The headlamp flasher in my S2 1600 HF doesn't work when I press the button. Not even a relay click. Before I attempt to take it to pieces, does anyone have any ideas what might be wrong and how to fix it?
Thanks in advance - this really is a most useful and fascinating forum.
John Simister
Headlamp flasher
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Lucas Geheniau
Re: Headlamp flasher
It only works when the lights are off..................(berlina S2)
I hope that was it
Lucas
I hope that was it
Lucas
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John Simister
Re: Headlamp flasher
It doesn't work even then. Something isn't contacting or connected to something else, but I was wondering if this is a common fault with a known fix.
John
John
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Bart
Re: Headlamp flasher
Hi
I've had the same, and it took me some time to find. Appeared to be a broken soldering connection of the (yellow?) wire running up the switch. Switch is very elegantly made and can be disassembled completely.
But off course, it could be anything. Just follow the wire. It is a ground wire, so just connect the wire at any connection to the frame and see what happens.
Good luck
Bart
I've had the same, and it took me some time to find. Appeared to be a broken soldering connection of the (yellow?) wire running up the switch. Switch is very elegantly made and can be disassembled completely.
But off course, it could be anything. Just follow the wire. It is a ground wire, so just connect the wire at any connection to the frame and see what happens.
Good luck
Bart
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John Simister
Re: Headlamp flasher
Bart, thanks very much. I'll set about it as soon as I get a spare moment. And while I'm at it I'll try to make the instrument lights brighter. Currently the rheostat's range is very dim to almost invisible.
John
John
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jogo
Re: Headlamp flasher
john, instrument lights? what instrument lights? If I want to see something, I flik on my hand-held-flashlight !
I am looking forward to your, hopefully successful, results.
I am looking forward to your, hopefully successful, results.
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Shaun Pond
Re: Headlamp flasher
I had the same "dim to invisible" cockpit lighting condition in my Series One. The problem turned out to be the rheostat not passing sufficient voltage through to the lighting system.
I bypassed the rheostat and have good, albeit non-adjustable, instrument lighting now. Most all of my night driving is urban, so I don't often have the need to dim the cockpit lighting.
I discovered, once I did have full instrument lighting, one of Lancia's rare design errors: a part of the tachometer is reflected onto the windshield at night. A small flaw in an otherwise delightful car.
Regards
I bypassed the rheostat and have good, albeit non-adjustable, instrument lighting now. Most all of my night driving is urban, so I don't often have the need to dim the cockpit lighting.
I discovered, once I did have full instrument lighting, one of Lancia's rare design errors: a part of the tachometer is reflected onto the windshield at night. A small flaw in an otherwise delightful car.
Regards
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Huib
Re: Headlamp flasher
On S1 the tach does indeed reflect into the windshield if the lights are too bright.
The S1 is not so difficult to fix even with the reostat in place.
The electrical path to the dash lights is long and includes several connectors, the switch and a fuse. A part of the path is shared with the current for the tail and city lights which causes extra loss of voltage. Quite a bit of voltage may be lost if all parts are not in excellent condition. It helps to mount a relay in the fuse box. Swich the relay with the wire feeding the two fuses on the left. Then put in a wire from the battery to one of the secondary terminals of the relay and a wire from the other secondarty terminal of the relay to feed the two fuses on the left. You are now switching battery voltage directly to the two fuses through a relay. It improves your tail lights too
The ceramic carrier for the resistance wire of the reostat can be turned so that there is less dead resistance wire going to one of the terminals. If desired the dead part of the resistance wire can be jump wired too.
Clean the interior of the instruments and insert new good quality 4 watt bulbs.
The S2/3 Veglia units are more difficult. Higher power bulbs cannot be used as they will melt the coloured pastic domes inside.
Work on the reostat as above.
Clean the inside. Use alu adhesive tape to help reflection of the light inside the unit.
The unit uses a PC board where components like the connectors are riveted to the copper tracks. For one of the lights there even is a jumper on the other side of the board also connected through rivets. The rivets do not guarantee good electric contact. Remove the plastic of the connectors and solder all the contacts as well as the contacts of the jumper. The plastic of the connectors has to be fastened again with small bolts.
I haven't done the S2 Jaeger units (yet)
The S1 is not so difficult to fix even with the reostat in place.
The electrical path to the dash lights is long and includes several connectors, the switch and a fuse. A part of the path is shared with the current for the tail and city lights which causes extra loss of voltage. Quite a bit of voltage may be lost if all parts are not in excellent condition. It helps to mount a relay in the fuse box. Swich the relay with the wire feeding the two fuses on the left. Then put in a wire from the battery to one of the secondary terminals of the relay and a wire from the other secondarty terminal of the relay to feed the two fuses on the left. You are now switching battery voltage directly to the two fuses through a relay. It improves your tail lights too
The ceramic carrier for the resistance wire of the reostat can be turned so that there is less dead resistance wire going to one of the terminals. If desired the dead part of the resistance wire can be jump wired too.
Clean the interior of the instruments and insert new good quality 4 watt bulbs.
The S2/3 Veglia units are more difficult. Higher power bulbs cannot be used as they will melt the coloured pastic domes inside.
Work on the reostat as above.
Clean the inside. Use alu adhesive tape to help reflection of the light inside the unit.
The unit uses a PC board where components like the connectors are riveted to the copper tracks. For one of the lights there even is a jumper on the other side of the board also connected through rivets. The rivets do not guarantee good electric contact. Remove the plastic of the connectors and solder all the contacts as well as the contacts of the jumper. The plastic of the connectors has to be fastened again with small bolts.
I haven't done the S2 Jaeger units (yet)