Secondary indicator lights anyone?
Discussion
Has anyone installed secondary indicator warning lights somewhere in front of the driver?
I drive most of the time with the indicators on, which drives me nuts, and had someone pull out in front of me yesterday
probably because I was still indicating left about 400yds after leaving a roundabout.
Despite putting in a warning buzzer it's not loud enough when the roof is down or I have something on the back parcel shelf.
I'm thinking about running secondary lights and installing them on the plastic steering column shroud, facing the driver. Probably using high intensity LEDs.
If someone has installed secondary lights anywhere in front of the driver I would appreciate any advice you can offer.
Many thanks
Ian
I drive most of the time with the indicators on, which drives me nuts, and had someone pull out in front of me yesterday
probably because I was still indicating left about 400yds after leaving a roundabout. Despite putting in a warning buzzer it's not loud enough when the roof is down or I have something on the back parcel shelf.
I'm thinking about running secondary lights and installing them on the plastic steering column shroud, facing the driver. Probably using high intensity LEDs.
If someone has installed secondary lights anywhere in front of the driver I would appreciate any advice you can offer.
Many thanks
Ian
Theaxe - Its a common problem with Griffs. Both my Griff's had a habit of not switching off. On later cars there is a green led between the main clocks on the dash which is much better than having to practically look in the passenger footwell to notice your indicators are still on.
I want to put opposing triangular LED's in the dash between the speedo & rev counter, but I havent plucked up the courage to remove the dash yet.
I want to put opposing triangular LED's in the dash between the speedo & rev counter, but I havent plucked up the courage to remove the dash yet.
Theaxe, yep the auto cancel does work, but it seems to need a fairly wide swing to make it work. I've had it apart and there is nothing you can do to adjust it. As bluebottle says, looking across the dash isn't practical for the indicator warning lights because as much as I try I still run with one or other indicator on a lot of the time.
Yesterday was a real fright so I'm determined to get this sorted.
IanB
Yesterday was a real fright so I'm determined to get this sorted.
IanB
Hi Red Griff,
I've tried the buzzer route. Experimented with two Maplin 12v piezo units, both driven from the rear light wiring. I atached one to the rear light cluster itself, which was a really neat solution but not very loud and one to the speaker which is in the bulkhead behind the parcel shelf. That works really well most of the time but I had something on the parcel shelf which blocked the sound, oh and a passenger who wanted the stereo on full belt so he could compete in some sort of mimic-the-noise-of-a-cat-being-strangled competition.
I bought a couple of high intensity green LEDs and holders from Maplin yesterday and I'm going to install them into the plastic steering wheel switch shroud. The bugger of it is I think you have to take power from the MIR bulbs as the wires on the switch don't have pulsed power. As I've got to have the dash out anyway it won't be too bad.
I'll document it here as usual so watch this space.
I've tried the buzzer route. Experimented with two Maplin 12v piezo units, both driven from the rear light wiring. I atached one to the rear light cluster itself, which was a really neat solution but not very loud and one to the speaker which is in the bulkhead behind the parcel shelf. That works really well most of the time but I had something on the parcel shelf which blocked the sound, oh and a passenger who wanted the stereo on full belt so he could compete in some sort of mimic-the-noise-of-a-cat-being-strangled competition.
I bought a couple of high intensity green LEDs and holders from Maplin yesterday and I'm going to install them into the plastic steering wheel switch shroud. The bugger of it is I think you have to take power from the MIR bulbs as the wires on the switch don't have pulsed power. As I've got to have the dash out anyway it won't be too bad.
I'll document it here as usual so watch this space.
Installed the little buggers!
I took positive feeds off the MIR left and right wiring loom wires
Yeah, I know about the scotchloks, I hate using the damned things but space was tight and there was no other way of spurring off the wiring so I had to use them.
The wire with scotchlok attached in the pic is the Right indicator, the wire next to it is Left. Sorry I can't refer to the wires by colour, I'm colourblind.
I ran a two-wire cable from these down to the steering wheel shroud. I took a pair of negatives from the dash lights on/off switch by your left knee and passed them through too. Attach these to LEDs and bobs your uncle (god that's made to sound easy, it was a pig to do because you have to solder the LEDs to the wires and use heatshrink to protect the wires)
I bought a pair of High Intensity LEDs from maplin, only one of the sods was a dud so I used a couple of normal yellow LEDs I had.
I haven't plumbed everything into the wheel shroud yet because I want to be sure I can see the yellow ones OK, so they are just taped in at the minute. When I'm sure they are OK I will drill a couple of holes in the shroud facing you and pop them in there.
Sum total of parts - about 80p for the LEDs and holders, plus a couple of scotchloks, about a metre of wire and a bit of heatshrink.
I took positive feeds off the MIR left and right wiring loom wires
Yeah, I know about the scotchloks, I hate using the damned things but space was tight and there was no other way of spurring off the wiring so I had to use them.
The wire with scotchlok attached in the pic is the Right indicator, the wire next to it is Left. Sorry I can't refer to the wires by colour, I'm colourblind.
I ran a two-wire cable from these down to the steering wheel shroud. I took a pair of negatives from the dash lights on/off switch by your left knee and passed them through too. Attach these to LEDs and bobs your uncle (god that's made to sound easy, it was a pig to do because you have to solder the LEDs to the wires and use heatshrink to protect the wires)
I bought a pair of High Intensity LEDs from maplin, only one of the sods was a dud so I used a couple of normal yellow LEDs I had.
I haven't plumbed everything into the wheel shroud yet because I want to be sure I can see the yellow ones OK, so they are just taped in at the minute. When I'm sure they are OK I will drill a couple of holes in the shroud facing you and pop them in there.
Sum total of parts - about 80p for the LEDs and holders, plus a couple of scotchloks, about a metre of wire and a bit of heatshrink.
I've put a buzzer in the steering column cowl, wired directly to the indicator switch. No probs now with indicators not cancelling, even with the roof down at higher speeds. If you put warning lights on the top of the column cowl, they will get sunlight washout and you won't see them, so back to square one IMO. I had my fan warning light there and couldn't see it with roof down, so had to move it.
Sorry I didn't. I bought a buzzer unit from a local caravan/camping store for about a fiver, had a guy at work slighly modify it, as it was an additional sounder if you were towing, so would only work when trailer attached. I then just took the top column cowl off and connected one wire to the left hand indicator wire and one to the right hand and packaged the buzzer unit within the coulmn cowl. It was quite simple to do, once I'd had the unit modified. IIRC, there was a post about additional sounders this time last year and I'm sure someone posted a diagram of how they made and installed one.
As far as the LED warnig lights go, I was thinking of moving mine again, as it is obscured by the steering wheel, unless I move my head, and putting it in place of the left hand screw that secures the lower part of the dash to the main IP, to the left of the column cowl. Should be OK to lose one of these screws without the dash coming away.
As far as the LED warnig lights go, I was thinking of moving mine again, as it is obscured by the steering wheel, unless I move my head, and putting it in place of the left hand screw that secures the lower part of the dash to the main IP, to the left of the column cowl. Should be OK to lose one of these screws without the dash coming away.
Can't sleep, got a couple of bites that are driving me nuts.
They sort of have Quinny, Only further down the loom. Attaching my wires closer to the bulbs would have mean putting a junction in, just in case you ever wanted to disconnect the light bar. Chasing down the loom a bit and attaching to the wires on the other side of the loom connectors meant I didn't have to worry about that.
They sort of have Quinny, Only further down the loom. Attaching my wires closer to the bulbs would have mean putting a junction in, just in case you ever wanted to disconnect the light bar. Chasing down the loom a bit and attaching to the wires on the other side of the loom connectors meant I didn't have to worry about that.
I discovered something tonight which is real genius, only I didn't know it.
Picking up the negative from the 'black out' button by your left knee has made the LED's not work when the lights are on. I have absolutely no idea why this is and I was cursing at first but when I think about it it's a great feature. It means I'm not going to be blinded by high power LED's pointng straight at me when I indicate at night because as soon as I switch the lights on they are disabled. Genius eh!!
Picking up the negative from the 'black out' button by your left knee has made the LED's not work when the lights are on. I have absolutely no idea why this is and I was cursing at first but when I think about it it's a great feature. It means I'm not going to be blinded by high power LED's pointng straight at me when I indicate at night because as soon as I switch the lights on they are disabled. Genius eh!!
Resurrected this from the past just to give you the last update.
As Wixer said, the LEDs suffered from washout when out in the sun. So I've put them into small plastic mountings which protect them quite a lot from the sun. They do sometimes still washout but 95% of the time they work.
I don't know if it's because I am still admiring my handiwork or if they really do work but I've spotted the indicators blinking away a couple of times now and been thankfull I did this.
The LEDs mounted on the steering column
Where I got the plastic mountings from (you sometimes find empty ones of these in B&Q when the screwdriver has fallen out
) They are attached to the steering column shroud with silicone.
Cut the top section off, as highlighted and use this. Drilling a suitably sized hole for the LED and its plastic holder.
As Wixer said, the LEDs suffered from washout when out in the sun. So I've put them into small plastic mountings which protect them quite a lot from the sun. They do sometimes still washout but 95% of the time they work.
I don't know if it's because I am still admiring my handiwork or if they really do work but I've spotted the indicators blinking away a couple of times now and been thankfull I did this.
The LEDs mounted on the steering column
Where I got the plastic mountings from (you sometimes find empty ones of these in B&Q when the screwdriver has fallen out
) They are attached to the steering column shroud with silicone. Cut the top section off, as highlighted and use this. Drilling a suitably sized hole for the LED and its plastic holder.
barreti said:
Resurrected this from the past just to give you the last update.
As Wixer said, the LEDs suffered from washout when out in the sun. So I've put them into small plastic mountings which protect them quite a lot from the sun. They do sometimes still washout but 95% of the time they work.
I don't know if it's because I am still admiring my handiwork or if they really do work but I've spotted the indicators blinking away a couple of times now and been thankfull I did this.
The LEDs mounted on the steering column
Where I got the plastic mountings from (you sometimes find empty ones of these in B&Q when the screwdriver has fallen out) They are attached to the steering column shroud with silicone.
Cut the top section off, as highlighted and use this. Drilling a suitably sized hole for the LED and its plastic holder.
As Wixer said, the LEDs suffered from washout when out in the sun. So I've put them into small plastic mountings which protect them quite a lot from the sun. They do sometimes still washout but 95% of the time they work.
I don't know if it's because I am still admiring my handiwork or if they really do work but I've spotted the indicators blinking away a couple of times now and been thankfull I did this.
The LEDs mounted on the steering column
Where I got the plastic mountings from (you sometimes find empty ones of these in B&Q when the screwdriver has fallen out
) They are attached to the steering column shroud with silicone. Cut the top section off, as highlighted and use this. Drilling a suitably sized hole for the LED and its plastic holder.
LOL I didn't know you were such a handyman, bonnetstay, led indicators, i wonder what's next.
Fred
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