Jag.Man - I have the same red wire not hooked up to anything as well. I even have City Lights on my 1984 Euro Spec V12 VDP.
When I was installing new 7" Hella H4’s - I ordered them with City Lights - a small bulb for cruising around in town. They look really neat - or maybe people think my battery is nearly dead and my lights are about to go out.
I recall there was a wire in my out headlight loom for the outer headlight that hooked into the City Lights - so long story short - the red light is for some other task.
Thank Ian, that helps clear things up knowing it’s not for City Lights. Question, do the City Lights come on when you start the car, and do they stay on when the Headlamp is turned on?
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Which would be highly illegal in most countries, Ian - unless the bulbs are higher wattage than the parking lights originally fitted.
But also; how did you connect up the extra bulbs - were the wires already there? If not, and you used other connection instead of the ‘mystery’ red - it doesn’t really prove anything…
Well since my car was a bit tweaked by the US DOT (Federalized) when it was imported to the US from Germany in 1984 - they removed the nice slim Lucas flashers on the front fenders - and replaced it with a standard yellow US Market side marker light and they also added a similar red side marker light to the rear - so the wiring is not 100% original. My city lights comes on with the first position - side marker lights. No harm - just a novelty really. Not sure how illegal it is.
@Frank_Andersen - I would need to dig into the loom to see how the City Light was connected. I did this probably 15 years ago. If I get some time I might just do that. I am curious now.
An old Russian saying; " It’s a damned lie - and it was a long time ago", but still has some interest - and clarification would be nice? They probably just added wires as required - without delving to deep? A quick-check would be to check if there is power on the mystery red wire with the light switch in the first, park, position.
I assume with ‘comes on with the first position’ means the light switch. Where city driving lights were made compulsory they must come on with the ign ‘on’ of course, and low beam was used until specific driving lights were fitted - with a minimum of 15W, I ‘think’.
the kind of lights were referred to as “sitting lights” (“Standlicht”). They usually were a first position on the main light switch and in many instances included into the main lights as small bulbs sitting in the reflector. Both my Spitfire and Jag have separate pilot lights combined with the indicators and thus no pilot lights in the main lights. SIII cars in Germany, by contrast, had the indicators integrated into the bumpers
and thus needed pilot lights included in the buckets. So Ian simply restored the original state of matters.
Lights coming on with ignition is a relatively young phenomenon “daytime running lights”. The first light position on older cars was advised to be used on dark winter days or with poor visibility. Most people though had the clever idea that more was better in such situations and flicked on the regular (low) beam mains.
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Obviously, local rules vary, Jochen; ‘first’ light switch position is parking lights - in most countries only legal for cars not moving. That Germany has more relaxed rules is fair enough…
it was all too obvious that the “parking lights” were no good for parking as they were sure to drain an average battery once a car was parked over night. Hence it became common here to combine the parking lights with the indicator switch enabling only one side of the parking lights for roadside parking, reducing energy consumption by one half - my UK spec SII Jag sports that feature as well, btw.
That being said, rules are strict in that a car parked out of town by the roadside has to be made visible by its own lighting. This is the prime purpose of parking lights, of course, despite all inherent limitations.
Frankly, I’m in trouble getting my memory sorted after like 40 years. You’re right, Frank, that during night time the “parking lights” (first position on the light switch) may be used while driving only in combination with fog lights. Yet, it was always tolerated to have them on during day time with restricted visibility.
As an aside; my Renault Gordini (looong time ago) did indeed have the feature of ‘one side’ parking light - except with a separate switch under the steering column activating the lights, side to side. Experiencing a puzzling random battery drains, sometimes overnight; as a new owner I attacked the problem with everything in my arsenal for days - frustrated at every step…until I found the switch by happenstance.
And immediately understood that entering or leaving the car my legs legs sometimes brushed against the switch…duh…
Is that the car you’re talking about? - I seem to remember that in some areas of the world the R5 Alpine Turbo was sold as R5 Gordini Turbo. Just as nice, but much less oversteer; -)
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Unfortunately no, Jochen - mine was a Dauphin, the R5 and 8 were developments, by Gordini, of later cars. Gordini was a much used tuning expert; on ‘my’ Dauphin he increased power from the original 38 hp to 42…
The Dauphin was a delightful little(!) car - the first car I owned! Later, and larger, Renault cars added trailing arms to the rear pendulum axles - without them the Dauphin had some enhanced ‘interesting’ behavior, even compared to early rear engine developments…!
