Wedge electrics/ lights!

[Mr Tank]

Hi

Don't you just love "Wedge" electrics/lights!

Just started cleaning the car for BBWF tonight.
While I was cleaning the light switches, the headlights both popped up OK, when I switched them off only the drivers side went down! O! just what I need. I can see me working on them tommorow evening to sort it out, any ideas!
I was working on the front of the car at the weekend fitting an additional fan, I might have move some wires etc will start checking tommorow

Andy

[sprevett]

yes - this is why TVR, and any other car maker with any sense at all, stopped using pop-up lamps. they should be re-named 'comedy lamps' really because they're a laugh a minute. one goes up then the other, eventually, or not, then they both wont go up, then they wont go down, but then one does, and so on and so forth...and we end driving round with one up and one down like some demented fool. and then even if they do come up and stay up when it gets dark we still can't see a bloody thing because they just shake up and down annoying other drivers and only randomly lighting up the road ahead.

deep joy. If I were you I wouldn't mess with anything until you'v had a good drive round on as many cobbles as you can find - it's bound to fix it.

good luck and see you at BBWF - you'll be easy to spot..

[adam quantrill]

Andy,

underneath the pod (in the floorpan) do you hav a 3" hole you can put your hand into? If so there should be a knob you can twiddle, give it a tweak and the pod should go down.

Anyhow a stuck pod won't stop you will it?

[Mr Tank]

Adam

Yes I do have the hole! who dosn't!

Will give the knob a tweek tommorow evening, and see if it's just stuck!
If that's not what gone I will look further!

No that will not stop us from coming on Friday!

Andy

[Jack Valiant]

Under the offending pod you will find a number of connector blocks. After a long time and indeed water ingress these corrode and then fail. Pull them apart one at a time clean and spray with WD40 or similar. Once the problem has been fixed I would do the same for the other side. If that fails then look at the switch hopefully you have not used any spray type shiny stuff on the switch? Pull it out carefully and check and clean contacts you can gently open the switch. Check fuses and relays etc. Then it may require further work by removing the pod and motor but do the simple stuff first.

Good luck

Chris

[adam quantrill]

Also if it looks odd with one stuck up, then put the headlamps on and pull the motor fuses. Then turn them off.

At least you'll have a matching pair!

[Mr Tank]

Hi

Chris thanks for your advice, but my car has just had a full restoration so what you suggested is not relevant this time.

To all the other ideas thanks.

Well I fixed it tonight, after winding down the light pod, I switched the light back on and they both came up! Turned the lights off and only one went down. So the motors OK and the wiring is OK. So it had to be the relays, changed the right hand motor relay and they now both work OK!!!!!!!

BBWF here we come! (Cross fingers, touch wood, etc)

Andy

[B@man]

Every time I think I've fixed my "lazy" pod it behaves for a few weeks and then hides, and then sticks half up.

I swear if it could it would stick the V's up !

I'd rather play with Mr pod then Mr wheelbloodybearing.

OK OK

[Comadis]

interesting that pop-up lamps on german, japanese and even on the italian fiat x1/9 do not have such typical problems as the ones developped in UK....so its a typical UK-engineering problem!!

best example: when lotus started to use the toyota electrics on the excel the problem was sorted!!

[grahamw48]

Yes, the Marshall Plan and other subsidies certainly helped those countries' engineering industries back onto their feet after being pulverised .

We, on the other hand were left with just our dignity and great sense of humour.