stebec Posted November 17, 2023 Report Share Posted November 17, 2023 Can anyone tell me if the wires on my coil are correct, there are 2 wires coming off the + side, the - side is correct, its going to my distributor, I’ve only had the car for a month and new to the classic car scene. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB Posted November 17, 2023 Report Share Posted November 17, 2023 From your previous post, I presume this is a 1500 Spitfire. There should be a pink/white and a yellow/white wire to the + terminal of a 6 volt coil. The pink/white is a resistive lead to drop the 12 volts to 6 volts during normal running. The yellow/white is connected to the starter solenoid to boost the power during starting. There should also be a second wire, slate/white, to the negative terminal which sends pulses to the rev counter. I hope I have the colours correct, they are a bit difficult to read on my wiring diagram. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted November 17, 2023 Report Share Posted November 17, 2023 Graham you’re correct about the colours. Steve I also notice your heater valve is bypassed, that could get uncomfortably warm and won’t help your cold starting. The valves are often fixable if it leaks, and the Smiths type cheap enough to replace regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 10 hours ago, GrahamB said: From your previous post, I presume this is a 1500 Spitfire. There should be a pink/white and a yellow/white wire to the + terminal of a 6 volt coil. The pink/white is a resistive lead to drop the 12 volts to 6 volts during normal running. The yellow/white is connected to the starter solenoid to boost the power during starting. There should also be a second wire, slate/white, to the negative terminal which sends pulses to the rev counter. I hope I have the colours correct, they are a bit difficult to read on my wiring diagram. I’m thinking of putting electronic ignition on the car, but one of the leads goes to the + terminal on the coil, but as you see, I don’t have a spare terminal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 9 hours ago, Josef said: Graham you’re correct about the colours. Steve I also notice your heater valve is bypassed, that could get uncomfortably warm and won’t help your cold starting. The valves are often fixable if it leaks, and the Smiths type cheap enough to replace regardless. Is it an easy fix for the heater? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 Yes very easy if you get the valve fixed although of course you will spill some coolant as you undo and reconnect the heater hoses.... On the wiring, what is the whitish wire just next to the red/white one connected to at the bottom of the photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 31 minutes ago, johny said: Yes very easy if you get the valve fixed although of course you will spill some coolant as you undo and reconnect the heater hoses.... On the wiring, what is the whitish wire just next to the red/white one connected to at the bottom of the photo? Hi Johnny, I’m going to fit a new radiator on next week, so coolant not a problem. The wire you mention, I’ve not got a clue what it’s for, there is some very strange wiring on this car, there is even a wire attached to the earth on the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 Oh dear, non standard wiring is a pita as you cant be sure whats going on! Laborious as it might be I would recommend spending the time to try and figure out whats been done and remove as much as possible of the additions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 4 minutes ago, johny said: Oh dear, non standard wiring is a pita as you cant be sure whats going on! Laborious as it might be I would recommend spending the time to try and figure out whats been done and remove as much as possible of the additions... Think I might invest in a new wiring loom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 Is it that bad🙁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 there shouldbe a resistive white/pink ballast or a seperate ballast resistor to drop the oil to 6v with a bypass white yellow ? from thesolenoid to boost the 6v to 12v when cranking this needs a 1/5 ohm coil if the ballast system has been removed or bypassed then you need a 3 ohm coil the extra wire on the pos+ could be for electronic rev counter if the dizzy dosnt have the older cable drive Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 14 minutes ago, johny said: Is it that bad🙁 Everything works ok, but a lot of the wires seem very brittle, think for peace of mind I’d be safer with new wiring. Have you any idea how I can get the electronic ignition wired up? Because with 2 wires already coming off the + side of the coil, there is nowhere to connect to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 You would need to remove those blue connectors that some one has put on the wires at the coil positive and then put both of them into one new connector so leaving a terminal free.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 37 minutes ago, johny said: You would need to remove those blue connectors that some one has put on the wires at the coil positive and then put both of them into one new connector so leaving a terminal free.... Thanks Johny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 Really would try to clarify colours of each wire and what they do first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 I agree, but there’s mains electrical cable visible in that shot of the battery which doesn’t speak well to the quality of previous maintenance so it definitely wants some serious investigation and improvement… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 The wiring seems to be a mess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 8 hours ago, johny said: Yes very easy if you get the valve fixed although of course you will spill some coolant as you undo and reconnect the heater hoses.... On the wiring, what is the whitish wire just next to the red/white one connected to at the bottom of the photo? I take it I just need to separate these 2 pipes and reconnect them to the Valve, why would someone bypass the valve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 Most likely the valve has a leak or blocked although it does look quite new. You could try operating it while blowing through and also put a finger over the outlet to check for leaks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 25 minutes ago, stebec said: I take it I just need to separate these 2 pipes and reconnect them to the Valve, why would someone bypass the valve? Possibly not connected to the dashboard controls, so can't operate it anyway? That valve is very easy to remove and check (don't lose the O-ring) but if needs be you can buy valves that are simply a straight pipe with an open/close lever on it, very simple to install in place of the Smiths valve if need be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foshi Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 possibly the heater matrix is leaking hence pipes joined 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 I think its just the valve thats bypassed so the heater matrix is in use all the time. You might be able to operate the valve locally with a pair of pliers or something.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stebec Posted November 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 26 minutes ago, johny said: I think it’s just the valve thats bypassed so the heater matrix is in use all the time. You might be able to operate the valve locally with a pair of pliers or something.... The control cable is still attached to the valve, I will see if it still works tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 2 hours ago, stebec said: I take it I just need to separate these 2 pipes and reconnect them to the Valve, Yes. As others have said though I’d bet on it leaking / being blocked. Not sure why someone would bypass the heater to be always on though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 Lets face it our heaters dont exactly add a lot of heat to the cabin😁Even with it on if the weathers warm you just wind the window down a bit more.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now