Hardly progress
Seems I’ve succumbed to HHCIB syndrome, a dangerous condition that can make a chap – it does appear to be carried on the Y chromosome – prone to underestimating the scale of risk or challenge involved in an activity. When the E-type failed its MOT test last year because the indicators had acquired stage fright every time the headlights were turned on, my brain flipped into How Hard Can It Be mode. I made noises, in print (Our Cars, December), that it was probably just a poor earth or other connection somewhere in the E-type’s circuitry, which anyone with a car of the period knows, is as simple as the London underground map. Yes, you read that correctly, December. Oh, the shame.
Since then, I’ve made several studies of the wiring diagram and been on many forays into the dark recesses of the car where assorted connections are hidden. Having worked my way through those handily revealed behind the flip-down panel in the centre of the dashboard, others more awkwardly stashed beneath the driver’s side dashboard, and connections to the indicator lamps themselves, I’ve found no culprits. A weaklycrimped bullet connector to a rear indicator looked likely, but remaking it with a brass replacement and proper crimping tool got me nowhere.
The E-type forum community directed me to the multi-connector between the engine bay loom and bonnet wiring. Diligent cleaning of its connections proved unfruitful. Next they pointed me at a secretive multi-connector that hides beneath the nearside headlamp nacelle, only accessible by battling to remove the headlamp cover and said nacelle. Found it, disconnected every connection, cleaned them and… Damn it, I’m off to the pub. Then my friend Pete suggested attacking the problem from the opposite direction. Rather than seek what wasn’t working, run a wire directly from the battery to each component to check what was. So, now I know that the indicator switch, flasher unit and everything downstream to the indicators works perfectly. Somehow months have slipped by with bouts of chasing the voltage drop around the car’s circuits with my multimeter and periods of frustrated denial. At least I’m cured of HHCIB syndrome. Probably.