I started my car tonight and noticed despite the headlight switch being fully in the off position, my dash lights are on and my license plate light is .
Odd. Never saw that before. Headlight switch I imagine....
Thoughts?
David
Addedum-and saw what I thought was a wisp of smoke come from under my dash at the windshield....perhaps my imagination?

Here is the bird board repair of the switch; I'd disconnect the battery, remove the switch and "smell it" to see if has shorted. If so, open it up and see what you got. otherwise, pull it and count the terminals and post a WTB. they are out there with club members for about $50

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/9...lamp_switch.htm

Thanks for the link!
D

Hmmm....
odd question. Is the wiper switch and the headlight switch in bed with each other somehow? The high side of my wipers haven't worked for some time and recently the low side crapped out too. I got a brand new switch but no love.
I wonder if the two (possible light switch malfunction-power to wiper switch) are related?
That said, on 1973's, did they have a relay for the wiper? I don't think there was one....
Do chime in.
David

Addedum-I noticed they (the wipers) do try to take off every once and awhile, but they fail to operate fully.

The two switches do work with each other, in that at least part of the wiper switch is fed by the ignition switch.

The wipers use a relay in all (stock) 914s.

Dig out your favorite 914 wiring diagram and follow it along. You'll see how stuff is tied together.

--DD

Thanks for that DD!
I assume it's one of the round ones behind the fuse box. I'll look at my diagram later on tonight.
And....the wiper switch is tied in to the ignition switch? or the headlight switch, or both (clarification)?
Again, thanks :-)

Wiring diagrams:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/914_electrical_diagrams.htm

73 wiring diagrams:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/parts/Elec...lectric_73A.jpg
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/parts/Elec...lectric_73B.jpg
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/parts/Elec...lectric_73D.jpg
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/parts/Elec...lectric_73D.jpg

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/parts/Elec...lectric_73E.jpg



Interesting. Part #26 is labeled "steering column switch", and appears to combine the functions of both the ignition switch and the wiper stalk.

The wiper motor gets power from the "fresh air relay", which is a power-supply relay for lots of stuff up in the dash.

I don't have time to check the other stuff on there. I'm not as fond of the 73 diagrams as the later ones, as I find them harder to read....

--DD

I gathered that #26 is THE wiper stalk switch.
Venture a guess which relay is the wiper relay and fresh air relay (1973) from picture enclosed?
TY
D

Interesting.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry1903257
See reply two. Member reports there is NO relay for the wipers (unless an intermittent has been installed).
Or have I mis-read DD? Are you saying the fresh air supply relay serves as a relay to the wiper or does the wiper (non-intermitent) have a relay all by itself and if so, what's it's physical location?
Tanx
D
Addedum. Ah, yes, after carefully reading, it appears as if it gets it's power from the fresh air realy, that it does NOT have it's onw relay.
Reading is fundemental :-)
Begs the question, whe'res the physical location of the fresh air relay?

I may be way out there, but doesn't the light switch also dim the dash lights? If so, some of these switches have a position that turns on these lights ( I think when you turn the knob counterclockwise). I know I've had cars with that feature, just don't remember if the 914 had that feature.

Ok. So I've fouund (in my manual of all place, lol) a diagram that tells me what the relay's at the back of the fuse panel are for, but I seem to recall 1973 as being different than all the other years :-(
The manual indicated the following:
A=Light dimmer
B=Fresh air fan (and horn, wiper, cig lighter as I recall)
C=Aux headlights (foglights)
D=Buzzer

Obviously the thing that's perplexing me is D=buzzer. As you can see from the picture of the back of my fuse panel, D is a round realy and not a buzzer. So, what the heck is it a relay for and does this anomally blow the validity of the other relay location/descriptions?
Readers want to know, lol.
Anyone got the skinny on 1973 (chime in Jeff!)
Thanks all
David

They do but that wouldn't explain why my rear tag light is coming on with the key in the "on" position. Also, as I recall the dash lights should only come on when the light switch is pulled halfway (parking lights) or all the way (headlights). The dash dimmer functionality of the headlight switch can be turned off (turned counterclockwise all the way past the detent) but only in the aforementioned positions. I believe they shouldn't come on at all when the switch is in the off position with key on.
Pretty sure it's either the fresh air relay and or the headlight switch as it's now appearing a multi functionality problem involving not only the dash/license plate lights coming on inappropriately but a failure of the wipers as well.

I have a 73 that also came with mixed up relays. On mine the silver round one in the back is the buzzer relay (I believe it controls the open door warning buzzers??), the silver square relay is the headlight high/low beam and then the three black ones are for fogs, horn and the third, I think, is the power relay.

Check which one has a blue and white wire going into it and trace it back to fuse 1 (or vice versa trace one of the two blue/white wires from fuse one back to the relay - the other goes to the tach) that's the fog relay.

Whichever of the other two is connected to BOTH fuse 8 (red/white wire) and fuse 11 (red wire) is the horn relay.

Leaving you with the third black one that does... who knows (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

OR an even quicker way to figure out which is which is to simply pull them one by one and see what's stopped working (I didn't have that luxury as the reason I was down there sniffing 40 year old dust in the first place was that my horn and fogs weren't working).

John

HalfMoon, I have the exact same issue as you and am currently waiting on delivery of a "new to me" switch. Anyway, I'm going to open up my old one (the later fat switch with extra terminal from my 75 2.0) and will let you know what I discover.

I've also been having an issue with my passenger light not coming up (but going down fine), so I think my switch finally melted on me. Also, right now, with the car on and volts at 12+, turning on my headlights makes my drivers side light go up and down continuously - as if it had a low voltage condition. My passenger side light still doesn't pop up on its on.

Sorry, I just noticed a typo! The third of the diagrams should be
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/parts/Elec...lectric_73C.jpg

That's another page of actual diagrams, not just labels. It also shows most of the relays.

Hard to see some of the wire colors, but from seeing a bit of yellow on relay C I would say that is the horn relay (#51 in the diagram).

Part #54 is the "fresh air fan" relay, and the diagram shows red, black/red, red/white, and brown wires. That could match either B or D from your photo--again, the colors are a little hard to see, especially the tracers.

Anyway, match up the wire colors on the relay sockets with the diagrams and you should be able to see which relays are what.

--DD

Time to fess up. I was hoping for identification using the letters as I'm severly color blind (not joking). Mebbe I should take a less blurry image?

Not sure if you meant left to right or right to left. Could you clarify using the letters in the image? That would be most useful as I'm quite color blind.
Thanx
D

Somewhat academic at this point as I've repl;aced all three relay's with known good ones and I'm still encountering the same original problem.
But for the purposes of academia I was able to identify that B=horn (for sure), so C and D are still unidentified. One or the other is the fog light relay and one is fresh air fan relay.
Also notice the second image where I found yet another relay with which I have no idea it's purpose. It's not attached to the back of the fuse panel. It's just "under the dash". Says Hella, and that makes me wonder if it's a fog lamp relay. If so, then what the heck are C and D (in the image). Grrrr. Why the hell did Ma P make 73 odd?
Well as I said, it's a little academic at this point, identifying the relays...I've replaced all three round relays on the fuse panel back with known good ones. Relays weren't the problem anyway. I used a continuity tester on each slot of the fuse panel and discovered fuse eight was blown in a very subtle way (undetectable to visual unless you had it removed). So, I replaced the fuse with a 25 and as soon as the ignition key comes on the fuse blows.
So...what we have.
Dash lights and license plate lights coming on with headlight switch in the off position when the ignition key is in the on position. fuses blowing in slot eight with ignition key on. Wipers not working with old stock switch and new 924 switch (obviously due to slot eight blowing fuses). Now remember, in an earlier post I reported that I thought I had seen a wisp of smoke from under my dash....
At this point I think it's either a headlight switch (mines the fat one) or the ignition switch.
Thoughts, jibes and jokes?

The mystery relay


Addedum-relay number 002479-01 is the turn signal/hazard flasher. Duh.

Much clearer pics, thanks!

D has a red, a red/white, a black/red, and a brown wire. That matches the wiring for the "fresh air" relay. (#54 on diagram part C)

C appears to have a white/yellow, a white/blue, a gray/red, and a red wire. If there is a black tracer on that red wire (could be), that matches the fog light relay wires. (#53 on diagram part A)

Now we know what the relays are.


Dash lights and license plate lights get their power from the main light switch. Find the black/blue wire plugged into the switch and unplug it. If the lights stay on, you are getting power from somewhere else. Very likely a power and ground connection swapped.

--DD