foster461 Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 After taking the TR3 out for some local drives around town (2 to 5 miles) I set off this morning on a 25 mile drive to my buddy's shop as he was going to help me install the sidescreens. Soon after leaving the house and stopping at a traffic light on a hill I realized that I have not yet adjusted the handbrake. So that made the day interesting to start with as there are a lot of stop lights on hills between my house and Hampstead, NH. I added adjust handbrake to the list. The sidescreen installation went well. Better than I expected. The LHS still could use a bit of tweaking to get it to sit snug to the windscreen post but overall a good job. The problems started when we set off in the TR3 for lunch. I had omitted the split pins for the accelerator linkage and one of the ball joint clamps had backed out allowing the ball joint to slip out. Were were not far from the shop so we inserted some lock wire as a temporary fix. Coming back from lunch we were discussing the ammeter behavior. It is normally fluctuating around the zero mark unless I turn something on (where it shows a drain) or rev the engine where it momentarily shows a charge. To poke at that a bit more when we got back from lunch I started turning on lamps, first the headlamps and then the fog and spot lamps. Ammeter showed a significant drain as expected and we saw a cloud of smoke coming from under the apron. We shut off the battery and investigated. Turns out the spot lamp had shorted out inside the case and the wiring back to the relay had glowed red, melting the insulation and the PVC sleeve. I had the small amount of excess wire coiled inside the spot lamp housing and I have no idea yet why it shorted out. That could have been very nasty. A new task to add to my list. Got home with no further events other than engine got hot sitting in traffic (it was over 90 degrees F today) but quickly came back to 185 degrees once I got moving again. On the plus side got a lot of waves and thumbs up and a guy in an AC Cobra whose engine was apparently not happy in captivity as it was clearly trying to get out, pulled up next to me, gave me a nod and then followed me for a few miles until I had turn off the main road. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
M. Pied Lourd Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Well, you made it home That is the best part of the story. A few minor glitches, but that is to be expected. You'll get them all ironed out shortly and then you won't know what to do with yourself! Cheers Tush Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 The ghost of Joe Lucas has left your car. In most cases, the ghost lives under the bonnet for years and escapes when the car and wiring are old, causing havoc. In this case you've sent him off on an early stage... Kidding aside: that could have ended very differently ( as I know from personal experience). Like Tush says: within weeks, you'll be kicking small pebbles on you drive, not knowing what to do with your spare time. Menno Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Larnder Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Yush and Menno SPARE TIME! he will be out driving it at every opportunity he gets, with a smile wider than the car. My sidescreens fit snugly to the windscreen stanchions but are about 1/8th to 3/16 too high and I have trouble closing the doors. Anybody got any quick fit ideas? I can´t lower the dzus holding plates on the doors or else the trim will be marked by the old positions. Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Graham Harris Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 You will be surprised how quickly the trim will compensate for the move and you will not see where it was before. Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted July 13, 2016 Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) Dave - There should be a small flap along the top above where the side curtains close. I rarely use the top and side curtains but when I do, I run my finger along the top of the side screen to pop the flap that lies along the edge of the top - over the outside edge of the door. I can also reach the passenger's side whilst seated in the driver's seat. Edited July 13, 2016 by Don Elliott Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted July 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Here's what caused the fire. This is a Moss supplied repro Lucas spotlamp. The rear of the lamp body is steel, conductive, and the terminal for the power feed is very close to the surface of the lamp. In addition the insulating board that the terminals are attached to is secured to the lamp based only by the spring action of the center contact. This allows the board to tilt and it didnt have to tilt much for that terminal to come in contact with the lamp body and short to ground. The lamp can be salvaged and no real harm done other than melted insulation and PVC sleeve but when I repair this I will give that terminal a bit more clearance and add some heat shrink to better insulate it from the lamp body. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Wot no fuse ?? Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted July 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 Wot no fuse ?? Bob. The couple of feet of wire between the relay and the lamp turned out to be an effective fuse Bob but I agree, it would be prudent to go against the TR philosophy and add a fuse into this circuit. Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 There was a time that I had the same idea... Until my Spitfire's dashboard went ablaze (is that the correct term?) and I had to spend a few weeks on my back under the dash removing burned wiring and installing new wiring! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted July 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 There was a time that I had the same idea... Until my Spitfire's dashboard went ablaze (is that the correct term?) and I had to spend a few weeks on my back under the dash removing burned wiring and installing new wiring! Ablaze is the correct adjective Menno although "went ablaze" sounds odd to my ear vs "was set ablaze". I spent the day rewiring the aux lamps. New socket and relay for the spot lamp and new power and ground wires as they were all running in the same PVC sleeve and turned to goo. Power feed now has a fuse in it. Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 I was already happy mastering the 'ablaze' and using it in the correct phrase... Not knowing that the complete expression is. On electrics: after my weeks under the dash, I promised myself that I would never do this again. So when I bought my TR, I wasn't really happy looking at three fuses, strong as nails... That's how I stumbled upon Advance Auto Wire and ordered a complete wiring harness from them. Not original, but foolproof (me being the fool when it comes to car electrics). Menno Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted July 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 ok Menno, what did you use the six relays for on a car that has electric nothing ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) Power relay Horn Fan Headlights Low and High Overdrive (not shown on this drawing - this is the non OD version) Fuel pump (not connected on my car) Click for larger pic Edited July 15, 2016 by Menno van Rij 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Power relay Horn Fan Headlights Low and High Overdrive (not shown on this drawing - this is the non OD version) Fuel pump (not connected on my car) Makes sense Menno, the sidescreen cars have a lot of current going through some puny switches and no fuses. My aux lamps are back in operation after rewiring the power side (this time with a fuse) and replacing the spotlamp relay and relay socket. I used this opportunity to re-route the wiring from the relay to the spot lamp so that is is behind the grill instead of running along the lamp/badge bar. Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 I have the same type of Powerblock (chosen after seeing Menno's original posts) and it is very good. The wiring is significantly heavier duty than the original loom and as you have highlighted, it avoids having power through the switches. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dwaters Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 I bought the same Advanced Auto Wire kit after seeing Menno's car and am about to start fitting it. Menno, you found a home for the block under the bonnet, its a bit tight under there on a RHD TR3A. Ian, did you site your block under the battery tray as suggested in the instructions and if so, is it still possible to check/change fuses and relays easily? Thanks, David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 We discussed the position of the block, including the spot under the battery tray. In the end we opted for the spot you can see on my pics. Why? The under-the-tray spot is close to the carpet, thus gathering dust (mounted at that spot, it's virtually impossible to place a lid over the power block; the tunnel and carpet are too close. Second, when removing the carpet or tunnel for work on the g/box, there's always a chance that you touch the power block. That can cause a malfunction as well. On a RHD drive car, I would suggest that you look for a spot in the passenger's footwell! High up, nearly behind the glove box. You should be able to come up with glove box that has a removable backplate, so that you can make your job easier. Whatever you do: construct some sort of box, complete with a lid. A plastic box can work as well off course! The complete wiring looks a little overwhelming at first, but when you approach it methodically, things are easy. It was the first time I tackled a wiring job like this. And all went well! A few ideas: - Copy the drawing of the wiring as large as you can. - Make two or three copies. - Stick one on the wall and don't touch it. It's your reference sheet. - Borrow the crayons of your kids/grandchildren and start coloring every wire according to the code on the second copy of the drawing. That way, you can (a) check of all wiring is included and ( you can familiarize with the 'look and feel' of the whole set. - The third copy is your 'work sheet': you can use it code every wire you've tackled. It's wise to invest in proper pliers, cable connectors, shrink tubes and braided tubes. It looks so much nicer! An example of combined use of these materials: When you need earthing points: make a note of all spots where there's an earthing point. Most problems with electrics have to do with earthing. My old Saabs have 3 earthing points on the car: negative side of the battery + various cable leading to one bolt; on the bulkhead and the third is inside the boot. (Strangely, old Saabs are mix and match of Hella and Lucas product - but electrics never fail on these cars!) The brake light sensor on the TR3 is (imho) positioned on the worst possible spot. Ditch it and come up with a solution connected to the brake pedal! Easier to maintain, replace and reach! Cable from and to the battery: use welding cable! Very flexible and capable of holding lots of current! When you need more info, just let me know Menno Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted July 18, 2016 Report Share Posted July 18, 2016 I mounted mine under the battery box as recommended in the instructions and don't have any problems with it. I have blown a fuse on a couple of occasions (my fault) and access to find and replace it has been straightforward. I agree with Menno about the earth points, I clamped a lead washer to an area of bare steel for my main earthing point before attaching the earth cable. Also have a couple of other earth points in the engine bay that I use when setting timing or using a strobe light. I have crimped and soldered most connections but be careful not to use too much solder or it makes the cable brittle. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dwaters Posted July 19, 2016 Report Share Posted July 19, 2016 Menno, Ian, many thanks for getting back to me so quickly and with such an excellent compilation of practical tips and advice. It is very much appreciated and will be put into use very soon. Thank you David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Larnder Posted July 19, 2016 Report Share Posted July 19, 2016 Dave - There should be a small flap along the top above where the side curtains close. I rarely use the top and side curtains but when I do, I run my finger along the top of the side screen to pop the flap that lies along the edge of the top - over the outside edge of the door. I can also reach the passenger's side whilst seated in the driver's seat. Hi Don The whole trouble is that I can´t get my finger Into that flap, as it is too tight at the rear top part where it starts to turn down, even when I try to put the passenger side in, with my wife in the car as well, trying to stretch things to get the side screen in and then shut the door. I have never had the drivers door sidescreen in while driving, only if I park at night outside say a hotel and it looks like rain. Even then I cant close the doors to the second click and the door looks like it is open, which it is literally, but the wind and rain don´t get into the car. Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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