• 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

Oil Pressure and Ignition Lights

Share this page

Musicman

Musicman

Jedi Trainee
Country flag
Offline
Hello to all.

I was wondering if anyone out there has ever experienced this:

On my '75 TR6 both lights work. The only thing is, is that the ignition light (the red one) glows dimly compared to the oil pressure light (the amber one). I even replaced the ignition bulb with a brand new bulb with no change in brightness. I have no intention to "hunt down" the possible reason or reasons for this - I'm only curious if others out there have experienced this for themselves, and if so, what was the reason for it, and what they did to correct it.

Thanks!
 
Jeff, I'm curious: does your brake warning light also come on? If so, how bright is it (compared to, say, the Hazard flasher light)? On many Triumphs of this era, the brake warning light and oil pressure warning light are interconnected in such a way that they will all illuminate when the ignition key is first turned to "ON." It's ever so vaguely possible that your "problem" is not with either ignition or oil warning lamps!?
 
Andy,

Hi. I'm the one who started this thread. I'm not with my car right now but I'm pretty sure that the brake warning light does come on when the key is turned to the "on" position and I think the brake light is at the same brightness level as the flasher light.
 
Andy, It's Dave that has the dim light. ( <u>All</u> my lights are dim, or so I'm told.)
Dave, just hook a simple jumper wire from a good ground, like the negative battery terminal, and touch it to the bulb holder. If the light gets brighter, the problem is the ground.
Then, check the grounds.
Does the TR6 have the panel lamps grounded at one of the gauge mount clamp screws? Some of my cars are that way, and simply tightening the knurled nut will solve the problem.
Jeff
 
Jeff,

Thanks for the advice. I'll check that out later on today.
 
Ignition warning lights are not grounded that way. They have two wire leads and the lamp socket is isolated from chassis ground.

The ignition light gets its supply from the ignition switch (typically on a white wire). The other side of the ignition warning bulb is connected to the alternator field coils. (This is the small gauge wire going to the alternator).

A quick test for the charge indicator bulb and wiring would be to disconnect the alternator plug from the alternator (with the engine turned off) and connect a jumper wire between the small gage wire's female connector (in the alternator plug) to a good clean chassis ground point. Switch on the ignition and look at how bright the bulb is. If it's any brighter than normal the problem may be in the alternator itself. However, before diving into the alternator, make sure the bulb is getting a full 12V from the ignition switch.

I know a guy in the U.K. who "rewired" his ignition warning light to use the 10V supply from the gauge voltage stabilizer. His charging system didn't work right until he put the connection back to the full 12V supply from the ignition switch. His indicator light was also slightly dim when wired to the 10V supply.
 
Oh crap! What was I thinking!! Of course, you're correct, Doug. I was thinking of the panel illumination lights.
Senility is just around the corner. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Jeff
 
No problem Jeff, I just didn't want anyone chasing their tail.
 
Andy,

My middle name happens to be Jeffrey.

Another Twilight Zone moment.
 
Back
Top