Extra stop lamp switch wiring?

[Jonathan]

Can anyone help me identify whether some of this wiring is extra and could be removed?

I was looking around in the drivers footwell and spotted the red plastic splice connector you can see in the first photo. After just commenting in an earlier thread this week about these things not being factory, I found one in my car and wondered why it was there. In that same photo, it travels back into an inline fuse holder (much like ones on the original radio power wiring) and then connects to a GREEN-PURPLE wire.

It was taped with some fairly bright blue tape to another collection of wires (another sign it wasn't factory?) and then sneaks around behind the pedals and reappears over by the stop lamp switch connections.

http://store.delorean.com/p-7043-stop-lamp-microswitch.aspx

In the second photo, I had taken off another piece of the blue tape and under it was a 3rd black connector with two GP wires meeting in it, but the connector wasn't attached to anything. Instead, the connector that snaked around from the inline fuse and red splice was in the top spade connector of the stop lamp switch. It looks like the double GP wire taped back connector should be there instead.

When I look at the section of wiring diagram for this stop lamp switch, the double GP wire is going each of the two taillights and the other side of the switch with the lone GP wire goes to fuse #18 for the stop lights.

I would expect that connecting it back the way it seems it should go wouldn't be a bad idea, unless someone here spots something I don't see?

Does anyone recognize this white label I am holding open in the photo? It is on the extra wire that comes off the splice, but I don't know what the numbering on it means. RISTS Ltd???

The splice wire looks to originating from the RED-BROWN wire on the jumble that's going towards the steering column/wiper stalk, but I don't see much on the wiring diagram that this wire could be other than a RN wire for the HVAC panel illumination. None of this explains to me why though the brake lights do both come on when you press the brake, yet it seems the one pair of wires thought to be going there aren't connected to anything.

Ideas?

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[Rich]

Does anyone recognize this white label I am holding open in the photo? It is on the extra wire that comes off the splice, but I don't know what the numbering on it means. RISTS Ltd???

Leave that alone. It's OE wiring.

Rists, Ltd. is/was a UK-based supplier of electrical components to the auto industry.

[Rich]

Nice of you to include the wiring diagram image and the pics.

I can't work it all out even with that. But here's a general comment and then a question.

Comment: Many D's got fitted along the way with aftermarket cruise control systems. The electrics for that system needed 12V+, a ground connection and - wait for it - a tapped 12V signal off of the (GP) brake light wiring downstream of the brake switch in order to get the disengage-cruise-mode-upon-braking command. So at least some of what you are seeing up behind the dash could be the result of that.

Question: Other than doing some cleanup is there any particular reason you want to sort out that mess? That is, does your car run well and do all of the lights and accessories behave like they should? If so I'd just be sure there aren't any exposed terminals and tuck it away.

[Jonathan]

Nice of you to include the wiring diagram image and the pics.

I can't work it all out even with that. But here's a general comment and then a question.

Comment: Many D's got fitted along the way with aftermarket cruise control systems. The electrics for that system needed 12V+, a ground connection and - wait for it - a tapped 12V signal off of the (GP) brake light wiring downstream of the brake switch in order to get the disengage-cruise-mode-upon-braking command. So at least some of what you are seeing up behind the dash could be the result of that.

Question: Other than doing some cleanup is there any particular reason you want to sort out that mess? That is, does your car run well and do all of the lights and accessories behave like they should? If so I'd just be sure there aren't any exposed terminals and tuck it away.

You could very well be right about the cruise control. Good point. I recently took away a splice (just the plastic piece, the wiring was already gone) that someone informed me was likely there to get the tach/engine speed or something along those lines. I don't doubt my car did have cruise control at some point, but had mostly been removed before I bought it.

You are 100% right on your other comment. All lights work and it was purely just a clean-up/purge-the-unnecessary approach. I'll go get in there and get a much clearer understanding of exactly what is connected to what, but ultimately, like you said, I might just leave well enough alone and tape off anything exposed and be done with it. The car is far from perfect, so a little extra piece of plastic connector won't make a hill of beans difference. Thanks :)

[Rich]

..... I don't doubt my car did have cruise control at some point, but had mostly been removed before I bought it.

Leftovers to clean up after a cruise system is disabled include a throttle override linkage or driver that snakes around from the right side of the engine toward the back of the engine bay. If you see some nicks in the turn signal stalk that's a clue that somebody tacked on a CC system. That's a typical mounting location for the control pod.

Be sure your throttle linkage is clear with no unnecessary cables or links hanging off of it, if only from a safety standpoint.

Sometimes there's a vacuum reservoir tacked onto the left rear of the engine bay to go with that. You may find mystery holes and brackets over there as a result. And then there's all of the associated wiring, as you are all too aware now.

Happy to hear that the car's otherwise in good shape operationally.