Saturday, June 30, 2007

A mixed bag of jobs including an uninhibited overdrive

Yup, the overdrive was prancing around stark naked, unprotected, sleeping with all and sundry and generally being a tart - engaging in all gears any which way you like!

Not a good thing - reverse overdrive is a sure fire way to go pop!

It happened on La Carerra Caledonia, or rather I noticed it happening. Having now taken the tunnel out I can see what I'd done - it was never going to work properly as I had wired it up wrongly! How the hell I did it I don't know or why. Oh well, a simple case of pull off one wire and replace it in the right place, test and it's done.

Then I notice that the nice Aeroquipe clutch pipe I made is damp, with clutch fluid! Damn, check reservoir - nearly empty! OK, one to fix ASAP - it's silicon fluid so it doesn't do any damage but it's an expensive leak.

Now for that intermittent starter issue - turn the key and nothing, no click. You have to wiggle the wires to get it to work. I thought I fixed i a few weeks ago when I spliced in some new wire but it's back.

It's not a standard Vitesse starting circuit so I need to figure out what does what. It's aTR6 pre-engaged starter with 3 wires

Red heavy gauge direct from battery
White/Red to the solenoid on the starter
Brown to the starter

What's the brown one for??

The white/red wire is the "starter wire" and energises the solenoid
The thick red wire is the supply from the battery
The circuit is completed by earthing through the engine

so what's the brown wire for?

I'm taking the starter out and will be doing some bench testing to see what's happening

I've got new headlights and bulbs to fit plus some weather strips and a new 45 amp alternator plus some other odds and sods including wheel bearings but I don't think I'll get those done today.


vitessesteve said...

I have a pdf copy of the TR6 workshop manual hosted on my website at

page 435 & 436 wiring diagram may help re wiring of starter motor.

If I have run out of my monthly bandwideth allowance this month try again tomorrow July.

Please download the whole manual rather than visiting it several times. I think I will have to host the big bits like the manuals somewhere else with more bandwidth, any ideas?

Jason said...

Cheers Steve, I can see now how it's supposed to be connected and more importantly how the solenoid mechanically connects to the drive gear pinion, that was baffling me a little!