My number 8 fuse blows as soon as I install a new one. That fuse serves the interior light, the cigar lighter, and the headlight flasher. On most cars, I'd take the leads off the cold side of the fuse and reconnect them one by one to locate the fault. I can hardly get my fingers into the box to replace the fuse, let alone disconnect the wires. Suggestions? And while I'm at it, I took the tunnel cover off to repair the handbrake cable (the swaged end was off) and there's only one wire going to the switch: black. There are two terminals, so I assume there should be two wires, but I can't see the other one. I guess someone might have tucked it away somewhere in the past 35 years, but I can't see why. Again, suggestions? (The red 'Brake' warning light is on whenever the key is on, by the way. I haven't got around to checking the fluid reservoirs.)

1969 E Type

Submitted by ianc@uvic.ca on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 22:02

Some progress. One of the shorts was the lighter. Some twit had carefully labelled one wire of a pair 'cigar lighter - hot' and then SCREWED IT TO THE OUTER CASE OF THE LIGHTER!!! Changed the two leads - ground to the case, hot to the centre, and that fixed that. The other short is the courtesy light. If both doors are closed, no current. Open either door, current. And not just a bit of current - lots. So I'll have to remove the light fitting and see what that does. There is no map lamp - just a weird looking fitting that must take something that in turn holds a switch and bulb. I'll have to take a look at another E Type and see what I'm missing.
1969 E Type

Submitted by asimko@netsolnj.com on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 18:45

if you are not very experienced at automotive electric, keep in mind that a normal load looks remarkably like a short. the resistance of the cigar lighter will be very small, or it wouldn't get hot. '59 MGA (sold)

Submitted by cleavefamily@c… on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 14:20

Ian,
The map/courtesy light is under the center dash above the guages. Best to get to the cigar lighter from the back - remove the radio console surround. The radio body should stay in place if AC fitted, but you will need to remove the knobs and poosibly the face. I know more about the 2+2's but have no experience with OTSs.
Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2
'01 S-Type
and other LBC's

Submitted by ianc@uvic.ca on Mon, 04/17/2006 - 07:33

Thank you. My car is an OTS. I have a (very small) wiring diagram in the manual I bought - a reprint of the Jag 3.8 and 4.2 manual. How does the cigar lighter come out? Just pull the housing, or do I have to get in from the back? I know where the interior light is - on the rear shelf - but where is the map light?
1969 E Type

Submitted by cleavefamily@c… on Sun, 04/16/2006 - 23:44

Ian,
It would help to know if you have an OTS, FHC or 2+2. Regarding purple wires - they operate 4 separate circuits; Cigar lighter, Interior light and switch, Map/courtesy light and switch - also switched by L & R door switches, and the headlights including the flasher switch and the dip switch. Check the circuit to the cigar lighter first, then the interior light, and then the map/courtesy lights including the door switches. You should get a wiring diagram to see how this all works. Also somewhere on this site is an article on the color codes the Brits used - its very helpful. British wiring is British wiring and they have a perfectly sensible system once you understand it - don't let a Yank touch it unless he understands British Electrics. You're already halfway to solving your puzzle.
Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2
'01 S-Type
and other LBC's

Submitted by ianc@uvic.ca on Sun, 04/16/2006 - 23:03

A sort of progress report. (1) I have the parking brake cable to the point where all I have to do is swage a little ball on the front end. (2) Thanks to Stew for the cork thought: I pulled the tops out of the fluid containers and discovered that the bottom halves of the aluminum cans surrounding the corks were totally corroded, and the fluid was about the consistency of jelly. Oddly enough, the brakes checked out fine when I tested them before buying the car. I've emptied the reservoirs, and will replace the fluid and flush the system. (3) Got the wires off the cold side of the #8 fuse, and two of the four show shorts. Not the headlamp flasher, but I can't figure which two of the other three are shorting. All four are purple, so that's no help. (Why did Jaguar do that?) I'm no good at electrics, so any suggestions are welcome. And (4) I still can't figure out how to get at the passenger's side windscreen washer nozzle to replace the hose. The opening inside the dash is tiny. (There's a hole in the firewall on the driver's side.)
1969 E Type

Submitted by asimko@netsolnj.com on Sun, 04/16/2006 - 08:08

I'm trying to find out if the less expensive huntron still has the short locating feature. if it does, i wouldn't be against having another "toy" sitting at the shop. it could be available for club members to borrow. as long as i get proper packaging it would travel well.
'59 MGA (sold)

Submitted by asimko@netsolnj.com on Sat, 04/15/2006 - 17:03

for years we used a device called a huntron tracker 2000 , for locating defective components on printed circuit boards under repair. the thing about the huntron (kind of like a curve tracer, for those familiar with this type of equipment, is that it can determine which printed circuit trace (or wire) is causing the short, when many are joined together.

this saved many hours of opening copper traces, and then having to repair them after removing the short.

these were about a $2000. (several years ago) piece of equipment, but they seem to be a much cheaper ebay item. there also was a B&K Oscilloscope mdl 2125, i believe, which had a "component tester" this thing retailed for around $600. can be had on ebay for about $150. i have never used the B&K 2125 for this kind of troubleshooting (or the cheaper Huntron 1005, for that matter) but it is probably the only piece of equipment where the possibility exists to identify the short without lifting wires.

it might be cheaper to have the mechanic have a go at it, instead of buying a huntron and hoping you will be lucky and have enough shorted connections to make it pay for itself. On the other hand, a jag mechanic might consider the investment.

Andy '59 MGA (sold)

Submitted by ianc@uvic.ca on Mon, 04/10/2006 - 01:19

Oddly enough, my retirement from academia has been interrupted, through no plan of mine, by a stint as winemaker at a small vineyard and winery, so I have access to enough corks to repair every E Type ever made. I'll take a look at the brake fluid reservoirs. I'll have to try and track down the RG wire. As far as the short goes, I take it that I somehow have to get those wires off whether I like it or not, eh? That's what I was afraid of. THanks for the suggestions.

Ian Cameron
1969 E Type

Submitted by cleavefamily@c… on Sun, 04/09/2006 - 16:17

Ian,
Check that previous post; there should be a red and green wire to the handbrake switch and a black ground wire. Sometimes these switches are grounded by virtue of their connection to the body, ohterwise a short ground wire is used to any good grounding point near the switch.
Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2
'01 S-Type
and other LBC's

Submitted by cleavefamily@c… on Sun, 04/09/2006 - 16:02

Ian,
One wire to hand brake is correct. Check the floats in your brake reservoirs; the cork gets saturated and stops floating. Get a couple of bottles of cheap wine; slice cork in half, route a channel in each half, and glue back together around shaft. Regarding short; rig a test fuse with two wires and jump across the hot side of the empty fuse holder to each disconnected wire - it takes patience. Get Robert Bentley's "The Complete Official Jaguar "E"", which is available for purchase on this site.
Stew Cleave
JOCO Chief Judge
'69 E-Type 2+2
'01 S-Type
and other LBC's