Questions for e type 69 ignition wiring

I am installing a new wiring harness in my 69 Etype… the Harness and this diagram seem to agree… I am confused however over how the coil is energized…?? Please explain…? I thought the older cars would get 12 volt from the ignition to the coil enabling it to start? I just dont see how this works?

Thank you

I believe that diagram (and the one I got from a major vendor) is incorrect. It shows the coil wiring for a positive ground car.

The white wire goes to the positive terminal on the coil.

The white wire is controlled by the ignition switch though it takes the long way 'round to get to the coil.

Coil gets it’s 12v on the White wire from the ignition switch. The wire has a loop in it attached to the back of the Tachometer as an inductive pick-up.

-David

Yep its one of the least helpful drawings I’ve seen (factory is better) but as David says and George’s exception its correct. The white wire just passes through the tach.
pauls

humm…

the rest of the story is i do have electronic ignition… and if i remember right i had to have the tack guts changed out to adapt to the electronic ignition… I DO have a negative ground car… and I DID have the white wire going to the negative terminal… and it did run… so if i havent totally confused everyone… any help would be appreciated… if the white wire goes to the positive terminal… what goes to the negative… there is nothing in the harness for it ??

thank
jp

The wires are just reversed in the drawing, white wire goes to + white/black goes to the dizzy.
pauls

Sure, it will run well enough with those wires reversed. The theory (I have not tested it) is that the life of the points in a conventional ignition will be reduced by the incorrect polarity. No idea what, if anything, happens when reversed on an electronic ignition.

The harness you obtained may not include the other wire - it would be white with a black tracer and runs the short distance from the negative post of the coil to the distributor (again this is a conventional points ignition).

As the wire color suggests, this is an ignition wire (white) that is seeking a ground (black tracer).

George right you are–heck they will run w/o a condenser in the dist–just do not seek too many revs!

Thank you all… very helpful… I think i got it… we will see!!

jp

If you have Pertronix ignition the red wire from the distributor goes to the +ve terminal on the coil alongside the factory white wire and the black wire from the distributor goes to the -ve terminal on the coil. The white and black wire is no longer used. Make sure you cover the end with insulating tape because it’s still hot. If you connect it backwards you’ll burn out the electronic module.

Andy

yup… Now that makes sense…

thanks
jp

1969 restoration in progress; 10% into the process.

I was VERY interested in Ahwahnee’ comment about wire colors…ie. “As the wire color suggests, this is an ignition wire (white) that is seeking a ground (black tracer)” I was NOT aware that wire color (other than red, black, green) were indicative of specific circuits, etc and I’ve been messing with cars since I was 14 (now 69).

Anyone have links or sources where I could learn more. Very intersting. Since I am replacing ALL the wiring when I get to that point, it would come in handy, sounds like!!

Mark

There is a list of the standard wire colors and their meanings/usage somewhere. Tried to find it on my PC but can’t, someone will be able to point you to it.
pauls

There are a few. Here is the JCNA one:

http://www.jcna.com/library/tech/tech0014.html

Here is one as a .pdf which you can download:

http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/page/commonly_used_british_vehicle_wiring_colours

Mark,

If we are talking about just Jaguars and certainly just E-types, then most certainly all wiring including colour-codes of wires, and circuits for use, are all made in accordance with the current British Standard.

And LUCAS, who made/supplied wiring-looms to Jaguar for E-types, were the major industry contributor to the development of the resultant British Standard.

If you have access to the book I co-authored – JAGUAR XK140 EXPLORED, I provide several pages on this level of wiring and loom detail as applicable in the XK140 period 1954 to 1957, noting that there was a major update/revision to the standard in 1957, and thus with the wiring/looms supplied to XK150s which continued into the 1960s, albeit I haven’t progressed any further.

But clearly BRITISH STANDARDS and Lucas wiring/circuits/loom logic, does not necessarily apply to American, French or German made cars.

RHODE ISLAND Wiring, who makes a huge-range of Jaguar and American marque looms, is well aware of what is involved in reproducing LUCAS made looms, as being quite different to USA make looms, so short of wishing to make your own looms from scratch, would be well worth getting in touch with Rhode Island Wiring for your 1969 E-type restoration, and get hold of a correct Jaguar Wiring Diagram for your particular E-type…

Email: mailto:rogerpayne@bigblue.net.au rogerpayne@bigblue.net.au

Yes, I am just focused on my 69 Etype. That’s why this forum is so great. I never knew that British wiring was standardized as it is! This will really help in a few months. I have looked at Rhode Island Wiring. They are clearly a pricy purchase, but sounds like it might be worth it in the long run!

Thanks again to everyone!!

Mark

I just spent some time looking at all my pics of my dash/wiring before I removed the dash and by golly, every wire I looked at corresponded correctly to the links supplied by Andrew_Waugh. It’s all kinda like another Christmas present!!!

Thanks again

Mark

Mark,

Just a word of warning, after about the 4th wiring harness refit you will actually start to remember some of the colour codes. This will lead you to do something like muttering “Well no wonder the car won’t turn off, I can see from the color code that the ignition feed is connected wrong” If someone electrically challenged hears you, then you are already on the road to perdition.

It won’t likely encourage women to call you up in the middle of the night, it may very well make LBC owners do so.

Upon second look in my pc I did find one that I had kept. Don’t know if I can paste pdfs or rtf documents here but will try. The rtf I recognize is from George Cohn, he describes pretty intricately how he installed the harness in his S2 car so may be of interest. Ok just tried, can’t upload those. Will see if I can send them directly off line.
pauls

OK can’t upload those files but was able to find the rtf document on George’s old xke lovers site.

http://www.e-type-lovers.com/download.htm

Second file on the list, Harness.doc and I see that George signed it but it was written by Paul Baker.
pauls