an earth for the metal rail where the steering column attaches to the bottom of the wooden dash. This wire gets bolted to an angle bracket, along with other black wires, at the back of the fuse box, where the centre of the dash bolts to the tunnel.
I have traced every wire now, and the diagram called Europa Special Wiring Diagram (Federal) (Chassis No. 73083924R and above) is just about exactly what I have got for 3755R and presumably also 4129R which I am driving regularly. When I change 4129R to RHD, I will have to do all this again.
It is still a mystery what the grey/green and grey/blue wires do, but as I can see both ends of both wires, and they are only about 18" long, it doesn't really matter, but grey does not even appear on the wiring colour codes.