Club 80-90 Forums

My '81 T25 pop-top seems to be having some problems with it's lights. Headlamps work fine but first thing in the morning neither the indicators, fogs and hazards seem to work. After 30mins or so of engine running they seemed to start working again.

Any clues?

battery connections, fuse box connections and loom connections behind the fuse box, and all earth connections, you've had at some point a leaky window screen is my guess

You'll have the not-so-good ceramic fusebox, same as mine....

My problems are made worse by a leaky windscreen, but if it's cold outside and you sleep in the van, there can be enough condensation to cause the same problems.

If you haven't done it already, take out each fuse and clean the contacts in the holder until they are shiny. You'll probably find they are green and furry at the moment! Also, check the condition of the spade connectors on the wiring at the back. You might also want to pull out the relays and clean their connectors too.

I do this every few months, and even after heavy rain and water in the footwells (I should really fix that 'screen!) my electrics tend to behave. I do have a dimly glowing oil light every now and then, but think that's to do with water on the bits at the back of the van...

I'll give it a go. Thanks for the comments.

The merest hint of a smear of petroleum jelly on any exposed electrical contacts will hugely reduce the likelihood of corrosion and resultant failure of the circuit. It does attract a bit of dust but that's a small price to pay for reliability.