i picked up my 1975 spider today....

[btoran]

and drive it about 70 miles. i got lots of looks and about a dozen comments from motorists and pedestrians in bklyn, manhattan, and the long island expressway. it's a real head-turner. pictures to come in the next few days.

the car handled well but i think i have a few issues and could use some advice.

1. the idle seems to be set too low. it sounds like the car wants to shut itself off, and it did about half a dozens times after i had come to a stop. it started right up again each time.

2. twice, the red light under the tach came on indicating a charging problem (according to the manual). after a while, the light went out. it seems to have gone on shortly after a stall at idle.

3. the turn signals worked intermittantly. sometimes they blinked fast, sometimes slow, and sometimes, not at all. they seemed to malfunction more frequently after a stall at idle, but also at other times.

4. the dash lights were not functioning.

5. the wipers were not functioning.

so, is this simply a matter of resetting the idle and doing a brown wire fix, a 95 amp alternator, and light relay?

[So Cal Mark]

you may have some loose/corroded fuses in the box. I'd check all of them first. The brown wire fix and alternator upgrade are certainly great things, but they won't overcome poor connections anywhere in the system

[btoran]

mark - thanks. after a few hours tinkering in the garage the dash lights and wipers are now working. i took the fuses out and cleaned the ends. going to replace them all tomorrow. i'm pretty sure the rear, driver-side tail light is mis-wired because it blinks funky (inside color instead of outside one) with the turn signal and the hazards. didn't swap them because i just ran out of steam.

a few things still aren't working:

- the heater fan switch is permanently stuck in one position and will have to be swapped for a new one.
- the windshield washers aren't working. need to spend some more time on that one.
- the idiot lights don't work because there are no bulbs in them (doh!).
- the clock doesn't work and was actually making a faint chirping sound. i pulled the plug and the chirping stopped. any idea about the chirping?

i still think the idle needs to be reset and i'll have the shop check it when they inspect the car tomorrow.

two quick questions...

1. what in the world is an "Ideogram illumination intensity adjustment potentiometer" for?
2. there are vents under the dash pointing down that are operated by a lever under the dash to the left of the steering wheel. which position should the lever be in for fresh air vs closed?

[seabeelt]

Have to experiment with the lever for the fresh air under the dash, our 71 has the same setup. Ideograms, is the knob on the middle section of the dash to make the instrument lights brighter or dimmer depending on the setting. (Like a dimmer switch for your house lights). The other knob is fast or slow setting for the wipers. I put the 5watt bulbs in the dash and it makes a real difference. If you have voltage at the windshield washer pump when you pull the lever inwards, it is most likely the pump. The seal,between the impeller and the little motor leaks causing the motor to rust to the housing. Fixed this twice on our car so far. (Guess I just need to buy a new pump )

Sounds like a nice project
R/

[btoran]

thanks for the hint on the washer. i'll check it out.

where do the 5 watt bulbs go for the dash?

as far as the cluster of idiot lights and stuff in the middle of the dash are concerned, there is a wheel on the top that rolls left and right, which is labelled in the manual as the "Ideogram illumination intensity adjustment potentiometer". then there are two knobs below it. the knob on the left adjusts the intermittent speed of the wipers. the one on the right is labelled in the manual as "knob switch and reostat for instrument cluster lighting". if the knob in the middle right adjusts the instrument cluster lights, what does the wheel on top do?

[SpecialTool]

The wheel adjusts the intensity of the light in the hazard switch and the ring around the cig lighter independent of the gauges. Not sure why they made that a separate circuit from the gauge lights. That wheel is ugly and when I eventually get around to redoing the dash I will hide it behind the new panel.