Help deciding on upgradecs to lighting/electrical

[Fiatlanta]

Interesting read...thanks.

[DieselSpider]

Thanks...one for the relay kit. I hate to spend $80 for $3 in parts. I'd probably look into making my own, I have access to samples galore from all the key relay and wire mfg's...

Depending on how you do it the relays, wires, fuses, etc should cost between $10 and $20 for a $60 savings so each would have to decide whether its worth the effort to save the $60. For me $60 equates to enough diesel to commute and run errands for 2 months since the Diesel Spider gets about 40 mpg using it as a daily driver. I will be doing the headlights in the future but have already have relays for my starter, glow plugs and fuel valve on the Diesel IP which has made the car very much more reliable.

For the glow plugs I used a Ford style barrel relay fed by the same gauge cable as the main feed from the battery which gave me a 5/16 inch stud on the firewall with 12 volts off the battery in an easy to get to location that I can very easily feed any new circuits off of. The other relays I have been using are the fairly universal Optronics A-715A available at Advance and Oreilly for about $5 each. The Isuzu Diesel uses a Hitachi alternator rated at 55/65 Amps depending on the rectifier/regulator installed inside it and provides plenty of power for my needs.

Love the idea of the 5/16 12v stud! With the battery in the trunk I'm not looking forward to all of this...

The Isuzu Diesel has the main cable from the battery in the trunk terminating at the starter which is out in the open on the passenger/right hand side of the car so I have the glow plug relay on the firewall above it which gives it a very short heavy gauge direct feed off the primary lug on the starter. This was more critical to get done with a relay for the starter due to the 2 kilowatt starter on the diesel with its fairly high power 10 to 15 amp solenoid.

The diesel is a fairly unique high rev single overhead cam design with the starter, compact intake and belt driven diesel IP on the right along with flat plane box tube exhaust, turbo charger and alternator with vacuum pump for the brake booster on the left. Since the fuel injection is mechanical the only electrical connections needed to run it are the starter, fuel valve, glow plug relay and alternator battery/field connections. Most of the wiring required to run the gas engine sits unused. These engines are considered bug-out disaster engines by the survivalist crowd since you can get the running by replacing the fuel valve solenoid with a manual plunger and pushing them down a hill even if all the electric is fried. The trick can be getting them to stop if the fuel valve sticks open since there is no choke or throttle body/butterfly.

[JohnMc]

I added AR's relay and love it.

[profcucchi]

Hello everyone,

My ignition switch is having issues. When I squeeze the rubber sleeve (the white wires), it works. But if I hit a bump, the car shuts off...

So I'm looking to add relays. The headlight relay is plug and play, seen it on another car. But how can I set up the starter relay? Is there a diagram somewhere?

I have a 1979 so a brown wire could be added, too. And I've bypassed the white box already with tight connectors.

Thanks

[baltobernie]

You'll want to replace that ignition switch before adding relays. The common replacement is one from a Lada, the Soviet version of the Fiat sedan. The switch fits without modification, but the pin-outs have different functions than the Fiat switch. So read the instructions that come with the switch carefully, and create a drawing to keep with the owners manual.

There are several postings on this forum regarding the "brown wire fix". Regarding the starter, here is a generic wiring diagram for the small relays employed in lights, windows and starter applications.



Terminal 30, the high-amperage source for whatever you're powering, must be fused between the relay and the battery. The relay does not provide protection to the circuit.

Frankly, if you simply replace the ignition switch, you probably won't have any other electrical issues during your ownership of the car. The switch is the weak link in the system, but it should still outlast you.

[profcucchi]

You'll want to replace that ignition switch before adding relays. The common replacement is one from a Lada, the Soviet version of the Fiat sedan. The switch fits without modification, but the pin-outs have different functions than the Fiat switch. So read the instructions that come with the switch carefully, and create a drawing to keep with the owners manual.

There are several postings on this forum regarding the "brown wire fix". Regarding the starter, here is a generic wiring diagram for the small relays employed in lights, windows and starter applications.



Terminal 30, the high-amperage source for whatever you're powering, must be fused between the relay and the battery. The relay does not provide protection to the circuit.

Frankly, if you simply replace the ignition switch, you probably won't have any other electrical issues during your ownership of the car. The switch is the weak link in the system, but it should still outlast you.

Thanks, baltobernie!

This is exactly what I was looking for!

[KevAndAndi]

Here are a couple more starter relay pics:

[autotransgression]

just had to jump on this thread to preach the value of the brown wire fix. the connector block going from the ignition switch to the harness was getting pretty dark and cracking from heat buildup, so i replaced it with individual blades and added the brown wire. it made an amazing difference. my headlights and wipers instantly acted like those of a modern car. (i had added hella headlights already. they were definitely an improvement, but only incremental compared to doing it right.)

[Mgregorio1953]

Guys,

I'm still not clear on where to connect the additional wire on the starter solenoid..on the upper of the two studs (further from starter housing) or lower (closer to the starter, where the connection into the starter is.)

With an FI car, these studs are a massive PITA to get to...is there ANYWHERE else to pick up this 12V supply??

Just a note...where in the hell do you get brown #10Ga. wire. have found red, blue, black, white...only brown I've found is on huge spools for $75-plus...just saying. So my "brown wire fix" may be a "blue wire fix" LOL

emails OK mgregorio1953@gmail.com.

Any pointers gladly accepted....MG

[kmead]

You can run a wire from the alternator charging stud to get the power you need. This is always hot and the cable attached to it goes to the starter and the battery.

I would run the new wire you add to a small fuse block to run the various relays rather than multiple individual fuses. I would use a 10ga wire to the new fuse block. This will give you a clean, fused set of connections in the engine compartment for the various things you wish to add.

[Texsardo]

Bought the kit from AutoRicambi. Easy to install. Made a huge difference. Worth it over finding PARTS and cobbling it together. I also got the flat lense style halogen build replaceable lights. OMG can I see at night now. And no one has flashed me for bright lights yet. Properly set and as low as they are, they don't blind oncoming cars.
Texsardo