E55 LBR the parallel project

[eog]

The rear light without a reversing light is interesting too. Did it come from abroad? I can't think I've seen a UK car without reversing lights on both sides. Even the poverty spec one for sale on e-bay at the moment has two. My spares have a reversing light but I'm scraping the barrel for unbroken ones now.
[/quote]

Not certain but I think it might have been c 1986 that rear fog lights were introduced, Often installed at the loss of a reversing light.  An older or R/L H D taillight may account for lack of reverse/ fog light.
Others may have a better memory!

[lancianut666]

There is no fitting for a bulb where the reversing light should be so who knows what was going on. On another matter was about to order a cambelt, tensioner and waterpump kit but having been told the engine was from a Panda 4 x4 I compared the kits for the different engines and found that the 156 3a  (50bhp at 5,500 rpm) engine has a different kit from the 45bhp standard engine. Anyone know why? All I could think of was the 4 x4 version would be given a lot more stick 'off road' and the water pump was beefed up a bit. To satisfy my curiosity I checked the engine number and it is a 156 A3.
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

Ordered some parts from Germany including new wipers so once the unit was sorted I spent an hour or so getting the wipers and washers sorted. So we had good news followed by bad news followed by hope. Any way the German wipers went straight on with out so much as a broken fingernail strait out of the box. Washed the front and back screens...connected the battery and result both wipers working although should the back one self park? Onto the washers, I had to consult the manual to check I was doing it right and the outcome was no washers front or back...so under the bonnet I could see one of those earth trees looking very sorry for itself so I wire brushed the spade contacts and nipped up the push on connectors to no effect. So I took the washer bottle out after a struggle with disconnecting the wires as they were corroded on so badly they snapped off dagnabit. Out on the bench (more correctly in the sink) a quick swish out of the old washer fluid and a quick flash of 12 volts across the truncated connectors produced a ceiling high squirt of water on both pumps. So the question is can I solder a wire to what is left of the spade connector on each pump and rewire the push on connectors or will it be a new washer bottle?
Clarkey

[frankxhv773t]

You don't need a washer bottle if you can't attach a wire. The pumps just press in with a rubber grommet. New ones are cheap and readily available. I just did mine. Find them on e-bay under Fiat Seicento.

[lancianut666]

Thanks Frank will look asap
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

I managed to get a new washer pump as my local motor factors had one listed for a Ducato van and another one is on the way tomorrow...I previously purchased a new column switch gear set and had a go at fitting it yesterday but found that the original column stalks had 6 connectors and the new one only has 5! A quick skeg at the wiring diagrams did not show up the extra wires (red/black and red/green) however today I discovered at the back of the diagrams folded under was a supplementary RHD wiring diagram showing the peculiarities for the UK market. Anyone remember Dim Dip lights? according to the diagram an extra column stalk was provide to operate this feature and that was what the 2 extra wires were for so I think we can have another go at replacing the old one.
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

some piccies

[frankxhv773t]

Mine all have 5 wiring connectors. Dim / dip is on the light stalk which moves up and down once it has been rotated to put the headlights on. You should have wipers with washers on the right, indicators nearest the wheel on the left and the lighting stalk behind the indicators on the left. Here are some pictures of a spare set attached to the harness. I can do more digging if this doesn't help.

[lancianut666]

Hi all
After spending all day refitting the pumps and rewiring the connectors all the new pumps did was make a loud buzzing noise...so I checked they were pumping OK by fitting a length of pipe to each one and hey presto lovely jets of screenwash. So it was the pipework where I found lurking a non return valve that was a bunged up non working non return valve. A quick trip to the motor factors for a new valve and some pipe and we have a functioning windscreen washer. The back one can wait for now.
Clarkey

[frankxhv773t]

On the column stalks, having done more research, it isn't an additional stalk for dim / dip but an alternative stalk set with an extra contact in the lighting stalk. The ones I pictured were from a C reg car so predate the dim / dip set up. From studying the wiring diagrams all the regular lighting wiring is common to both setups so the dim / dip circuitry looks like it could be ignored. However, some of the wires in the regular lighting circuit pass through different positions on the connector blocks. (I had this with Dedra lighting stalks where I had three different stalks with the same connector block but different wiring. Annoyingly if you plugged in the wrong stalk it blew the internal lights which was what I was trying to fix.) 

Getting a UK, dim / dip stalk set may prove difficult. As an alternative I would suggest shifting the wiring pins on the new stalk set to correctly tie into the loom and ignoring the dim / dip set up. If the connector blocks are different, as the wiring diagram suggests they might be, you could move the wires to the block salvaged from the old stalk set so it plugs in to the loom.

All this also explains why early cars don't have the resistor mounted on the offside front suspension turret.

[lancianut666]

Thanks for the info Frank it looks to me as the dim dip malarkey is separate from the rest of the light stalks so when I get a minute I will swap it out strange my car has the wiring but no extra stalk???

[frankxhv773t]

As I say, there is no extra stalk. You are misinterpreting the information. It's an "alternative" stalk assembly, still with the same three stalks but with an extra contact in the base of the lighting stalk which emerges as your sixth connector block. I think the new assembly should do everything you need. You just need to be sure the right wires from the stalk assembly go to the right wires in the loom. you have highlighted for me that my spare NOS stalk assembly is a non dim/dip one so if I have to fit it I too will have to alter the wiring.

[lancianut666]

Thanks for the info Frank...decided to move the little beast so I can get at the CV joint...Phew it is heavy when you have to do it on your own plus it is tight through the doors as I had to take it out and turn it round. After that I tackled the rear wash wipe with limited success as our friend the non return valve was stuck again. Good new is after a bit of refilling of the washer reservoir we got water to the back window and just need to sort out the non return valve that was hiding in plain site the little scamp see pics.
Clarkey

[lancianut666]

Had a quick look at the DIM DIP malarkey and I can't detect any extra position for the dim dip on the lighting stalk so does it come on when the sidelights are switched on and on my car it is busted? I can feel the resistor on the wing getting warm but haven't checked out the rest of the circuitry yet.
Clarkey

[frankxhv773t]

No extra position to my knowledge. That suggests that whatever it does is automatic but powered from the normal main and dip beam positions. I confess the whole set up is rather mystifying to me. The wiring diagram shows the circuitry to involve the pulse generator for the speedometer. I'd unplug the 6th wiring connector in the existing set up and see if you still have main and dipped beam. If so I wonder if the MOT man would notice anything wrong?