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I've got my fancy new wiring harness and the diagram from my manual but I'm wondering if there is any info that shows the actual routing of the harness? The PO stripped mine out so I'm not sure exactly where to start this thing. I've scoured the archives and looked through all my books... help
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100-4 wiring placement
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Wow - I can't begin to describe all of the wire routing.
Your best bet may be a photo set for the BN1 from British Car Specialists
https://www.britishcarspecialists.com/
There are a lot of photos which show wire routing & everything else as the car is being restored.
D
Your best bet may be a photo set for the BN1 from British Car Specialists
https://www.britishcarspecialists.com/
There are a lot of photos which show wire routing & everything else as the car is being restored.
D
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Hi Trevor,
I'm running two six volt batteries, #17HF I believe.
D
I'm running two six volt batteries, #17HF I believe.
D
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I was in the same situation with my BN-2. What I did was to sit in the living room with the new harness ( and the old oily one in a box nearby), the wiring diagram and color code key (enlarged to make it easier to read), and a label maker (the kind that prints out small labels that can be self stuck around the wire ends) to label all the terminals and junctions. Once you have the elecrtical components installed in the car and the harness all labeled it is very much easier to lay the harness out next to the car, and then to see how you must route it in the car. It is most certainly a bit of a puzzle, but it worked for me. The various restoration books and the photo albums that they sell at British Car Specialists in Stockton, CA were a great help. I had every photo in the Austin Healey club magazines I have post-it tabed if they so much as showed a wire. A good place to start is with the instrument panel area because the lighting terminal ends are obvious. The harness is also thickest there and there were a few moments when I was sure it would be impossible to connect some wires to various switches or gages. I'll bet the guys who fit the doors, the seat cushion covers and the wiring harnesses were a cranky lot until they got a few under their belts. I probably spent 8 hours labeling, and another 15 hours putting the harness in the car. Do not skinmp on clamps and do not leave wiring in positions that cause chaffing of the wire. If you have the old harness, do not throw it away until you are done with the new one. The latter, I find, tends to be a good idea for any parts that you are not going to reuse. I was happy to go through the cut out frame parts I repaired to see just where screw holes were.
Jon
Jon
Thanks Jon,
I just scrolled though the images on the DVD from dreamsonwheels. Wow, the whole harness all looks the same with a few small wires coming off here and there. Great idea with the old harness and the label maker. I'll do just that. I'll also start compiling my engine photos to help figure this out.
When you were done did everything work the first go? Or did you have to go back in and move wires around?
Trevor
I just scrolled though the images on the DVD from dreamsonwheels. Wow, the whole harness all looks the same with a few small wires coming off here and there. Great idea with the old harness and the label maker. I'll do just that. I'll also start compiling my engine photos to help figure this out.
When you were done did everything work the first go? Or did you have to go back in and move wires around?
Trevor
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Trevor,
Yes everything worked with the exception of my voltage regulator and generator. The generator had been "overhauled" by the PO. The field terminal was a direct short to ground so it did not work. Also I made the mistake of not removing the voltage regulator from the firewall prior to hooking it up. It was the only item left in place in the engine bay when I got the car. The car had sat for over 20 years and the exposed circutry behind the unit had been badly corroded and was partially shorted by insect remains. Once I got those items corrected all was good. I did disassemble the battery cut-off switch on the shelf near the batteries and made sure it had good contact. Some miswiring is not possible due to the way the wires branch out of the harness. I tried to avoid crossing wires by simply using a multimeter to check continuity to the end of each wire I connected, even if it ment taking it off its terminal to isolate it. That way I knew that everything was hooked up where it was supposed to be. I also have the DreamsOnWheels CD. It was helpful. I wish the guy had taken fewer photos at a distance and more detail photos of finished or nearly finished work. I am a fan of extra ground (earth) connections. I just make some extra jumper wires at various places. I like to have the whole structure electrically bonded, expecially the instrument panel. My car is now negative ground and uses 2 12 volt batteries in parallel. Ive installed 2 small "garden tractor" batteries (the only kind that would fit)in lieu of the outrageously expensive reproduction 6 volt batteries. It gives me more cranking power and more amp hours. I can also get replacement batteries for about 30 bucks at any car parts store. I fabricated my own battery pans and hold down clamps. Have fun.
Jon
Yes everything worked with the exception of my voltage regulator and generator. The generator had been "overhauled" by the PO. The field terminal was a direct short to ground so it did not work. Also I made the mistake of not removing the voltage regulator from the firewall prior to hooking it up. It was the only item left in place in the engine bay when I got the car. The car had sat for over 20 years and the exposed circutry behind the unit had been badly corroded and was partially shorted by insect remains. Once I got those items corrected all was good. I did disassemble the battery cut-off switch on the shelf near the batteries and made sure it had good contact. Some miswiring is not possible due to the way the wires branch out of the harness. I tried to avoid crossing wires by simply using a multimeter to check continuity to the end of each wire I connected, even if it ment taking it off its terminal to isolate it. That way I knew that everything was hooked up where it was supposed to be. I also have the DreamsOnWheels CD. It was helpful. I wish the guy had taken fewer photos at a distance and more detail photos of finished or nearly finished work. I am a fan of extra ground (earth) connections. I just make some extra jumper wires at various places. I like to have the whole structure electrically bonded, expecially the instrument panel. My car is now negative ground and uses 2 12 volt batteries in parallel. Ive installed 2 small "garden tractor" batteries (the only kind that would fit)in lieu of the outrageously expensive reproduction 6 volt batteries. It gives me more cranking power and more amp hours. I can also get replacement batteries for about 30 bucks at any car parts store. I fabricated my own battery pans and hold down clamps. Have fun.
Jon
pan
Jedi Warrior
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When I started to install my new loom (from Vintage Wiring Harnesses of Bellingen New South Wales, Aus)I thought I might have some difficulty, but it soon worked out. The shop manual has several useful pictures showing routing, and also the handbook. Even the wiring diagram shows the basic layout, unlike the diagrams of more modern cars.