Jensen Monday Club

Lucas Wiring Colour Codes

 

After working with on British cars for a while you may have noticed the same colour wires being used in similar circumstances from car to car. Truth be told, there is a standard for wire colours published by the British Standards Institution in London.

Your wiring may differ (no telling how many times it has been patched or replaced), but in general you can count on brown wires being un-fused power, black wires going to ground, etc. and so being familiar with the standard really is quite useful.

 

 

Main

Tracer

Standard Usage

 

Black

 

All earth connections

 

Black

Blue

Tachometer generator to tachometer

 

Black

Brown

Tachometer generator to tachometer

 

Black

Green

Relay to radiator fan motor

 

Black

Light green

Vacuum brake switch or brake differential pressure valve to warning light and/or buzzer

 

Black

Orange

Radiator fan motor to thermal switch

 

Black

Purple

Temperature switch to warning light

 

Black

Red

Electric or electronic speedometer to sensor

 

Black

White

Brake fluid level warning light to switch and hand brake switch, or radio to speakers

 

Black

Yellow

Electric speedometer

 

Blue

 

Lighting switch (head) to dip switch

 

Blue

Black

Fuse to right-hand main headlamp

 

Blue

Brown

Headlamp relay to headlamp fuse

 

Blue

Light green

Headlamp wiper motor to headlamp wash pump motor

 

Blue

Orange

Fuse to right-hand dip headlamp

 

Blue

Pink

Fuse to left-hand dip headlamp

 

Blue

Red

Dip switch to headlamp dip beam fuse
Fuse to right-hand dip headlamp

 

Blue

Slate

Headlamp main beam fuse to left-hand headlamp or inboard headlamps when independently fused

 

Blue

White

a) Dip switch to headlamp main beam fuse
b) Headlamp flasher to main beam fuse
c) Dip switch main beam warning light
d) Dip switch to long-range driving light switch

 

Blue

Yellow

Long-range driving light switch to lamp

 

Brown

Blue

Control box (compensated voltage control only) to ignition switch and lighting switch (feed)

 

Brown

 

Main battery lead, un-fused

 

Brown

Black

Alternator battery sensing lead

 

Brown

Green

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

 

Brown

Orange

Fuel shut-off (diesel stop)

 

Brown

Purple

Alternator regulator feed

 

Brown

Red

Compression ignition starting aid to switch
Main battery feed to double pole ignition switch

 

Brown

Slate

Starter relay contact to starter solenoid

 

Brown

White

Ammeter to control box
Ammeter to main alternator terminal

 

Brown

Yellow

Alternator to 'no charge' warning light

 

Green

 

Accessories fused via ignition switch

 

Green

Black

Fuel gauge to fuel tank unit or changeover switch or voltage stabilizer to tank units

 

Green

Blue

Water temperature gauge to temperature unit

 

Green

Brown

Switch to reverse lamp

 

Green

Light green

Hazard flasher unit to hazard pilot lamp or lamp failure unit to stop lamp bulbs

 

Green

Orange

Low fuel level switch to warning light

 

Green

Pink

Fuse to flasher unit

 

Green

Purple

Stop lamp switch to stop lamps, or stop lamp switch to lamp failure unit

 

Green

Red

Direction indicator switch to left-hand flasher lamps

 

Green

Slate

a) Heater motor to switch ('fast' on two- or three-speed motor)
b) Coolant level unit to warning light

 

Green

White

Direction indicator switch to right hand flasher lamps

 

Green

Yellow

Heater motor to switch single speed (or to 'slow' on two or three-speed motor)

 

Light green

 

Instrument voltage stabilizer to instruments

 

Light green

Black

Front screen jet switch to screen jet motor

 

Light green

Blue

a) Flasher switch to left-hand flasher warning light
b) Coolant level sensor to control unit
c) Test switch to coolant level control unit

 

Light green

Brown

Flasher switch to flasher unit

 

Light green

Green

Start inhibitor relay to change speed switch; or switch to heater blower motor second speed on three-speed unit

 

Light green

Orange

Rear window wash switch to wash pump; or cab lock-down switch to warning light

 

Light green

Purple

Flasher unit to flasher warning light

 

Light green

Red

Fuel tank changeover switch to right-hand tank unit or entry and exit door closed switch to door actuator

 

Light green

Slate

Fuel tank changeover switch to left-hand tank unit; or entry and exit door open switch to door actuator

 

Light green

White

Low air pressure switch to buzzer and warning light

 

Light green

Yellow

Flasher switch to right-hand warning light; or differential lock switch to differential lock warning light

 

Orange

 

Wiper circuits fused via ignition switch

 

Orange

Black

Switch to front screen wiper motor parking circuit, timer or intermittent unit

 

Orange

Blue

Switch to front screen wiper motor first speed timer or intermittent unit

 

Orange

Green

Switch to front screen wiper motor second speed

 

Orange

Light green

Switch to headlamp or rear window wiper motor parking circuit timer or relay coil

 

Orange

Pink

Timer or relay to headlamp or rear window wiper motor feed

 

Orange

Purple

Timer or intermittent unit to motor parking circuit

 

Orange

Slate

Timer or relay to headlamp or rear window wiper motor parking circuit

 

Orange

White

Timer or intermittent unit to motor parking circuit

 

Orange

Yellow

Switch to headlamp or rear window wiper motor feed, timer or relay coil

 

Pink

white

Ballast terminal to ignition distributor

 

Purple

 

Accessories fed direct from battery via fuse

 

Purple

Black

Horn to horn relay to horn push

 

Purple

Blue

Fuse to heated rear window relay or switch and warning light

 

Purple

Brown

Horn fuse to horn relay when horn is fused separately

 

Purple

Green

Fuse to hazard flasher

 

Purple

Light green

Fuse to relay for screen demister

 

Purple

Orange

Aerial lift motor to switch down

 

Purple

Pink

Rear heated window to switch or relay

 

Purple

Red

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

 

Purple

Slate

Aerial lift motor to switch up

 

Purple

White

Interior lights to switch (subsidiary circuit door safety lights to switch)

 

Purple

Yellow

Horn to horn relay

 

Red

 

Main feed to all circuits mastered by side lamp switch

 

Red

Black

Left-hand, side lamp fuse to side and tail lamps and number plate illumination

 

Red

Blue

Front fog lamp fuse to fog lamp switch

 

Red

Brown

Rear fog guard switch to lamps

 

Red

Green

Bulb failure unit to right-hand-side and rear lamps

 

Red

Orange

Fuse box to rear fog guard switch

 

Red

Pink

Side lamp fuse to lighting relay

 

Red

Purple

Switches to map light, under bonnet light, glove box light and boot lamp when side lamp circuit fed

 

Red

Slate

Lamp failure unit to left-hand side and tail lamps

 

Red

White

a) Side lamp fuse to right-hand side and rear lamps
b) Side lamp fuse to panel light rheostat
c) Fuse to panel light switch or rheostat
d) Fuse to fibre optic source

 

Red

Yellow

Fog lamp switch to fog lamp or front fog fuse to fog lamps

 

Slate

 

Window lift main lead

 

White

 

Ignition switch or starter solenoid to ballast resistor

 

White

Black

Ignition coil contact breaker to distributor contact breaker, or distributor side of coil to voltage impulse tachometer

 

White

Blue

Choke switch to choke solenoid (un-fused) and/or choke to switch to warning light, or electronic ignition distributor to drive resistor

 

White

Brown

Oil pressure switch to warning light or gauge, or starter relay to oil pressure switch

 

White

Green

Fuel pump no 2 or left-hand to changeover switch

 

White

Light green

Start switch to starter interlock or oil pressure switch to fuel pump or start inhibitor switch to starter relay or solenoid

 

White

Orange

Hazard warning lead to switch

 

White

Pink

Ignition switch to radio fuse

 

White

Purple

Fuel pump no 1 or right-hand to changeover switch

 

White

Red

Starter switch to starter solenoid or inhibitor switch or starter relay or ignition (start position) to bulb failure unit

 

White

Slate

Current tachometer to ignition coil

 

White

Yellow

Ballast resistor to coil or starter solenoid to coil

 

Yellow

 

a) Overdrive
b) Petrol injection
c) Door locks
d) Gear selector switch to start