Iain T

When's the next postal strike... At least I now know if I ever fly in a helicopter to push someone else out first 🚁⚡

So I assume on smaller helicopters there is a permanent grounding cable? Iain

I might add I was also in my mum's bad books for sometime! Then for the umpteen Saturdays the blokes in the factory took great pleasure in all sorts of pranks. It was as an innocent 14/15 year old my first experience of factory humour😇😂 Iain

As a teenager on Saturdays I used to be factory floor cleaner and tea boy in my dads company. He bought a new Mec Brown circular saw (3 phase) and let me wire it in. I never tested it so just as we were about to leave he said I'll make sure its OK. He turned it on and got full 415v! He couldn't let go and one of the employees had to pull the plug out. He wasn't happy as he was lucky to survive! Perhaps that's why I've had a 'thing' about not tampering with electrics? Iain

Dave, if it's 1 there is no circuit ie the wire is broken or there's no electrical path between the multimeter probes. Zero is a perfect reading but a lot of my "good" circuits read 0.1'ish. I'm sure the electrical engineers here can elaborate further. It's a really handy check that has been very useful during my dash tidying. Iain

I've never really done much electrical work on any of my classic cars but on the Vitesse I've fitted headlamp relays, sorted out the dash wiring, auxiliary fuse box plus other bits. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading up and learning more about car electrics and diagnosis. I would say I'm still in the novice category but it's made me much more willing to tackle anything 12 volts and it's much more forgiving than 415v 3 phase! Iain

A good quick way and it'll save your knuckles! Just make sure the wire isn't too long as from memory my uj is quite close to the turret and might get snagged. Iain

It's not a normal steel uj, the two halves are isolated by a rubberised disc. Before you do undo the nuts just check continuity. Well done for persevering, these are all essential life skills! You've inspired me to finish wiring in my original reversing lamp. Found the loom fused live green and green/brown and made up a cable to fit the Ford T9 reversing switch. It works😁. Iain

Do the continuity test upper to lower shaft either side of the uj to make sure. Iain

Colin the setting to test continuity. Iain

As I and others have said connect a good earth to the brown/black spade of the horn. This should complete the circuit and operate the horn. If it doesn't let us know! We'll get it sorted, it will be something simple. Iain

Probably the black stripe is normally the earth lead. It's the one that doesn't hurt if you hold it and earth yourself ⚡

Try the purple black side of the horn.

The other 12v end is where?

Where exactly?

As mentioned before the horn circuit is always live so you don't need the ignition on as the horn should always work. This must have caused great hilarity in more amorous situations........! Iain

Colin, before you take the skin off your knuckles you can do a simple multimeter test for continuity ie is the circuit complete. Turn your meter to continuity, the meter screen will show "1". If the circuit is OK the reading will be "0" or near zero indicating no resistance. This is a very handy test! Try it with both probes touching say your door striker it should read zero. Put one probe on a bare surface of the upper column shaft and the other on the lower. The reading should be around zero meaning the wire bridging the uj is doing its job. If its 1 the wire needs replacing. If its zero or near zero turn the meter to volts and with the horn pushed put one probe on the upper steering column shaft and the other to a good earth ie chassis or engine. It should read 12v. If it does and the uj bridge is OK I give up! If there is no voltage the problem is probably in the horn area. Take the horn push out (I'm not conversant with the original Herald setup) and with a scrap wire touch the brass ring and column shaft. The horn should work. If it does the issue is the horn push. On my aftermarket boss the horn push has springs on the perifery that contact the boss and therefor the shaft. On mine there was over spray on the inside of the boss so I rubbed it down to achieve a good contact and it worked. Happy fiddling, hope this helps. Iain

Yes it does.

Good well done you've found it! Try earthing from the top of the column uj to a known good earth to test if it is in fact the uj strap. It should make you jump🙉

Ask a friend with small hands! It is possible but it's very fiddly the correct strap has eyelets which fit under bolts either side of the uj to bridge the rubber disc. I see Mr P has beaten me to it again!

I had the same problem when I rewired the horn push in my Vitesse. I shorted the column brass ring to the column, nothing. I earthed to a known good earth bingo, burst eardrums. I found I had no earth strap on the steering column uj. Connected both sides of the uj and it worked so bought the correct braided strap and all fixed. Iain

Just noticed I haven't posted in the topic I started. Sorry chaps but I don't know how to move a post. Iain

Dry run fit and it nearly fits. Although I haven't taken off the old trim and lamp on my car the pitch of the boot fixing holes is 4.5" and I'll have to move the clearance hole for the lamp cable grommet. Small details that I can sort out by redrilling. I will have to seal the bracket/boot by using some Hylomar or similar? The two centre fixing holes for the correct ali trim seem to be the same as the one currently on the car so I might only have to drill holes for the two outer fixings. Iain

Made two sets of brackets, now to see if they are correct and fit🤞 They have the Trumpf punch program at work so can knock out loads if someone wants to buy a batch! Iain

304 is the most commercially available 'less expensive' tube followed by the higher grade 316. As I said my friend wrapped his stainless tube bunch of bananas manifolds and exhausts on his V8 and it all disintegrated over a short time and not many miles. Iain