i dont know what to do but when ever i use my indicators or brakes my sound system dies then turns back on after a few seconds...? also my tacho dips to a lower rev (without the engine revs actually changing) when my blinker lights are on then back up when they are off. is my battery cooked or am i draining my supply a little with the sound system? any help is much appreciated cheers

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Enjoy Chris

If you can still fire up the car each time it shouldn't be the battery. Sounds more like a dodgy connection, check your earths and fuses. Check for rusty or loose connections. Might also be a rubbed through power wire that is shorting to earth but less likely as it happens on multiple circuits.
Good luck

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Michael N

could be a few issues, I doubt that a blinker could load down the 12 volts enough to cause it.

It may be a very poor connection in the 12 volt supply to the fuse block, or it may be a very alternator/battery voltage, have you measured the voltage at the battery?
Also a wire may be shorted to earth, need to check this as it will melt an burn if it stays on too long.

Does it start nicely?

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

she starts beautifully i charged her last night just to be sure. it is related to brake lights and blinkers it always happens when i use one or both of them and more so at night time

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Enjoy Chris

But not the headlights?

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

if i turn the head lights on yes or if i have them on and idle with out reving just on start up then yes but not if im driving around with them on

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Enjoy Chris

The 12 volt feed for the blinkers and the brake lights both come from the downstream side of the switched fuse. I'll bet the stereo is connected to that point as well.

maybe remove the fuse and check the contact is tight, sand the brass contacts and remove any dirt. While there, check the ohms to the chassis of the disconnected brake and indicator wires for giggles (both are green).

Have someone stand on the brake, the multimeter should register a resistance, but it won't be zero, i forget off the top of my head what a 12 volt indicator bulb should measure but around .4 of an ohm should be what you expect for all the indicators and .75 for both brake lights maybe.

It may be a dirty connection that drops the voltage when current is drawn, but it sounds like afew too many volts to be from a blinker or brake light all the same.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

there is another thing that i havent mentioned the battery was overcharged for months by a home alternator generator job as the car had transplanted and confused wires between generators altenators etc during the one service i got for the car just to make sure a pro looked it over they changed to an internally ragulated alternator could this have any effect? thanks for all the help by the way ill be checking all ur suggestions

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Enjoy Chris

Maybe, what is the voltage at the battery fully charged. It could be that the battery voltage is so low that the stereo drops out when the voltage drops further, but it would have to be pretty low and it would reflect in how the car likes to start. Maybe around 10 to 11 volts.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

would i be able to switch the fuse the head unit runs off (i dont know much on the electrical side of minis) im pretty sure the multi reads 12 or close to it

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Enjoy Chris

Make sure the charging system is at a high enough voltage or look at the alternator or the battery.


You can't blame one blinker or the other as they are isolated from each other until used so it has to be before the flasher can.

Maybe also for the brake lights as the fault exists in the blinkers as well as the brake lights.

my money is on checking the battery voltage, and then after that cleaning up the connections in and around the fuse box.

Measure the voltage on both sides of the fuse before and after turning the brakes on. If it is higher on one side the problem lies there, if it goes low on both sides of the fuse then it is more towards the wire from the fuse to the solenoid.

If you switched the fuse, that would not cure the problem, and the stereo would be powered 24/7. it may be that it is very sensitive to voltage, but it shouldn't be that picky.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

ok battery is sitting at 13v i played around with my connections in the fuse box all seem very solid and not rusty at all do have a problrm with the light switch it is a 1966 original and its internal contacts are bad causing it to heat slowly. thanks so much for your suggestions ill have a closer look into it in the light tommoz

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Enjoy Chris

that sounds like the same thing that happened to me the first nite i broke down in tiny, along the motorway when i hit the brakes the cd player turned on and off with the pedal till it eventually died then my gauges starting playing up giving wrong readings then finally died then my lights started to dim to the point where they may as well had been off then my blinkers started to work then didnt then last but not least the fuel pump started to struggle to run and tiny decided not to run doing 100 down the motorway turns out and im still having the problem that the battery died cause me alternator isnt charging it

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oil leak?..what oil leak..that puddle under the car is just sweat from all that horsepower

Try measuring it again with the engine running, charge light out and headlights on.

the battery voltage with everything off may rise to 13 volts, but drop away quickly once an electrical load is put on it.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Something thats fairly easily to test is the connection within the indicator switch/stalk, I know mine had a dodgy connection that was draining more volts then normal. Clean the contacts and check the volts. Mine isn't the best and this caused the highlights to dim and ocasionally go onto high beam or cut out completely. During this time the stereo also dimmed never stopped but he backing light dimmed it look like it was off. This is a side issue I had before my altentator problem I've mentioned recently.

Best thing to do is check ohms and volts and make sure your earth is strong as well and also do what other that have replied saying to do as if nothing else it won't hurt to test everything.

Best of luck and I hope you sort the issue out.