• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

TR6 Hazard Switch Problem

Share this page

SherpaPilot

SherpaPilot

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
I have a 72 TR6. Recently following a steering column rebuild, I needed to replace the ignition switch and the rocker hazard switch. I was being careful and made diagrams of where each wire was supposed to go. I am now into my third week of trouble-shooting the new hazard switch. Using several sources, I wired this switch up as per the correct wiring diagram in the Bentley manual. I also replaced the hazard flasher just to be safe. This is what the crazy thing is doing and I cannot understand how it is doing it:

When activated, the switch will activate the flasher in passenger side like it is supposed to. The tail-lights and parking lights do not respond but stay off. The panel hazard light will blink normally and since the tachometer is removed, the oil pressure/ignition lights will blink in concert with the hazard light provided they are grounded by touching metal. I have spent hours going over several variations of Triumph wiring diagrams and cannot understand how the oil pressure and the ignition warning lights (located in the tachometer base) can get this voltage to blink. This symptom occurs with the ignition off or on. I know I have missed something (probably obvious) but cannot think what it might be. This problem is driving me nuts and I need to step away from it for awhile. Has anyone seen this before and have some possible direction? As usual, I searched the forum for previous threads on it but came up empty. I appreciate any advice. Thanks.
 
What metal are you touching the lamps to? My guess is that whatever it is, it isn't grounded and somehow linked to the hazard circuit.
 
Thanks for the quick response. I checked the grounding this morning and ran a dedicated ground wire back to the battery ground = no change. The turn signals will work properly but only if the hazard switch is in the on position. I am now thinking something is screwed up with the positioning of the wires or the voltage stabilizer. So, I'm still reading diagrams and working the problem as we speak. Thanks again for your input.
 
Just in case, there were 2 types of hazard switches fitted in the course of the 72 model year. The first 6 months or so used the 4-connection switch and a relay. The rest of the run used a 6-connection switch and no relay. Hopefully a PO didn't mess with the wiring. Jeff
 
Yes, I saw the variations in switches. Mine is wired for the 6 connectors. I have already traced the wires and tried various combinations of connections. Slight differences between green/slate and green/khaki. Some drawings show the switch as viewed from the back and some from the front. Fortunately, if one looks closely, the numbers for each pole are casted in the plastic case. I may have made an error in connecting the ignition switch. I will be trouble-shooting that possibility tonight. This is truly a frustrating and time consuming sport; not to mention the backaches one gets. I sort of regret taking on such a task.. Thanks for the post.
 
I used to have a later 72 with that switch. Make sure all the connections are good (0 ohm); you may have to dismantle and clean (its not too hard). The hazard flasher can get flakey after sitting - check for good continuity there too.
 
You are correct about the connections. After trying everything possible, I noticed a slight looseness of one of the male spades on the Lucas fuse box while checking for current. I pulled the box and found quite a bit of crud and rust on the underside of the fuse box. This may or may not be my total problem but I'm ordering a fuse box tonight. Its only been in there for 47 years.
 
I meant to type "all the contacts inside the switch are good (0 ohm)". Loose Lucar connections like on your fuse box are pretty common. They are just riveted together; you can sandpaper or file both parts and solder them. I had to do that on a coil connection to get rid of random missing.

Not sure whats causing the problem - double check the ignition switch connections. Was your replacement switch new or used?
 
I ordered a new fuse box from TRF ($17). The original was pretty bad. I'll check the new hazard switch today for ohms. The replacement ignition switch came from Moss. There are two types available. Mine is the early version with four leads soldered to the switch. Although this aftermarket switch works, it does not have the same quality as the original. It appears to work normally. After I get the wires cleaned up and the new fuse box installed, we will see what happens. I can do without hazard lights but need turn signals to pass a MV inspection. Thanks for the input.
 
Back
Top