Lancia Beta Forum

I'm still struggling with the wiring on my 81 Spyder.

Not essential - but I'd like to have the handbrake relay working - even though it's fairly annoying because it's quite naggy and loud. I've cleaned up the simple handbrake switch and connections - which has a grey wire, that disappears under the handbrake cowling. So - I'm not sure where this wire then goes. I've checked under the steering wheel dash, and identified the flasher and hazard flasher unit, various connector blocks - but none with the coloured wires that the Haynes describes for the handbrake flasher module. Does anyone know where it's located?

I found one item that I couldn't identify. Maybe this is it? It was attached to the side of the heater assembly, driver's side.

(http://relay.jpg)


Thanks for any help with this.
Justin.

I'm fairly sure the handbrake flasher module is the same as the flasher and hazard flasher unit. I know form practice because I changed the flasher unit in my Spider by an electronic unit from Hella and because of that I now no longer have the handbrake flasher.
The one on your photo, I don't recognise.

Hi Jason

same as betaveloce here, I don't recognise the one in the photo.  The flasher unit I have controls handbrake, hazard and indicator. My original flasher was 'italamec' with 5 pins - rectangular in shape.

Graham

I can confirm that the flashing circuit for the handbrake is indeed part of the unit for the indicators.

However it comes as no great surprise that it doesn't work very reliably. The whole system is not a very inspired design. It uses the current drawn in a small coil to energise a reed relay. When the reed opens the actuating coil is disconnected and the magnetic field collapses and the process repeats. If, as is commonly the case, the earthing is lacking the current is too low to create the field and it never activates.

The indicators similarly are unreliable.

In my view a better bet is to fit an electronic indicator relay which is then reliable. This doesn't however control the handbrake lamp in the instrument cluster. If you connect the wire from the instruments (the grey one maybe?) to the switch on the handbrake it will earth when the handbrake is raised and the light will come on.

I did provide a commentary on how I did this here http://www.betaboyz.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2243.0 (http://www.betaboyz.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2243.0)

Doug

Thanks Graham and Doug. That's really useful info. I notice that my flasher unit is a bit of a custom effort, but the handbrake light used to flash I'm sure, so at least now, I can focus on that one unit.
Thanks again.