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  • Dodgy wiring ...

    Well - I discovered a 'rats-nest' of wiring under my dash. Turns out to be probably a modified old harness from a Marina car - so a lot to bundle up. [it was zip-tied roughly out of the way]

    Wires were shortened to all the front lights and new wires of the wrong colour soldered on. Then insulated with 'rubber' sleeving which has now decayed to crumbly rubbish.

    'Builder' must have had a couple of rolls of yellow and green wire to use up - plus endless blue insulating tape and some electricians earthing tape, not to mention domestic 'chocolate blocks' to use as joiners.

    No extra fuses. 'New' brown charge wire from the alternator was connected by a very long route to the battery switch positive terminal - rather than straight down to the starter motor.


    Small wonder that a potential buyer asked the original seller if the car's electrics 'worked'. "Just about … " would have been the realistic answer.

    A poor contact on the headlight stalk (since rectified quite easily) meant they had routed the wires to 'new' flick switches - rather than remedying the original fault.

    They had also left unused wires in the loom (wires for Marina interior lights and door switches, heated rear window, oil pressure switch - etc.)

    All now removed (oil switch wire was a joke as the Marlin had a proper 0-100 psi oil gauge and pipe fitted ).

    Oh the joys of putting right/sorting bodges on kit-cars built by people with enthusiasm but little skill.
    Last edited by marlin1984; 29-10-19, 11:10 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Dodgy wiring ...

    We probably all came out of the build more skilful than when we went in, that was/is part of the fun
    - 9th owner of T693 SSC possibly a factory built Ford based V8 Sportster
    - 4th owner of Q309 RNV, an early Cabrio built by Bob Copping, owned Doug & Liz Billings for 16 years
    - 9th Custodian of JRR 929D, Triumph Vitesse based special Paul Moorehouse built prior to the Triumph Roadster kits.
    - 8th owner of Roadster chassis number 2395. Now owned by Barry!
    - Builder of chassis number 2325 (PKK 989M) in the mid 80's. Now owned by Eric & Lynne.

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    • #3
      Re: Dodgy wiring ...

      ^ ^ Yeah, know what you mean, I'm currently working on the spaghetti that was the unadulterated donor Sierra loom, apparently installed by YKC, seems to have been another story, hey ho, back to the wire cutters, soldering iron and heatshrink!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Dodgy wiring ...

        Yes, a sort out of the total under-bonnet mess that constitutes my loom is high on the list of things to do too.

        Often wonder how it ever starts.

        Another bugbear is the immobiliser. Mine works (ish) by turning the ignition on and waiting for a little fob to connect with the immobiliser; unfortunately the time to connect can be very varied, and long, which can prove both frustrating and embarrassing at petrol stations and the like. Anyone got any recommendations on alternate types?
        2000 Marlin Cabrio LWB; 2.0 L Burton Pinto in Ford Nightfire Red with Magnolia leather interior.

        http://www.marlinownersclub.com/wppg...&image_id=2349

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        • #5
          Re: Dodgy wiring ...

          I confess to more than one wiring ‘technical bodge’ putting a small circuit board in a 35mm film container, to control my thermostatic fan direct from the standard Marina temperature sender.
          It was intended to be a testbed, but has lasted many years.
          MOC member since 05/97
          1984 Marlin Roadster SWB.
          1800TC, Unleaded ported head, stage 2 cam. Ford Type 9 gearbox, Dolomite Sprint rear axle fitted with MGF disc brakes.
          Three core radiator, Renault Clio vented front discs.
          The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

          Loads of Marlin Reference can be found documents here or there.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Dodgy wiring ...

            There are 'good' bodges and duff ones ...
            Last edited by marlin1984; 27-10-19, 11:53 PM.

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            • #7
              Re: Dodgy wiring ...

              David

              May be 'fun' to you - but it all seems like silly and rather pointless work to me!
              I have better things to do than putting right multiple wiring horrors. Risk of fire not to be sniffed at ? (excuse the pun)

              Stick with the Joe Lucas colours (I have wired two cars from scratch and they both worked ) and you won't have escaping smoke.

              Interesting to read that others have found very similar.

              Still reckon Marlin is a great car though.

              wiggiesworld > "immobiliser " ... now that IS posh. (My other car - an HRG worth rather more than a Marlin - just has a well hidden pull-switch that breaks the ignition circuit and I do not plan to change it as it has worked since around 1948.)
              Last edited by marlin1984; 27-10-19, 11:56 PM.

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              • #8
                Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                It's not really fun.

                Driving a newly acquired Roadster for the first time at dusk I put the head lights on and nearly choked as smoke escaped
                from the wiring under the dash. Thankfully the sidelights were OK and I managed to get it home.

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                • #9
                  Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                  Sounds a bit dangerous ...


                  Good job your sidelights and eyesight were OK.


                  Glad I've discovered and am sorting 'my' poor wiring BEFORE this sort of thing happens and before an MOT tester discovers non-functioning items.
                  Last edited by marlin1984; 28-10-19, 11:53 PM.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                    My comment regarding "enthusiasm" and relatively little skill was, I now realise, almost certainly triggered by a blunt put-down I received many years ago from a superior-sounding technical wallah at AP [Automotive Products] at Leamington Spa.

                    [I had phoned asking for basic advice re choosing wheel cylinder sizes when converting my Dellow from mechanical to hydraulic brakes.]

                    The answer ? " No. We usually find that the enthusiasm outweighs the skills available."

                    I went ahead without their advice, it worked extremely well and was still on the car 20+ years later. QED

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                      Originally posted by marlin1984 View Post
                      David

                      May be 'fun' to you - but it all seems like silly and rather pointless work to me!
                      I have better things to do than putting right multiple wiring horrors. Risk of fire not to be sniffed at ? (excuse the pun)

                      Stick with the Joe Lucas colours (I have wired two cars from scratch and they both worked ) and you won't have escaping smoke.

                      Interesting to read that others have found very similar.

                      Still reckon Marlin is a great car though.

                      wiggiesworld > "immobiliser " ... now that IS posh. (My other car - an HRG worth rather more than a Marlin - just has a well hidden pull-switch that breaks the ignition circuit and I do not plan to change it as it has worked since around 1948.)
                      I don't seem to have a great deal of luck with immobilisers per se. I sold another toy in February, a 96 TVR Chimaera 4L, lovely car, had it over 8 years and had great fun touring with it but the immobiliser use to drive me to such despair that when touring abroad I would often just leave it open as I could never guarantee being able to ever get back in if I set the immobiliser on.

                      Not kit related but to show that kit cars are not the only ones plagued by wiring woes. Back in the late 80's onward's I lived in Bahrain and whilst there traded my existing car for what was then a new-ish Mitsubishi Lancer. As my old car had a great cassette (remember them?) radio, I decided to swop it to the Mitsu. Pulled the old radio out to find it was fed by three wires all a mauve colour........ It also didn't quite match the wiring of my old car but I worked it out..... or so I thought!

                      A few days later and I'm driving home with the family from the capital (Manama) with the radio on. Its getting dusk so I put the lights on..... the radio goes off. Hm, I turn the lights off and the radio comes back on. Ah well, at least I have a choice. I sold the car like that years later and the next owner also didn't seem that fussed about it (yes I did tell him). Mind you I always made sure the radio was off when it went for its yearly government check.
                      2000 Marlin Cabrio LWB; 2.0 L Burton Pinto in Ford Nightfire Red with Magnolia leather interior.

                      http://www.marlinownersclub.com/wppg...&image_id=2349

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                        My neighbor has an almost new Mercedes and noticed that sometimes the rear door didn't lock
                        so back it went to the dealers. First trip failed to cure the problem so they then had the car
                        for over a week, They replaced the lock servo and door switch and returned the car.

                        Following morning the same fault occurred and back went the car to the same dealer. Several attempts
                        to lock the car failed.

                        Now there was half the workshop staff and managers all looking into the problem
                        and standing around the car when the owners son pointed out that the multi pin
                        connector on the rear door seemed to be at an odd angle.

                        Yes you've got it the plug just needed being pushed fully home.
                        Ben Caswell probably not the last word on anything here!!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                          Bad connections are very different from having to trace wires that change colours because someone was lazy.
                          I have a problem with my Mercedes. At the hottest time of year it’s erratic, now when I have UK temperatures, it’s fine.
                          it will be interesting to see if my Discovery suffers the same or similar issues.
                          MOC member since 05/97
                          1984 Marlin Roadster SWB.
                          1800TC, Unleaded ported head, stage 2 cam. Ford Type 9 gearbox, Dolomite Sprint rear axle fitted with MGF disc brakes.
                          Three core radiator, Renault Clio vented front discs.
                          The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

                          Loads of Marlin Reference can be found documents here or there.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                            Younger brother once owned a road-going Cannon trials car. It was OK except every wire was yellow !

                            My re-wires and rectification are all done using salvaged and FREE multi-coloured wires from, typically, a Range Rover and a Kawasaki. As long as the PVC is still flexible and the wires are copper coloured [rather than black !] they work well … and yes, I have Scottish ancestry !
                            Last edited by marlin1984; 30-10-19, 11:13 PM.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Dodgy wiring ...

                              Our Mondeo was fine unless the temprature was sub-zero. Then when the ignition was turned on the engine fan would come on and it wouldn't start. By the time any AA home start turned up it was above zero and it would start first time. Finally traced it to a dodgy connection to the temperature sensor, so the ECU thought the engine was hot when it was really cold.

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