Flasher Locations

[Dan Moffet]

After my body work, I've been verifying tail light operation. The turn signals work but the hazard light system doesn't.

Car is a 1986 Mini from Germany, so it is left hand drive carburetted build. Corresponds to wiring diagram 17 in Haynes 1969-1999 manual. The car has separate flasher units, apparently the 2-wire variety. It has the 3-clock instrument pod.

I was able to find the appropriate wires coming out of the steering column and into a connector. From there the bundle seems to go up above the heater, but I'm not sure.

I tried using the turn signals for an audible clue, but the turn flasher unit only clicks once (maybe twice on a good day) so that didn't work. It has always done that since I got the car. So, though it works, I really should replace it.

I did find the in-line fuse holder above the carb: it is the European plastic torpedo type with exposed fuse element.  The holder is a strange Bakelite type with set screws to hold the wire ends. Should have change it years ago too. By the way, the interior light doesn't work either and it is supposed to be on the same fuse.

I will start by putting a new fuse and holder in, though I really would like to change the turn signal flasher.

1. So, can anyone enlighten me where the flashers should be? I hate the idea of taking the dash apart if I don't need to.

2. Also, can anyone suggest the amp rating of the white torpedo fuse, or at least what amperage that fuse originally should be?










 

[MPlayle]

From a foggyish memory: One flasher is in the engine bay and the other is behind the dash.  I think the one in the engine bay is the turn signal and the one behind the dash is the hazard flasher.

On my last RHD car with that style dash (3-clock in front of the driver), it was in the far right corner, next to the tachometer.

On a LHD car it may be just beside the tachometer, or it may be at the far right between a possible glove box and the eyeball air vent.

Unfortunately, I do not know the fuse information and my current car may not have a matching fuse for reference.

[94touring]

A lot of times the engine bay side flasher had 2 metal prongs it clipped into. The under the dash one just kinda hangs out. I've had to replace more than one flasher over the years, they do go bad. Interior lights and flasher used a 15a fuse.

[Dan Moffet]

Digging some more, I did find a flasher unit tucked between the instrument cluster and the pedal support. It is a big, two terminal metal one that says 12V flasher and in big uppercase letters "DO NOT DROP". Though I haven't got far enough in to follow the wires, from what I could see it does have a green wire attached, possibly two on the one terminal and another wire on the second terminal. Pretty sure that's the flasher unit for the turn signals. I can only get fingers in far enough to rotate it to read the print.

Meanwhile, in the engine bay, I could not see anything resembling a flasher unit or even a holding clip. The fuse holder I mentioned does have power to both sides, with purple/orange wire leading into the harness. About 4" from there it come out of the harness again and into a cylindrical rubber splice, to the same coloured wire on the same end of the cylinder, then right back into the harness. I can't be sure if the other end of the cylinder-splice is open and maybe should contain a wire. Beyond on the other side of the master cylinders are more two more wires taped together but not connected. They "may" have female spade connectors. One is purple/orange and the other is green/white. If that's for the flasher, the outbound wire, according to Haynes should be Light green/purple. Of course they say the wire coming from the fuse is PU/O at one end and PU/W at the flasher.

Am I on the right track??
I'm tempted to check for voltage and put an old flasher in there.

If that works, I'll get two new heavy duty flashers and put them in. The HD ones I've used in the past flash consistently no matter what the load is. And that can be significantly louder!