Help identifying Relays and other wiring questions

[SteinOnkel]

Salve!

I've been digging around in my relay board and could use some help identifying which ones do which. The forum posts where this has been asked before are all of dead pictures (thanks photobucket!) and the wiring diagrams aren't too much help either.

It's a 1978 California Model.



So far I've got:

1) Hazard/Flasher
2) A former emissions related relay that I have repurposed as a starter relay
3) ???
4) ???
5) ???
6) My brand new tiny bell door chime relay (I love it!)
7) This is some sort of time-delay. Upon ignition turned on, it illuminates the "Brake" and "Fasten Seatbelt" warning lights for around 10 seconds
8 ) ???

Now what I'm trying to do is to get 7) to power 6) in the same manner it powers the warning lights. I know that 7) triggers 4) in the same manner as the warning lights. However, I'm not sure which pins off of the 4)'s connector I need to connect to 6). Does that make sense?

I feel like 7) switches ground.

As mentioned above, I care not for any emissions related malarky. Judging by the dpo's liberal use of a sidecutter, I don't think I will ever get 6) to function the way it was supposed to from the factory. It wasn't enough for them to just disconnect the old buzzer-style relay, oh no. They chopped everything and then some.

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Another issue I have is that I disconnected the interior light. Like a fool, I did not mark the wires. There are three of them and they appear to be original, so if somebody could send me a picture of how they are supposed to connect, that would be most helpful.

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The "Brake" light trigger on the handbrake. I finally found it and if I manually move the wire to ground, it works Unfortunately, my connector inside the heater controls has seen better days. It appears there is a nut missing to hold it in place. Also there was a tiny rusty spring that I promptly lost, which I will be replacing with one out of a pen. I'm not sure exactly how it's all supposed to go together. Pictures would be greatly appreciated.


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Def Fan/Heater Control bulbs? I found a bunch of them under the center console. They are plastic with white lettering and each have one wire going to them. I'm guessing these are for illumination? How on earth do they work? Are the wires simply supposed to supply 12v? How are the "bulbs" grounded?

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Thanks
Steiny

[gschwab]

I can't really help with most things, as my car is a '79, and there are quite a few differences.
However, I can help with the lighting for the heater controls. The "cables" going to the signs are actually fiber optics. There is a bulb under the dash, to the right of the steering column that illuminates the ends of the fiber optics, so the other ends will emit some light. Hope this helps!

[SteinOnkel]

I can't really help with most things, as my car is a '79, and there are quite a few differences.
However, I can help with the lighting for the heater controls. The "cables" going to the signs are actually fiber optics. There is a bulb under the dash, to the right of the steering column that illuminates the ends of the fiber optics, so the other ends will emit some light. Hope this helps!

That's immensely helpful! I bet you that bulb is burned out, as all four of them are dead as a doorknob. Seems like a super easy fix.

[spider2081]

I think :
the center one (4) is the ignition mode relay
one end one is Diverter valve bypass relay
The other end one is fasten seat belt relay

[SteinOnkel]

I think :
the center one (4) is the ignition mode relay

This one switches from cold-start points to running points? That's all gone anyways, it's got electronic ignition.

one end one is Diverter valve bypass relay
The other end one is fasten seat belt relay

Which numbers would these be? I'm confused.

[spider2081]

its very hard for me to make out t he wire colors in the photo however from the number of wires i think your #5 is the seat belt relay and # 3 is the diverter bypass relay.

[SteinOnkel]

its very hard for me to make out t he wire colors in the photo however from the number of wires i think your #5 is the seat belt relay and # 3 is the diverter bypass relay.

Hmm so what do these relays do?

[spider2081]

Hmm so what do these relays do?

I think it would be helpful for you to purchase a maintenance manual and owners manual for your car. Also join Mirafiori.com and access their library. it contains all the wire diagrams and many owners manuals.

[SteinOnkel]

I have all that and have been studying them. It seems the California models got a few more extra "goodies" relay-wise that are not clearly explained anywhere.

Guess it's trial and error.

[spider2081]

It seems the California models got a few more extra "goodies" relay-wise that are not clearly explained anywhere.

This could very well be. I would not have access to that info either. Maybe someone else can assist you. If your car has been converted to electronic ignition the ignition control relay may have been modified by Previous owner. If emissions have been tampered with the diverter bypass circuit may also have been modified. If the car does not have the original seat belts that circuit could have been modified.
So it does take time and research to figure out where a 40 year old cars wiring stands even with factory produced manuals and wire diagrams.
I have found some Fiats wire colors are not what is in the wire diagram for the car. This can add to the confusion and time it takes to sort things out.
Good luck the fun of driving a Fiat Spider makes the effort fixing them worth while.

[SteinOnkel]

Okay, major progress tonight.

#4 is definitely the seatbelt relay. There is continuity between the wire going to the seatbelt spool and one of the pins on the relay.

I got my interior light to work again and the door chime now works as follows:

If you have the ignition on and one of the doors open, then after about 10 seconds it will begin to ring.

That's not how it's supposed to work, but that's good enough for me. If I'm doing electrical work on the car, I don't want to have to disconnect that thing all the time.

The handbrake light also works, but there is a piece missing that I will need to find.

What the other relays do I haven't a clue. I don't think it matters.