8 replies to this topic

[Willthewelder]

Hi all, Need to wire back up my ignition switch after the last neanderthal owner disconneced them, 3 wires coming from dash and 4 terminals on the switch? so waht goes wheres any ideas or a wiring diagram would be much appreciated. Cheers


will

[tiger99]

Which model and year is the Mini? It may make a difference.

There are usually 4 wires to the ignition switch. There is always brown (permanently live, from the battery via the junction at the starter solenoid terminal), light green-white (live feed to radio and othet circuits which are energised at first click of the key), white (live to ignition, and everything which depends on it being on, at second click of key), and white-red (start command to solenoid). If the ignition is ballasted, the pink-white ballast resistor wire to the coil may be on the same terminal as the white.

[Willthewelder]

1985 but it's got a steering lock so is deffo a mk3

[tiger99]

Well, for a 1985 model Haynes diagram 16 applies if you have a single instrument, and diagram 17 if you have multiple instruments. Both have the same four wires on the ignition switch, as I said. What colours of wires do you actually have, so we can work out what is missing?

[Willthewelder]

I've got 3 instruments big oval panel in the middle. Do you have a link to the wiring diagram. I can't find out wire colours for a while yet so if you could tell me what should be there I might be able to have a fiddle at the next available opertunity!

[tiger99]

I don't have a link to the diagram because like everyone here you really do need a Haynes manual. But with that instrument panel, there will be the four wires as I said, unless it is a very old model, probably with a dynamo, so a wire seems to have gone missing. It really does need to be found.

As a second check that we really are looking at the correct thing, has the ignition switch got 3 or 4 positions? A 3 position switch is off, on and spring-loaded start, while a 4 position has off, auxiliaries on, ignition on and spring-loaded start. There is no way that it should be a 3 position switch in 1985, but there is often no way of knowing how many past modifications the car may have had, even replacing the loom with the wrong one.

[lrostoke]

No 35 is ignition switch

w/r is white/red goes to starter solenoid

BR is brown is a perminant 12v feed

LG/W is light green/white....aux 12v live when ignition on

W is White 12v live when ignition on

Attached Files

•  ignition.JPG   19.57K   97 downloads

[Willthewelder]

Aah brilliant, sorry and it's 1975 not 85 haha! but yeah 4 position switch!

[tiger99]

Well, in that case, where is your fourth wire? Probably dangling out of the loom in the wrong direction, where you can't easily see it, but it will be there, somewhere.

Or, more likely in a 1975 model, your car is actually wired for a 3 position switch, and your Neanderthal has fitted the wrong switch, so you ignore the terminal where the light green/white would go, and have to turn the switch through an extra unused position every time (harmless but annoying), or fit the correct switch.