Thoughts please on electrical fault

Hi group,

I'm considering (more with heart than head) buying a fastback Sunbeam Alpine c.1973.

The vendor tells me it has a weird electrical problem and I'm keen to get some opinions about what it might be before I lumber myself with the problem. I think I'm pretty good with electrics, so will be able to cope with the fix, but initial diagnosis can be a bugger as we all know... ;)

Obviously I don't have much information yet, but I'd just be very grateful for people's experienced thoughts on possible causes...

So... apparently the car tends to start well, but after some time the horn and hazards come on, and also sometimes the aftermarket fog lights. At this point apparently "if you stall it needs a bump start."

So, that latter point could mean the battery has been drained, thus causing the need for a bump. But I presume it could also be a fault elsewhere with something going straight to earth and just not letting the starter get current.

Aftermarket fogs (and quite possibly hazards too - they weren't standard on my 1970 Alpine) seem like a good place to start looking.

Finally, the dash wood shows evidence that the windscreen or maybe heater has leaked at some point. Anybody know of common corrosion points behind the dash in these Hunter/Rapier/Sceptre cars? I've had three of them before but never had this problem with any of them.

Cheers, Kieran

Reply to
Kieran Turner
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Random thought: there isn't an after-market alarm lurking somewhere is there? Lights and horn coming on plus disconnection of starter circuit seem plausible alarm kinds of thing.

Peter

Reply to
Peter Amey

A very good thought. I had been planning to investigate earths and of course see if the ancilliaries were sharing (and marginally overloading) any fuses... but I hadn't considered the possibility of an alarm. Will hunt.

Since we've got onto the topic, here's a weird tip that might help somebody sometime... my Land Rover had a bizarre experience after going over a bump far too fast (ahem!) which *partly* activated the alarm.

The hazards flashed, and the engine stopped, but there was no siren. I tried disconnecting all sorts of things, including the hazards fuse. (They kept on flashing, powered through the alarm.) Nothing made any difference until the SECOND time I disconnected the hazard fuse. They stopped. On reconnection, everything was fine. Weird.

K
Reply to
Kieran Turner

Yes, that occurred to me. I also wondered whether the after market additions were wired in heavy enough cable, causing the circuits to overheat and burning the insulation off the adjacent loom. Alternatively, clumsiness when adding aftermarket wiring could have displaced one or more grommets, leading to chafed wires.

It sounds like you have got a bit of detective work to do, but nothing so serious that it would put me off buying the car is I liked it otherwise. I would practice sucking your teeth and going "tut tut" ready for haggling over the price though.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Warren

Disconnection allowed the alarm to reset. This also applies to modern cars with computers - disconnect the battery. Heat or cold can upset the electronics.

Reply to
Rob

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