How do the lights work on the S1?

[Paul Coleman]

I've been trying to figure out how the ights work by looking at the wiring diagram but can somebody please clarify things for me? I've never owned an esprit before and mine's a restoration job so I've never seen it working!! So here are my daft questions...

1) In the pods there are 2 headlamps in each - so a total of 4, correct?

2) When you put the side lights on only the lights in the front bumper come on and also the ones on the rear bumper, correct?

3) When you put the headlamps on, both pods rise and 1 headlamp in each pod comes on, correct? If so, which ones - inside or outside?

4) When you put the main beam on it looks as though the lights which were on have an extra bulb which also comes on and the other two headlamps also come on as well?

5) What happens when you flash the lights? I can understand that the action of pulling the stalk starts to drive the motors off the micro switches and they continue to rise until they reach the top - then they stop when they hit the other limit switch and if you've let go of the stalk they then reverse and drop down. However, it looks as though the lights only come on whilst the stalk is pulled back - which may only be for a second and wouldn't give the pods time to rise. Have I missed something? I would have expected to see some kind of interlock which held the lights on whilst the pod was raised?

Thanks, Paul.

[GordonMasson]

1) In the pods there are 2 headlamps in each - so a total of 4, correct?

Yes

2) When you put the side lights on only the lights in the front bumper come on and also the ones on the rear bumper, correct?

Yes

3) When you put the headlamps on, both pods rise and 1 headlamp in each pod comes on, correct? If so, which ones - inside or outside?

Yes the outer ones... they have dip and main sealed units in origonal car

4) When you put the main beam on it looks as though the lights which were on have an extra bulb which also comes on and the other two headlamps also come on as well?

Yes the outer ones... go to full beam and the inner ones which only had a single lamp also come on

5) What happens when you flash the lights? I can understand that the action of pulling the stalk starts to drive the motors off the micro switches and they continue to rise until they reach the top - then they stop when they hit the other limit switch and if you've let go of the stalk they then reverse and drop down. However, it looks as though the lights only come on whilst the stalk is pulled back - which may only be for a second and wouldn't give the pods time to rise. Have I missed something? I would have expected to see some kind of interlock which held the lights on whilst the pod was raised?

No... on my car nothing happened as far as the motor goes, it only lit up the high beam on all the lamps but the pods stayed down... you can mod it with a diode so that high beam will send power to the lift motor but it will only lift the pods and then let them back down again in one motion... to keep the lamps on you have to hold the stalk in the flash position

[peteyg]

I believe a number of people have fitted a pair of main/dip beam lamps in each pod and wired them so 4 lamps are on at the same time as a PO of my car did at some point. Great in that you get loads of light , not so great that when 4 lamps are on main beam your switch and wiring melt which trust me isn't much fun on a country road at night!

Have you got the single motor or twins?

Pete

[Paul Coleman]

No... on my car nothing happened as far as the motor goes, it only lit up the high beam on all the lamps but the pods stayed down... you can mod it with a diode so that high beam will send power to the lift motor but it will only lift the pods and then let them back down again in one motion... to keep the lamps on you have to hold the stalk in the flash position

Thanks for the info Gordon

I like the idea of being able to just flick the stalk and it then drives both pods up, flashes the lights and then drives them down. I shall have a think about modifying mine to do that.

Cheers, Paul.

P.S. Pete I have a very early S1 but it's been modded (at the factory I believe) to have twin motors. And I have burnt out wiring too - how cool is that? Hehehe

[GordonMasson]

I put a mod on my car to take 4 halogen units in it ... all 4 are on for dip and main.

I ran a new cable in to cover the extra current and all that the original power feed does now is to trip a relay so no melted wire and no burnt out esprit!

I came accross a diagram i had drawn up for the motor wiring a while back but i think i may have made a couple of mods while i was doing the work.....

Ill try to find it and yo ucan use it as a starting point

[Paul Coleman]

I put a mod on my car to take 4 halogen units in it ... all 4 are on for dip and main.

I ran a new cable in to cover the extra current and all that the original power feed does now is to trip a relay so no melted wire and no burnt out esprit!

I came accross a diagram i had drawn up for the motor wiring a while back but i think i may have made a couple of mods while i was doing the work.....

Ill try to find it and yo ucan use it as a starting point

Okay thanks.

The more I look at it the more inclined I am to create my own wiring loom with uprated cables in the critical areas (i.e. the ones where my current loom has melted, like the lights and heated rear window). Then replace the relays with solid-state equivalents and wire up all the unused indicators on the instrument panel like 'brake' & 'choke'. Uprate the lights as you suggest and possibly put a mod in to allow the pods to raise if you just pull the stalk back. That should do as a starter for ten!

[Paul Coleman]

No... on my car nothing happened as far as the motor goes, it only lit up the high beam on all the lamps but the pods stayed down... you can mod it with a diode so that high beam will send power to the lift motor but it will only lift the pods and then let them back down again in one motion... to keep the lamps on you have to hold the stalk in the flash position

Gordon

I've just had a look at the wiring diagram again and there is already a diode shown which supplies power to the pods when the high beam is on? So the action of pulling the stalk back should raise and lower the pods? However, the main beam would only be on whilst you hold the stalk back. According to the drawing it covers up to chassis number 243 so yours should have this?

Cheers, Paul.

[GordonMasson]

Gordon

I've just had a look at the wiring diagram again and there is already a diode shown which supplies power to the pods when the high beam is on? So the action of pulling the stalk back should raise and lower the pods? However, the main beam would only be on whilst you hold the stalk back. According to the drawing it covers up to chassis number 243 so yours should have this?......

Lol... what it says in the manual and what is actually on the car are not always the same as i have come to find out, especially on my car but i guess thats what makes it unique.

Try this as a starting point, i drew this up when i built the loom for the motors but it may have been changed while i was doing the work, the lack of dirty finger marks on the drawing suggest i didnt have this copy at the car when i was doing the work.

Edited February 21, 2007 by GordonMasson

[lrg_machine]

On the later cars there's a delay module so that even if you just flick the stalk back the pods raise lights come on stay up for a couple of seconds then go back down.

Stops the pods trying to raise & lower if you flick the stalk multiple times

Something to think about if your doing some mods.

[Paul Coleman]

Gordon

I've just had a look at the wiring diagram again and there is already a diode shown which supplies power to the pods when the high beam is on? So the action of pulling the stalk back should raise and lower the pods? However, the main beam would only be on whilst you hold the stalk back. According to the drawing it covers up to chassis number 243 so yours should have this?......

Lol... what it says in the manual and what is actually on the car are not always the same as i have come to find out, especially on my car but i guess thats what makes it unique.

Try this as a starting point, i drew this up when i built the loom for the motors but it may have been changed while i was doing the work, the lack of dirty finger marks on the drawing suggest i didnt have this copy at the car when i was doing the work.

Thanks for that Gordon I shall study it when I get time - right now I'm off to try and separate the body from the chassis...

Cheers, Paul.