Relay 6RA - which one?

[StevedTR4A]

Good evening

I thought a 6RA relay was a 6RA relay but I'm learning fast. I had not realised that there were so many 6RA variants. The 6RA on my overdrive is 33222F with 5 connections, W1, W2, C1, C2, and C3.

I came across another 6RA which I thought would be a useful spare. On checking, it is 33280H and has 4 connections W1, W2, C2, and C3.

Is there an electical specialist out there please who can tell me if I could use this 4 contact item as a spare. What would it have been used for?

thanks

Steve

[Icarus60]

Steve

It is possible, maybe even probable that the extra (5th)connection is a normally closed contact in addition to the normally open contact which is used to switch on something like the OD solenoid. This added contact would switch something off when energised.

If this is confirmed as being the case with a multimeter then a 5 contact will do the same as a 4 contact ...................and more.

Regards

[Guest ntc]

Steve

Just been there you must use the original type however look at a 6 wiring diagram

Edited October 27, 2010 by ntc

[Icarus60]

Steve

The extra contact (5th)could of course be a another normally open contact such that two outputs are switched "on" when the relay is energised.

Regards

[Guest ntc]

Steve

The extra contact (5th)could of course be a another normally open contact such that two outputs are switched "on" when the relay is energised.

Regards

 

 

Nope

Edited October 27, 2010 by ntc

[Icarus60]

Normally Open Positive Earth ? or I know something you dont know!

[Guest ntc]

Normally Open Positive Earth ? or I know something you dont know!

 

 

+ earth or - ? ie battery

Edited October 27, 2010 by ntc

[RogerH]

Steve,

dig out the thread dated 11 Nov 2004 TR6 slot this should explain all.

 

Roger

[Don Elliott]

Here is the relay that came with my 1958 TR3A when I bought it brand new in May, 1958. Never needed to have a spare.

[ianc]

Terry of T and J in Birmingham (I think I have that correct - I am away from home and relying on my memory) is your man. Extremely helpful chap.

Ian Cornish

[Rodbr]

Hi There,

From the information that I found the extra one on the 5 pin 6RA was used for cars with twin headlights like Dolomite (2 little candles on each ) for the high beam. To avoid piggy backing 2 feeds from 1 live.

 

If you only have C1 and C3 It could be that someone removed the C2 to leave C1 and C3.

You should have W1 and W2 plus C1 C2 or W1 and W2 plus C1 C2 and C3, these are the only ones I can find.

 

I bought a repro 4 pin one for my early car that had a sort of resin over the botom pin area and the very fine pin designation was impossible to see it was so faint.I think it is electrical waterproofing but scraping it provided the pinout numbers.

 

Autosparks have both 4 pin and 5 pin for a modest £18 each

 

Of course you could have something completely different.

Here's a link to wiring diagram

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17776660/Wiring-Diagrams-for-TR2-TR3-TR4-and-TR4a

 

Rgds

Rod

Edited October 28, 2010 by Rodbr

[smizgals]

Types of relays explained with currently used terminal notation in:

 

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/relays/relays.php

 

Stan

Edited October 28, 2010 by smizgals

[StevedTR4A]

Thanks for all your replies.

I am currently using the 5 terminal unit, terminals W1, W2, C1 and C2

The new old stock "spare " has 4 terminals W1, W2, C2 and C3. Strange but there is no C1. It has not been modified.

I would like to know if I could use these 4 terminals.

 

I will follow up the various leads from your replies

cheers

Steve

[StevedTR4A]

I think I have answered my question.

I put a meter across the 4 terminals W1 and W2 also C2 and C3. There was continuity across both. I now assume that this is a normally closed relay and so I cannot use it.

What could it have been used for ?

cheers

Steve

[Colin Fairhurst]

I think I have answered my question.

I put a meter across the 4 terminals W1 and W2 also C2 and C3. There was continuity across both. I now assume that this is a normally closed relay and so I cannot use it.

What could it have been used for ?

cheers

Steve

 

 

Yes I bought a 6RA relay from an autojumble stall and found that it switches off when energised and I would like to know what it could be used for.

Colin.

Edited October 30, 2010 by Colin Fairhurst

[ianc]

Now returned home and have dug out details for Terry of T & J Enterprises, PO Box 1963, Hall Green, Birmingham, B28 9LP. Tel 0121 777 3386. Terry specialises in obsolete Lucas parts and used to come to our Internationals, but hasn't done so since 2006 (perhaps the flood of 2007 put him off!).

6RA relays have coil on W1/W2. Contact C2 is the pole, C1 is normally-open, C3 is normally-closed.

Terry has advised me that, of the 6RA series, I can use SRB113 (33316E) or SRB111 (33302B), as these are 12 volt relays with normally-open contact and spade connections.

Ian Cornish

[StevedTR4A]

Thanks Ian,

Well, I know more about relays than I did a week ago although like Colin I wonder what a normally closed 6RA would be used for.

Steve

[BrianC]

No wonder so many of us refer to this black art as 'electrickery'.

 

It's enough to put anyone off buying at autojumbles unless they carry a list of part numbers with them, preferably with cross-references to other manufacturers' products. Then there is the distinct probability that the item will either not work when fitted or will fail within a few hundred miles - in the dark, in the rain, miles from anywhere and with an irate partner late for a vital engagement.

[tthomson]

Hi all,

 

W1, W2, are Wiring for coil:

 

W1 is one end of the relay coil

W2 is the other end of the relay coil

 

C1, C2, C3, etc are the contacts:

 

(From memory, which is suspect)

 

C1 is common

C2 is normally open

C3 is normally closed

 

Etc

 

Like any other relay, The normally open, and normally closed terms mean whe the relay is not energised. Normally open means the terminal is NOT connected to the common terminal, and Normally closed means the terminal is connected to the common terminal.

When the coil is energised, the normally open terminal will connect to the common terminal and normally closed will disconnect from the common (ie it switches over)

 

You can buy multimeters for less than a fiver (less than the cost of one of these relays), buy one and check the connections using Ohms range to see exactly what is happening. OR take the relay apart and see the magic revealed. it has four indents holding the cover on. (later ones may also be sealed with black gunk on the bottom, which is a pain).

 

I hope this helps explain all this electrickery.

 

TT

[StevedTR4A]

Hi Tony

Thanks for that. Would you know what applications would use a normally closed configuration?

Steve

[Waldi]

I have a related question, so revived this old thread:

I have a replacement Lucas 6RA relais for my horn (1970 TR6), the original relais has 4 terminals and per the diagram they should be connected as follows:

W1: Purple (from fuse)

W2: Purple-Black (to horn push = earth)

C1: Purple Yellow (to horns)

C2: Purple (from fuse).

 

The replacement I bought has only 3 terminals, but one has a double spade:

C1 (with 2 spades)

C2 (with one spade)

W1 (with one spade).

Can I use this relais for this application and how do I connect it?

Thanks,

Waldi

[Lebro]

You may find that the metal body of the relay is effectively W2, a few checks with a 12V supply, & a bulb (or meter) would soon tell.

 

Bob.

[RobH]

Of course, that will make it more difficult to connect. You will have to insulate the metal body of the relay from the car bodywork and make a connection to it from the horn-push.

[Waldi]

Bob,

I don't think so, I checked and the pertinax plate and internals are isolated from the body.

Thanks,

Waldi

[tthomson]

This relay is often used for the horn.

 

The Thick Purple wire connect toC2 (there is an internal connection from C2 to one end of the coil, so it is both C2 and W2)

W1 connects via the horn push to ground (purple and black wire),

C1 to the horns (Purple and yellow wire).

 

The other purple wire, which is connected to the thick purple wire, can be disconnected - just make sure it cannot touch the bodywork anywhere.

 

TT

Edited October 20, 2017 by tthomson