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Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 11:56 am
by mattyguk1
Hi all, I’m re wiring the rear lights on my 1970 saloon and have lost the pictures I took of connections before I stripped it down! I’ve added pictures but could use any help. At the moment I’ve got the blacks from each side together for earth, green and white from loom to green right side. Green/red from loom to left side green/red. Green/purple from loom to green/purple right then over to green/purple left which seems to leave 2 reds from loom and a red from each side unconnected? Any advice appreciated....

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 12:52 pm
by StillGotMy1stCar
You need a double bullet connector to join the reds together that supply the side/tail and number plate light.
https://www.morrisminorspares.com/elect ... ch-p829846
Whilst your at it get one for the brake light wires, and fit grommets to all holes in body that wires pass through.
Make sure all connectors are pushed fully home, don't want them sorting to earth
Regards John

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 1:17 pm
by philthehill
These are the connector pliers you need to ensure that the nipple is fully home in the connector body

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RIPAULTS-PAT ... SwSjpcrNL1

and this is the tool you need for clamping the Ripaults bullet connector to the wire

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ripaults-SSC ... SwxKBdHGxA

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 4:49 pm
by mattyguk1
Thanks as always chaps, everything is working now except indicators front and back so need to trouble shoot them!

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 6:25 pm
by geoberni
StillGotMy1stCar wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2019 12:52 pm You need a double bullet connector to join the reds together that supply the side/tail and number plate light.
https://www.morrisminorspares.com/elect ... ch-p829846
Whilst your at it get one for the brake light wires, and fit grommets to all holes in body that wires pass through.
Make sure all connectors are pushed fully home, don't want them sorting to earth
Regards John
I got a pack of 10 from Fleabay for £2.29 inc shipping... which is approximately half what 2 will cost from the Motoring suppliers. :wink:
Plenty of choice for electrical terminations on there. I'd never get that sort of stuff from the specialist car places.
Just search for "DOUBLE BULLET CONNECTORS"

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 10:35 pm
by StillGotMy1stCar
Thanks Berni, I only added the link as an example.

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:12 am
by philthehill
There are Ripault connectors and there are connectors.

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 8:38 am
by simmitc
As Phil hints, you get what you pay for.

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 8:54 am
by Banned User
Do the Ripaults bullets have a brass contact in them?

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:12 am
by philthehill
The Ripault male/bullet connectors are soft brass. The bullets fit into a spring steel (generic term) tube.

You can get Ripault connect suitable for soldering which are not brass but more of a white metal (generic term).

I use the brass Ripault connectors but I also solder them to the wire so as to get the best current transfer connection.

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:22 am
by Banned User
That explains the extra cost, worthwhile though.

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:59 am
by geoberni
StillGotMy1stCar wrote: Sun Sep 08, 2019 10:35 pm Thanks Berni, I only added the link as an example.
Thumbs.jpg
Thumbs.jpg (19.37 KiB) Viewed 2416 times
Don't doubt it :) , I just wouldn't like someone to go to a lot of expense when a little looking around will find alternatives.

I stocked up on several little packs of bullets, spades and rings in different sizes at an autojumble when I first got Basil.
The one thing I didn't get was some of those splitter connectors, then had a need for a couple, hence resorting to Fleabay :wink: .
philthehill wrote: Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:12 am There are Ripault connectors and there are connectors.
These days with the global manufacturing economy it's hard to tell what's made where by whom. If you look at the Ripca/Ripaults website (and a warning here, my Browser didn't like me going there as it said their security certificate is out of date) their standard crimping tool for insulated crimps is nothing special.
I take it, going from the link you posted for the old crimping tool, that original equipment crimps were the uninsulated brass ones?

I've just spent around 20 minutes (I should get a life :) ) looking at the Ripca website and although they still have an updated version of the tool you linked to, they don't seem to list that type of terminal any longer. Perhaps they don't supply them any longer...
https://www.ripca.com/nl_en/assembly-ma ... mping.html
It's weird, because although the tool is there, if you search under the 5 categories of Tool Type on the left hand side, it doesn't appear under any of those categories..... :-?
Searching for Brass Bullet, or even Brass Male don't return any of that type. :-?

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 1:19 pm
by philthehill
The Ripault crimping pliers and the Ripault bullet inserting pliers are not insulated and never have been. I have both and have had them many years.
Whilst the crimping tool is nothing special it does work and it does command a premium price even S/H.
Looking at the Ripaults web site both crimper and pliers are available but the pliers are of a different design to the original.
The insulated connectors are listed but have yet to find the bullet connectors.

Bullets of varying sizes and suitable for crimping are available from:

https://www.holden.co.uk/p/bullet_termi ... _mm_17_amp

There are brass crimping bullets and non crimping brass bullets only the crimping brass bullets work effectively with the crimping tool. Non crimping brass bullets either deform of break in two when compressed by the crimping pliers.

The Ripault brass bullets are not insulated but the connectors are insulated with a rubber sleeve over the metal connector body.

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 4:05 pm
by MikeNash
The Ripault stuff seems expensive: I hope its good!
Last night I soldered some bullets to wires and then attempted to put them into the connectors - and blow me they wouldn't go in! I had to file them down to fit, a long and tedious business. They came from either ESM or Bull Motif many years ago so there's no going back to get them sorted. Does anyone know of cheaper ones than Ripault that actually go together smoothly? All my old ones on the car (i.e. 1963 vintage) come apart without difficulty even after all these years (after a squirt of thin oil) and go together when cleaned and greased smoothly and tightly without the need of a special tool.
Corr! MikeN.

Re: Rear light wiring confusion!

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 6:03 pm
by geoberni
MikeNash wrote: Mon Sep 09, 2019 4:05 pm The Ripault stuff seems expensive: I hope its good!
Last night I soldered some bullets to wires and then attempted to put them into the connectors - and blow me they wouldn't go in!
As far as I'm aware, even the 'correct' female receptacle for the solid brass male bullet would be a sprung design, so a little careful tweaking with a small screwdriver should've opened it up to insert the bullet.

The thing with soldering them is that you have to be extremely careful not to get any solder on the outside surface. In my far younger days, I've worked with very similar connectors on aircraft that were 40's/50's designs and I speak from experience!