Confused?
Of course you are or you wouldn't have found
this page.
The Haynes manuals is extremely confusing regarding the labeling of the relays on Spitfires. The two ways they confuse readers is 1. the illustrations show right hand drive cars with different locations for relays, and 2. the naming of the relays is strange (at least to North American Spit owners).
There are three relays grouped together on the bulkhead next to the master cylinders (not the battery box as Haynes says...this is for Right Hand Drive cars in the UK). The relays are the Hazard Flasher relay, Horn relay, and another confusingly named relay:
Hazard Flasher Relay- top relay with two wires
coming out;
purple (to the B terminal) and light green/pink
(to the L terminal)
Horn Relay- the relay on the left with
multiple purple wires coming out;
purple/yellow (to the C1 terminal), purple (to
the C2 terminal) and purple/black (to the W1
terminal)
Overdrive Relay (D-type overdrives only)-
multiple wires coming out;
brown (to the C1 terminal), yellow/purple (to
the C2 terminal), white (to the W1 terminal) and
yellow/green (to the W2 terminal)
"Other" Relay- the relay on the right
with multiple colored wires coming out;
green/white (to the C1 terminal), black/purple
(to the C4 terminal), white/orange (to the W1
terminal), Double black combo (black/blue &
black to W2 with a black jumper between C2 and
W2)
This relay should be called "Pre-Driving
Checks" relay. The Haynes manual shows it in the
photo calling it the Overdrive relay. When
researching this page I found it also called
Bulb Check relay and Starter relay. Apparently
its job is to have a hand in the control such US
government mandated devises as the seatbelt
warning light/buzzer, EGR service light, and the
PDWA (brake failure) light.
Blinker/Hazard Relays- (inside the car
behind dash) two wires coming out;
light green/gray (to the B terminal) and light
green/brown (to the L terminal)
This relay is exactly the same as the Hazard
relay (under bonnet) and is located on the
backside of the dash just under the tachometer
on US cars.
Note that the Hazard and Blinker relays were
combined into a single one for 1978-80 cars and
was located behind the dash (somewhere below the
tach or speedo). This "Flasher" relay now had 3
wires (light green/gray, light green/brown and
green/light green).
Click here to
visit the blinker/flasher troubleshooting
page.
If you haven't guessed, the Haynes manual's
wiring diagram is VERY wrong around this relay
on 76 cars. A great wiring diagram is available
for download
however. (1.1Mb)
If you have a 74 Spit, download
this link. (1.1Mb) This link may be down.
A 75 Spit, download
this link. (1.1Mb)
A 78-80 Spit, download
this link. (1.1Mb)
Here is a MkIV
wiring diagram from the factory manual.
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