Washer warning light

[jgbff7]

My (new to me) S2 has the washer warning light alight at all times even though the bottle is full.

I would be grateful for any ideas, and also to know where the float level switch is located.

Thanks

John

[Fredjohn]

The float level is in the washer bottle in the boot. See parts manual P17.21a.
All manuals incl parts and workshop are in the Manuals section on this forum. Manuals tab visible once signed in.

PS. It helps if you put your location in your profile. User control panel then follow links.

Welcome and good luck with your renovation work!

[jgbff7]

Thank you.

I have updated the profile.

It may be the relay, D089M6330F, but I cannot find a supplier. There is one on ebay but it is in US.

Thanks for your help.

John

[Tuga2112]

as a rule of thumb https://www.sjsportscars.com/ is one of the best places to search.
i've checked and they dont seem to have it unfortunately.

however, My gut feeling is that, that relay is very likely a standard GM part from the late 80s-90s which may be found from other cars (theres parts from astra, golf, cavalier, and carlton in the elan, for example).

I Would start off by checking this forum if anyone else already did the legwork to cross reference it to a GM part, if not, then you may need to go that extra mile to find a replacement.

also, may be worth double/triple checking if the issue could come from somewhere else,

Sadly I cannot help with anything concrete, just tell you what course of action i would take in your position.

Either way, welcome to the Community,

[jgbff7]

Thank you. Yes, I drew a blank with SJ so I put the number into google and only found the ebay item in the US. I have done a search here but not found anything. It was used on other Lotus models.

I think I am going to have to get the bottle out. I can feel a cable going into the bottle high up on the opposite side to the filler and that cable is loose as if it goes through a gommit which is not in place. Perhaps the whole level is flapping about.

All good fun

John

[KenS]

Looks like D089M6330F is used as a fuel level warning delay relay in the Esprit. Some useful info at Lotus Forums:

https://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/82337-relay-low-fuel-delay-module-089m6330f/

[GeoffSmith]

[Rambo]

My (new to me) S2 has the washer warning light alight at all times even though the bottle is full.

I would be grateful for any ideas, and also to know where the float level switch is located.

Thanks

John

John - this might help. I see that Tony encountered this problem before back in April 2021

I had exactly this problem and found a full resolution.
My screen washer fluid light stayed on all the time and I tried all the electrical tests
I also noticed that the fluid in the reservoir had a really awful stink almost like poo. It was also very viscous.
I flushed the tank two or three times and the light has functioned correctly ever since.
I concluded that as I almost never used the washers and the tank is so large the fluid could have been in there for years.
Hope this helps

I'd suggest you clean the tank/reservoir again and wash out with Milton's sterilising solution and/or bleach solution. When you fill up again make up a strong windscreen wash solution and only partially fill the tank. See if this helps

[Rambo]

Further info. here John........viewtopic.php?f=28&t=29022

[dapinky]

Well, in over 16 years of ownership of elans I have never even known if the 'low water level' lamp works or not, because it never runs down low enough to find out.

I tend to only part-fill it anyway as I see no point in carrying around extra fluid I won't ever use, and simply add a splash if I see it getting low.

Unless you live somewhere that you are regularly needing to clean your windscreen (and you forget to check it), I'd be tempted to just remove/disconnect the bulb or a wire and leave it at that. I accept that a 'proper repair' is always the best option, but there are some jobs simply not worth the effort.

[jgbff7]

Thank you.

I do not easily admit defeat but.....

The bottle is held by three bolts. I can get to two but the third is hard up against the wing and a can barely touch it let alone get a socket on it.

So I thought the best idea is to disconnect the float cable. There is a cable that comes out of the bottle which I assume is the float swtich. It has two wires, one black and one orange. So I disconnected both....

Low and behold the light on the dash is still on. The washer still works as I would expect as it is on a differnt circuit. But the light remains on.

The bewildered of Lymington

John

[Fredjohn]

To access the awkward bolt, use a ¼" or ⅜" drive flexible shaft.

Worked fine for me, no problem.

[peteoddcar]

I had left Lotus several years before the S2 was manufactured so can’t be absolutely sure about my assumptions so they remain as assumptions.
If the switch is disconnected and it’s still on this would be my next check.
Checking sheet 7 on S2 diagrams, removing the delay module should extinguish the low fluid lamp.
Not sure where it is on an S2 but my guess is that it it in the same position as a LHD S1 see page 13 of Electrical manual. If anyone else can offer a definitive position please do so.
The module is probably the same as an 88 onwards Excel low fuel delay module as it would do exactly the same job, ie stop the lamp from flashing randomly when fluid is low, requiring a constant low signal ( closed switch) for about 5 seconds.

It’s also very likely that a wrong module or relay could be fitted if anyone has been in that area fiddling before.

I found a part number for the Excel part it’s 089M6330F

Alternative would be to remove the module assuming it’s faulty and link the ORANGE wire and the ORANGE / PINK which will probably be pins 4&6 and the warning lamp will work but not be damped.
Hope that helps.

[jgbff7]

Thank you very much.This is very helpful

The electrical service notes put the delay relay on the S2 in the boot but it looks as if it was relocated at some stage to the group of relays down by the steering column, which is where it was located for LHD cars.

That is my next place to look tomorrow. With that removed I hope the light wll go out and I shall leave it at that unless I can get a new relay. The fact the light remains on with the float switch wires disconnected suggests to me ( and I am no electrician) that the bulb is getting live and earth via the relay in some way.

Access to the relay block is less than ideal. I suspect it will be a mirror and feel job.

Thanks for your help

John

[jgbff7]

SJ Sportscars list the Excel part number as available for a cool £117.

I do not think that I am so reliant on the washer warning light to justify that much. I'll check the bottle once in a blue moon.

J

[GeoffSmith]

The penny dropped reading this thread so I put some information on the thread I started. The module (red) position is shown on the Wiki S2 relay diagram:



{For Pete - The light is driven from a D type flip-flop with reset derived from the switched ignition supply.} Once triggered the light should stay on and it can only be cleared by topping up the washer bottle AND cycling the ignition.

[peteoddcar]

Thanks Geoff
So they did do it properly on the S2 - are the LHD S1s the same as S2 with the flip flop?
The lamp only works when washers pressed was the launch bodge I came up with after the press car feed back. I never liked it as a design.

[Rambo]

See John? I said we were a helpful and friendly lot on LEC. There won't be many problems you encounterthat the experts haven't come across before or can't sort

[jgbff7]

Thank you all for your help. I have the relay out and the light is now extinguished. Good enough for me.

The relay is the right part number D089M6330F and looks old so I expect it is original and has packed up.

Progress.

John

[peteoddcar]

John
Don’t bin it - it might be repairable - Geoff???