Ignition wiring

[Radders]

After converting my 2.5 auto estate back to manual, I can turn the ignition on, but it wont turn over. (Not even a clicking noise!) As the car was an auto before, there would have been an inhibitor switch in place.

Would the the wiring have to be altered now that its manual? Or am I missing something?

Thanks

[TedTaylor]

Yes there would have been an inhibitor switch in the circuit with the auto box to stop you operating the starter motor and starting the car when it was in Drive. 'Low' or Reverse  ..... so that you can only start the car in Neutral or Park.  I seem to remember a story of the inhibitor switch of a car going faulty, car being started in Drive, and the car shooting off out of control over a cliff.  :-/

I have not worked on a Borg Warner boxes and wiring for over 25 years but if I remember correctly the switches that I have seen work a bit like an overdrive inhibitor switch, normally open when the the shift stick is in D, L, and R, and only closed when in Neutral and Park.  On the Triumph 2000 it is combined with the Reverse light switch and presumably the wires are combined into a 4 wire sub loom - I've never worked on one so must surmise on this.  

You would have presumably used the two wires for your reverse light switch (Green, and Green with a brown tracer) on the manual box reverse light switch and left the other two floating - so just dig around (if you can get at them) and simply put a good reliable bridging connector between them.  The wires in question should be white with red tracer if following the standard Lucas colour coding system and break the circuit from the starter switch to the starter solenoid - if you can't get at the inhibitor switch connections make up a fresh connector between these two components ..... preferably using the correct colour wire to avoid identification problems later.

Ted

[Radders]

1526 wrote:

Yes there would have been an inhibitor switch in the circuit with the auto box to stop you operating the starter motor and starting the car when it was in Drive. 'Low' or Reverse  ..... so that you can only start the car in Neutral or Park.  I seem to remember a story of the inhibitor switch of a car going faulty, car being started in Drive, and the car shooting off out of control over a cliff.  :-/

I have not worked on a Borg Warner boxes and wiring for over 25 years but if I remember correctly the switches that I have seen work a bit like an overdrive inhibitor switch, normally open when the the shift stick is in D, L, and R, and only closed when in Neutral and Park.  On the Triumph 2000 it is combined with the Reverse light switch and presumably the wires are combined into a 4 wire sub loom - I've never worked on one so must surmise on this.  

You would have presumably used the two wires for your reverse light switch (Green, and Green with a brown tracer) on the manual box reverse light switch and left the other two floating - so just dig around (if you can get at them) and simply put a good reliable bridging connector between them.  The wires in question should be white with red tracer if following the standard Lucas colour coding system and break the circuit from the starter switch to the starter solenoid - if you can't get at the inhibitor switch connections make up a fresh connector between these two components ..... preferably using the correct colour wire to avoid identification problems later.

Ted

Many thanks. I shall investigate when I'm out in the garage next.

Talking of inhibitor switches, I remember the days before cars had them. My school mate at the time's Dad has a Morris Oxford automatic. The battery was flat one day, so he pulled the choke out full, turned the ignition on and then placed the starting handle (who remembers them?)  in the crankshaft pulley.

With an almighty wrench of the starting handle the car fired into life, then promptly lurched forward and ran him over. The silly sod had left it in gear!  ;D