design - Land Rover section

 

Lucas wiring colour codes for Land Rover

British Standards Institution # BS-AU7 Colour Code for Vehicle Wiring

The British Standards institution (BSI) creates and maintains standards for British industries, one of which is colour coding automotive wire insulation based upon the use of the wire.  This is a great help to those of us maintaining our own British cars allowing us to glance at a wire and know what it is being used for.  This standard is periodically updated as vehicles become more complex with more colour combinations used and in some cases the uses are changed for a colour combination. Colour code tables for BS-AU7a (1983 revision) and newer are commonly available on the net.  What I am trying to document is colour uses for 1960's and earlier British cars.  I may miss some colours & some uses. Series III Land Rovers have a more complicated wiring system using additional coloured wires, but most of the uses remain the same as called out in this page. Additionally, replacement wire harness manufacturers have to pick a version of the standard for building their looms and the version they use may be newer than what your vehicle was originally built to so some insulation colours might not match what your vehicle had from the factory. 

I have added some newer standard codes for accessories that might be added to a series Land Rover, such as rear fog lamps, a rear window wiper and washer, driving lamps, radio and electric fan.  In general solid colours go from the power source to a switch and a stripped wire goes from the switch to the switched electrical component.   If you have a newer vehicle with more a more complicated electrical system here is a link to a chart that covers newer vehicles as outlines in a newer version of the colour code.

Please note that Land Rovers built to military specifications use a different wire colour code.

Source for colour coded wires, wire harnesses, connectors and tools in the US: British Wiring

Black

All ground connections

Black/ Purple

Temperature switch to warning light

Black/ Green

Relay to radiator fan motor, windscreen wiper switch to single speed wiper motor.

Black/ Light green

Brake switch

Black/ Light green

Brake differential pressure valve to warning light

Black/Orange

Radiator fan motor to thermal switch

Black/red

From 3 prong flasher unit to flasher light

Black/white

Flasher unit light to ground

Blue

Headlamp connections

Blue

Headlamp switch to dimmer switch

Blue White

Headlight high beams, Dimmer switch to long-range driving light switch

Blue/ White

High beam dimmer switch to high beam indicator lamp

Blue/ light green

Windscreen wiper switch to motor

Blue/ Red

Headlight low beams

Blue/ Yellow

Long range driving lamp switch to lamp

Brown

Main feed from the battery. No switches or fuses

Brown/Yellow

GEN 'D' to volt. Regulator 'D'.  Ignition warning light

Brown/ Blue

power feed to headlamp switch and voltage regulator to ignition switch

Brown/ White

Ammeter to main alternator terminal, or voltage regulator

Brown/ Yellow

Alternator to 'no charge' warning light

Brown/ Purple

Alternator Regulator feed

Brown/ Green

Fuse to horn (No relay), Generator 'F' to voltage regulator 'F'

Brown/ Lt. Green

Windscreen wiper motor to switch

Brown/ Black

Horn to horn button (no relay)

Green

Ignition switch controlled wiring for auxiliary devices, switched 12V to individual wiper motors, to brake lite switch, flashers, etc

Green/ Black

Fuel gauge to fuel tank unit (Light green/black for vehicles with voltage stabilizer)

Green/ Orange

fuel low level warning light to sensor on fuel tank

Green/ Slate

Heater motor to fast position on 2 speed heater swtch

Green/ Blue

Water temperature gauge to temperature sender unit  (Light green/black for vehicles with voltage stabilizer)

Green/ Blue

low fuel warning light to fuel sender unit.

Green/ Brown

Switch to reverse lamp

Green/ Red

Direction indicator switch to left-hand flasher lamps

Green/ Purple

Stop lamp switch to stop lamps

Green/ White

Direction indicator switch to right hand flasher lamps

Green/ Yellow

Heater switch to slow speed on heater motor or for single speed motor

Green/ Yellow

oil pressure light to oil pressure switch

Green/ Gray

Heater switch to high speed on heater motor

Light green

voltage stabilizer to instruments on LRs fitted with voltage stabilizer

Light green

choke cable mechanical switch to carburetter heater element (Solex optional fitment)

Light green/ Black

Windscreen washer switch to washer motor

Light green/ Blue

Flasher switch to left-hand flasher warning light

Light green/ Yellow

Flasher switch to right-hand flasher warning light

Light green/ Brown

Flasher switch to flasher unit 'L'

Light green/ Purple

Flasher unit 'F' to flasher warning light

Light green/ Orange

Rear window washer switch to motor

Light green/ Red

fuel mixture light to fuel mixture thermostat switch (vech. with carb heater)

Orange

Wiper circuit (single motor wiper system)

Orange/ Black

Wiper switch to to motor parking

Orange/ Blue

wiper switch to low speed on motor

Orange/ Green

Wiper switch to high speed on motor

Orange/ Yellow

Rear wiper switch to rear wiper motor

Orange/ Light green

switch to rear window motor parking

Purple

Accessories fed direct from battery via fuse  (Always live)

Purple/ Brown

Horn fuse to horn relay when horn is fused separately

Purple/ Red

Switches to map light, under bonnet light, glove box light and boot lamp when fed direct from battery fuse

Red

Tail lights, instrument lights, parking lights and side markers

Red/ Yellow

Fog light switch to fog light or front fog light fuse to fog lights

Red/ Blue

Front fog light fuse to fog light switch

Red/ Brown

Rear fog guard switch to lamps

Red Orange

Power to rear fog guard lamp fuse

Red/ White

Fuse to instrument lamp switch, Instrument panel lamps

White

Ignition circuit, no additional switches, not fused

White

Power to coil, fuse to cold running light (vech. w/o carb heater)

White

Power to electric fuel pump

White/ Black

Ignition coil to distributor

White/ Black

Distributor side of coil to tach impulse sensor

White/ Black

mechanical choke cable mounted switch to cold running thermostat switch (1960's vech. w/o carb heater)

White/ yellow

mechanical switch on choke cable to thermostat switch( in 1970's, white black earlier)

White/ Brown

Oil pressure switch to warning light or gauge

White/ Blue

cold runing light to mechanical switch on choke cable (vech. w/o carb heater) (light blue in 1970's)

White/ Pink

Ignition switch to radio fuse

White/ Red

Ignition switch or starter switch to starter solenoid

Yellow

Generator connections wired through the ignition switch and electric overdrive wiring

Yellow

Dynamo 'D' to voltage regulator 'D', Voltage regulator 'D' to gen. light on instrument panel

Yellow/ Green

Dynamo 'F' to control box 'F' Alternator field 'F' to control box 'F'

Yellow/ brown
yellow/Blue
Yellow/Rd
Yellow/purple
Yellow/Gren

Overdrive related wiring

 Note that this is an abreviated list showing colours most likely encountered on a Series Land Rover and circuits a Series Land Rover owner is likely to add to their vehcle.  Here is a link to a colour code chart that covers newer vehicles with more electronics.

Aproximately equivelent wire sizes and capacities:

British standard

U.S. standard

AMP carrying
capacity

General
uses

14 strand

18 gauge

8 amps

tail & side lamps. general instrument wiring

28 strand

14 gauge

17 amps

Headlamps, horns, Aux lighting

44 strand

12 guage

25.5 amps

Generator to Control box & Ammeter

65 strand

10 guage

35 Amps

30 AMP alternator feed & ammeter

 

Generator voltage regulator connections:

Early positive earth voltage regulator with 5 posts

Regulator
post label

wire
colours

 
Go to

AL

Brown/Blue
2 wires

A contact ign sw.
Fuse block (always hot fuse

A

Brown/White

Amp meter

F

Yellow/Green

F terminal Generator

D

Yellow
2 wires

D terminal Generator
Gen light in panel

E

Black

Ground

Neg earth IIA voltage regulator with 3 posts

Regulator
post label

wire
colours

 
go to

B

Brown/White

Amp Meter

F

Yellow/Green

F terminal genertor

D

Yellow
2 wires

D terminal Generator
Gen light in panel

 

 

Flasher pin code:

Flasher units have to be connected to the turn signal switch circuit in a certain way and are marked in a way that is far from obvious. So here are the markings and where they go for a 3 prong flasher unit. The same code works for the 2 pin flasher as well.

Flasher pin label

What it connects to

X

Switched 12 V (green wire)

L

 Power to turn signal lights

P

power to flasher indicator light

Headlamp socket:

Sometimes you might purchase a replacement headlamp socket from a company that provides pig tail leads that do not follow ther British standard and you need to figure out which circuit each lead needs to be connected to.

headlamp socket wiring

 

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