I doubt it, but actually why not - hence my suggestion about the fuse. Oh and until all is positively reconnected and shaken down don’t tighten the battery connection just in case!
Maybe the then available horn relay was used as a switching relay as per Jochen but why then is the horn relay still connected to green and purple wires? If anything this would flash the high beams when the horn is pushed wouldn’t it?
As I said before, wiring colour mostly adheres to british automotive wiring standards. Let us wait and see. I will need wire colours with location to compare to mine for results on Tuesday.
David
the infamous horn fault might have been a trigger; then again, why would you go so deeply into the horn circuit, if the column spear was shot? And yet, whatever the reason may be of the condition Christian finds, he’ll just have to dig in and either try to restore to original and undo these strange connectors or try to live with what he may find.
Even though POs do outright stupid things sometimes, in most cases they do things that may appear strange, but for some good reasons. So maybe the easiest way out at the moment would be to assume that someone fitted some bit of wiring loom irrespective of wire color, and simply continuity test what is at their respective ends. Based on the assumption that the relay is still and only a horn relay
the wires at post w1 should be both green, one coming in from fuse #1, the other supplying the choke solenoid (for cars with ASC).
the wire at post w2 should be purple/black and lead to the horn push. There is a connector underneath the steering column that can be used for testing puposes.
the wire at post c1 should be purple/brown and lead to fuse #4.
the wires at post c2 should be purple and yellow and lead to the horns.
The following pic demonstrates how the harnesses are routed in the car
Removed the yellow blue and will tape it all up later. In these pictures one can see the three connectors that I believe we can agree on are not original.
I cannot see how the horn relay is related to the lights when all is connected according to the book.
And I received a coloured map of the wiring from Nick, administrator today.
He’s not far from me either so this will all be a walk in the park in the end.
Mission is more or less completed as you have guided me to figure out where the different wires go. Next is to test a different relay for the horn as the one in situ does not respond when triggered, then get the engine runnning, change some brake lines and get it MOT’d.
So the coil power is from the same circuit as the ASC, and then grounded through the horn push.
Horn power comes from fuse #4 and on to the horns.
You made pictures of how it was hooked up, nothing to lose by removing the relay (tape of course) and bench testing (Does it switch and does the switching action make and break power). You could clean it if it doesn’t work.
That’s a sweet diagram. Nice to hear you have Nick around the corner with an S1 too (…right?)
congratulations for getting along so well! Though I hate to pour water into wine … hold a second before going any further:
Your wiring diagram looks good - more colorful than mine at least, and certainly good if it came from Nick! Just one caveat: there are two diagrams, one for XJ6 2.8 litre LHD up to car # 1G.52013, another one for the following cars. I take it your car is in the first part, right? Anyway, the horn wiring is not affected …
Key point is still that anything behind these three round connectors is largely terra incognita. You have no clue which color wires behind are connected to which color wires before. Please try to do continuity tests with a simple DMM on continuity and two needles. Then try to figure out (and if you were lucky: take notes) what there really is (@David: I’m fairly sure now that the blue/red and blue/white wires at the relay have nothing to do with the high/low beams; they were probably just what the PO found in his drawer …).
As a very rough test check the wires at c1 and w1 at the relay. w1 should be permanently powered, c1 powered with ignition. BTW, did you test fuses #1 and #4 - they may look good, but still have failed internally.
So do not toss the relay in the bin too fast! They hardly fail. Well done you checked the horns directly, now - ideally - check the relay, but not with the wires you’ve got: first take battery power to the working circuit (post w1) and a test light at post w2 and close the loop. The test light should remain out. Now, if you close the control circuit, battery power to c1, ground to c2, the test light should go on. With less certainty you may just close the control circuit and should hear a distinct “click” in the relay. Then the relay is acquitted.
It still remains to be seen which wires are actually there - you may have used the colors as per the book, but if there is a “mix or match” inside these connectors, you may have put on a ground wire or any other non-powered wire. Looking at your last pics I see some wires for the horn relay are fed in “from top”, in particular the purple wires. The thing that makes me nervous is the dangling group of wires coming in from the third connector: where do they come from? Are they “correct” color wise?
Could well be that these wires were re-used.
According to the diagram the green wire is powered permanently and it does not go through the relay. It continues to the otter switch via the ASC, supplying power to both horn relay coil and otter. So, green is okay.
If the relay doesn’t click keep it on the bench for later. A cheap standard DIN relay (anything) will do. But first test the car wiring with a continuity tester, that is the easiest and safest way.
I‘m sure the big connector branches off to the engine.
**
Certainly, Christian - but also verify that there is permanent power on purple/brown and power on green with ign ‘on’. If not; do check fuses, #2 and #4. I assume you tested the relay/horns by grounding purple/brown…
Incidentally; the ‘self-tooting’ horn may only occur when with steering wheel inputs…
The horn on my car has been mostly disconnected in the 25 years I’ve had it. I replaced the horns early on, as they apparently didn’t work. I could reconnect them and they’d work (even after replacing the steering wheel with a nice one). Weirdly though, occasionally the horns would randomly start tooting, most likely in the middle of the night. There’s nothing like an old Jag with blaring horns waking your neighbours up to promote the wonders of the old car hobby.
Water under the bridge rather than in my wine please.
The colors are correct in the loom exiting the body, and easy to distinguish, same goes for the ‘other’ side of the connectors. Easy to trace. So there is really no need to worry about what goes where anymore.
I could change wires to the correct coloring from these connectors,but as long as I know what goes where now, that will be for another rainy day.
The third connector are wires to the engine as David suggested. Oil pressure, AED, water gauge.
You certainly helped me in the right direction as soon as you all seemed puzzled by the connectors.
You made me think more clearly and hey presto it all makes a lot more sense.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
36
I had side mirrors do that on my '83 XJ-S. I would be in my garage doing something at 1AM and I’d hear a whirrrr followed by a whirrr-click-whirrrr-click-whirrr-click as a side mirror would turn itself to one limit of travel and then start popping its gears. I’d just disconnect the battery until I could figure out whassup. Eventually tossed those joystick mirror controllers over the hedge and installed a set of four momentary toggle switches to control the mirrors.
Come on, in both cases it would have been as simple as hooking them to the ignition protection relay
The horn would have my neighbors collected at the door in minutes
Here’s what I have should someone need it. I don’t know what was on the bolt above the coil, should someone know. I don’t think it’s a ballast resistor. Engine branch is in the plastic bag. And yes I’ve just noticed the one loose wire.
