AMBO Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Guys, would appreciate your help!2003 car with no ignition light!Ignition turns on and I've driven the car 200 miles with the headlights on, so I'm confident that the alternator is working! Is is supposed to be one of the lights in the tacho?Tacho has 3 lights across the bottom. Left is main beam. Middle is indicator and Right doesn't seem to do anything...yet!!There's a fourth light at the top that also doesn't do anything ...Not been able to find anything in the manual... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 26, 2020 Member Share Posted January 26, 2020 Which engine?Has this ever worked and just stopped, or never worked?Any recent work on the car?Check all of the connections at the alternator: look and wiggle. Is there a Brown/ Yellow wire?Do you have a multimeter?Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 26, 2020 Member Share Posted January 26, 2020 Tacho has 3 lights across the bottom. Left is main beam. Middle is indicator and Right doesn't seem to do anything...yet!!There's a fourth light at the top that also doesn't do anything ...Can you add photos of the instrument and the whole dash, please.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Hi JonathanI've only had it a few weeks, so don't know about whether it's ever worked!Duratec engine, it was Raceline's development car originally! I have a pic of the tacho, but need to look up how to upload it...Have a multi-meter and am a capable wire wiggler! Will have a look for the Brown/Yellow...Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 26, 2020 Member Share Posted January 26, 2020 Duratec engine, it was Raceline's development car originally!Aha! I suggest identifying all of the wires and how they are connected at the alternator... layout, colours and whether each is thick or thin.I have a pic of the tacho, but need to look up how to upload it...Start with the Forum User Guide, and let us know if you get stuck.JonathanPS: I suspect that the mystery light is the unused ECU warning light... or dampness indicator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted January 26, 2020 Leadership Team Share Posted January 26, 2020 Does it have separate shift lights? I'm pretty sure the bigger one at the top is a shift light which may have been disconnected if you have separate shift lights.Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Will upload photos in a while...Not revved it that much, but if that explains the top slightly bigger light, I can test it next time No separate shift lights and hadn't even though that it would have that feature...thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 26, 2020 Member Share Posted January 26, 2020 That tacho is on the Caterham Parts site but I can't find it in a Handbook or Assembly Guide.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Thanks for looking though Jonathan!PS: I suspect that the mystery light is the unused ECU warning light... or dampness indicator...Is this normally the bottom right of the 3 in a row?Will have a look at the alternator wiring asap and go from there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 26, 2020 Member Share Posted January 26, 2020 The Handbooks have this, NB it's a different tacho:Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjw Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 From: "Owner's Handbook - Classic, Roadsport, Superlight, R500"Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 26, 2020 Member Share Posted January 26, 2020 Well done.Private Message sent.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Brilliant, thank you!Will have a look over the wiring this week and see if I can get it to work now I know which one I'm aiming for...cheers gents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Brilliant, thank you!Will have a look over the wiring this week and see if I can get it to work now I know which one I'm aiming for...cheers gents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 I think CC's tacho 71253 is Caerbont's EET3-1A32-04B. (Can you see a part number on the back?)I'm sure Caerbont would help with wiring queries.ETA: Some wiring info here too.JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 27, 2020 Member Share Posted January 27, 2020 Good idea.Suggested wiring for the 71253/ EET3-1A32-04B.JonathanPS: But I'm putting my money on it not being connected at the alternator and the energising feed being somewhere else... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 Thank you again gents! Had a look at the alternator and attached photo...wiggled the 2 black wires to no avail!Will have a look at the wiring into the tacho and compare with the info given by John and compare...This energiser feed that you mention Jonathan...presume it tells the car that the alternator is working, so the warning light goes off, once the engine is running?/sites/default/files/images/users/48894/14911915-644B-4A22-AF76-61B09AABA00D.jpeg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 28, 2020 Member Share Posted January 28, 2020 Alternators vary a bit.The energising circuit is needed to get the alternator charging.The traditional warning light circuit is weird but clever, see next post. And usually runs in a brown and yellow cable from the alternator to the light.But have you only got that thick brown and the two black cables connected? No brown and yellow?Is there an unused terminal next to the two blacks... and does it have a letter identifying it? Does anyone recognise that alternator or connector pattern? Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 28, 2020 Member Share Posted January 28, 2020 The traditional circuit (ignores other connections at the alternators):So when the alternator isn't charging the lamp sees 12V from the battery and something earth-ish through the alternator and lights up. But when the alternator is charging it sees the same voltage at both sides and doesn't.IIUC some types get the energising current through the warning light circuit and some don't. That's why you can't simply replace the incandescant lamp with an LED.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 There is a spare spade connector with no markings. It's just visible on the photo. Those 2 black wires look the same as 2 coming from the back of the ignition switch...Having double checked, including from underneath, those are the only wires! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 28, 2020 Member Share Posted January 28, 2020 As suspected.Now we need to find the right terminal for the missing connection to the warning lamp.And, if possible, that Brown/Yellow wire in the loom.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 Ok, so that spare should be connected to the ignition light?Will look for the Brown/Yellow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBO Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 Not sure why my pics end up rotated 90 degrees left, but the pic shows the connector to the rev counter including the brown/yellow. The 2 wires I'm holding are added later by the looks of it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 28, 2020 Member Share Posted January 28, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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