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Hi all, I bought a two door yellow 1975 Viva HC 1256 two months ago and am enjoying tinkering. It’s very solid and the previous owner did a good job rebuilding the engine, suspension and brakes as it hadn’t been on the road since 1983, it was pulled out of a timber garage in 2017 which means the interior is very good. I learnt to drive in my dads HC estate and the smell in mine takes me back there. I’ve just adjusted the tappets, changed the oil and filter, fitted door mirrors (it didn’t have any) and put in inertia reel seatbelts.

Of course, usual victim of nostalgia I am now remembering how tricky old electrics are. Could someone confirm what colour the original feed wires to the washer pump should be? It’s bound in black tape and as the washer stalk isn’t activating it, I’m starting on the basics. The pump works when connected directly to the battery.

Thanks all and I’m chuffed to be a member of the VVOC.
Regards, Mike

Old classics used the same colour codes. This may help.
https://pdfslide.tips/documents/bs-au7- ... lour-.html

If I'm reading the correct diagram:

At the pump end: 59 (Black, earth) and 45 (Light Green / Black, power feed) - Black goes to earth point via the loom somewhere.
At the fuse box: 45 connects to pin F1 and continues from underneath inside the car in the same colour.
When it reaches the connector for the switch, it connects to 44 (Light Green / Black) where the switch presumably connects it to 29 (Green) on the switch, which connects to the two 53 (White / Light Green) wires that come in from the underneath of pin G5 on the fuse box.

If it's a stalk, a very common cause of problems is dirty contacts, and I think you can get to the wash contacts without stripping the switch down, but it'll be much easier if you remove it from the car.

If the wipers work, the power supply route in from G5 must be OK as the one connection (via two wires) supplies both wash and wipe. I've also seen loose connections in the big connector that goes onto the fuse box, so it's worth looking there. They're held into the block by a small piece that springs upwards, and they can come loose over time. Fuse box / bulkhead connector is also a prime candidate for dirty connections.

Everything above is good thing to check. Also verify on the switch gear that none of the wires have worked loss from their pins. Land-Rovers use a similiar setup and the headlight flash on my 90 the wire had come off the pin, put it back in place and worked.

If you remove do unplug the switch gear from the loom, you could insert a bridge on the connector on the loom side to bypass the switch gear to test. If that works and when the switch gear is plugged back in the switch doesn't then you've got a good basis for thinking the issues is withine the switch gear.

A Haynes manual is a useful thing to help with your tinkering version 047 for your car - there should be one available in the Club Parts Stock or i might have a spare.