errol209

The positive feed. Yes. However, the relay dosen't care if you swap the connections to pins 85 and 86 by accident, it can't tell. Any earthed point (chassis, bulkhead, body panel) will do for the negative side of the relay, but for best results run a seperate wire back to an existing earth point (or the battery -ve) for the spotlights themselves.

Checked the tracking? Also could be wheel bearings or Panhard rod.

Ooh, ooh, me Sir, Mr Freezer Sir, I know, I know! Ask me! Ask me!

Fair point, well made ... ... and this is the forum to help sort the lemons from the other yellow citrus fruit

But its a "Y", Aug 1982 to July 1983 Mine (early 1988 '90) is an "E" reg, and has contemporary (manky) push-button doors and rear roof vents - I thought the early (and "Y" reg is damn early for a 90 ) had lift up door handles (I suppose these could be a retrofit, as 28 year old doors would have to have had some real lurve to survive intact! And wasn't the launch of the 90 in June 1984? They put the 110 out first, in March 1983 at Geneva, then the 127 in late summer 1983. If this is genuine, then its one of the first 90s off the line by quite a way

I've had a quick look round and no-one seems to sell what you want, sorry . Time to sharpen the fab. skills or expend hard earned credits on a newish replacement...

Are you thinking of item 2 on the diagram Ralph? Seems to be a lot of effort

The existing panel could be revitted or spot welded on, depends exactly what where, etc.

I doubt there's a repair piece, as that would imply welding ally, not a mainstream thing. Wouldn't a bit of ally sheet cut to size, formed and attached with pop rivets do?

I can remember the thread that Heath Robinson does too, and it was a regular that noted that an engine will use its own capacity in air every revolution (2.5 * 4000 per minute flat out for the 2.5NAD, 10,000 litres or 10 cubic metres a minute. for a 4.6V8 at nutter revs like 8000 that becomes 36,800 litres a minute!) Trouble is, there is no direct conversion from cc to HP (think that the 2.5TD = 80HP @ 4000rpm on a good day (125 litres per unit horsepower), and F1 cars are 2.4 and generate 740HP @ 19,000rpm (61 litres per unit horsepower)!) What a weird way of measuring things!

The lateral join in the roof where it changes from sloped to flat - try some polyurethane sealant on it or Captain Tolleys Creeping Crack Cure.

Nowhere near that simple. If you look at one of my previous posts, the warning light comes on because the regulator is putting out 20V. Look at page 31 of the link, but the rest is interesting too. Ta for the virtual pint, the forum will be glad of it!

Yep, shouldn't be 20V, implies that the regulator electrics aren't doing their job. Could be a failed diode, could also be other things in the pack. Either way, that's why you're charge warning light comes on (20V > 14.1V = 5.9V across the bulb, and if the main alternator output is trying to get to 20V then it won't be doing the battery any favours either (though not fatal, in the short term).

The rectifier / regulator pack has gone! You can get the pack replaced at specialist motor electical places for much lower cost than a new alternator.

Blue, as that's the main body colour (wings, bonnet, doors, etc.)

A very persistent air bubble? Usual health warnings apply, no responsibility etc., but how about giving it some "loud pedal" and repeating the lock to lock bit? (I've never had this problem, by they way)

Pretty certain it's not the output of the alternator (14.4V is perfect). The only way for the alternator light to come on is if the voltage at the battery and the voltage at the alternator are significantly different. Since one side of this is a brown / black wire from the alternator to the lamp, and the other side is the ignition live (though there is a resistor across the lamp too, to make sure the alternator works), and we know the alternator is putting out plenty, that leaves us with two alternatives: 1) the connection between the alternator and the battery isn't very good (but your battery would be dead by now and 0.3 volts over the length of the wiring isn't significant); or 2) the electronic pack in the alternator is beginning to go (which isn't supported by the voltage either) OK, last two tests*: start her up and turn every electrical load you have (lights, radio, fan, heated window, sat nav, neon underbody lights etc.) on. Take a reading, then give it a rev and see what happens to the voltage. I guess this would be best done at the alternator. Also, turn all the gizmos off and see if you can measure the voltage on the thinner brown/black wire on the back of the alternator at idle (probably 12.7) and revs. * Then I'm stuck ...

BBC news linky (very brief)

Errr, pass, you've gone off the end of my knowin'! I'm sure that when this rather-good-for-crawling-under-cars day is over a gearbox adult will take you further - bon chance!

On the back of the alternator there will either be a bolt with one or more thick brown wires attached, or a square black plastic plug under a wire clip, with one or more thick brown wires attached. The first type is easy, just a meter from here to the engine or in the second case flick the clip off, pull the plug, remove the cover and refit the plug (without the clip!) then same as before. If you can get SWMBO or a Spearos-minor to start and rev the car this'll make it much easier. Please be careful working next to the running engine or you'll get "rotating parts"!

So, your battery is good, but your alternator is probably working. Did you replace the belt and re-adjust the tension correctly after you put the bolt back in? Also, can you measure the alternator output at the back of the alternator itself? Lastly (and unlikely) could the wiring on the back of the alternator have touched anything hot will the bolt was out?

Sorry, type away without checking all the diagrams! After a moment's thought, I think there'll be something jamming the selectors, which could be bits of bearing. Changing the bearing / seal / brake shoes isn't a box out job, but flushing out all the bits might be, sorry. The other possibility is that another bearing (the rear one holding the high / low pinions and centre diff, circled in red below) has gone, which would give you the high / low symptom, but not the diff lock one.

This bearing holds the rear output shaft in place, not sure of the connection the low range symptom Technical archiove link for changing the bearing

Things connected to this fuse include the spare connector behind the cigarette lighter panel, the hazard light switch (can fail in all sorts of funny ways) and the brake lights. The instrument lights are fed off the sidelight line, which is a bit confusing as that isn't fused. I too am thinking you have one or more shorts somewhere Be logical, unplug as much as you can, check for worn insulation, melty bits, water in lamps, burn marks, then plug things in one at a time until something makes sense. The workshop manual, book 5, section 86 has the wiring diagrams in it, which might help too.

Paragraph 1 says that you can't take a vehicle on a road if it has dipped headlights without turning them on in the dark or bad visibility. Paragraph two is the exceptions: Main beam or fog lamps are OK instead of dipped beam, and towed vehicles, snow ploughs* and parked cars don't have to have the headlamps switched on. Last bit - dim / dip doesn't count as on for a headlamp. * I never knew that!