Re: 164 rear lighting mod

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In V8 #584, Alpo asks for tips to modify his US 164 to European amber rear turn signals.

I haven't performed this mod, but this is how I would do it. I apologize if the description is sparse on some points but I am traveling without my US Electrical Wiring Manual.

The US model has a control unit for the rear lamps in the pass. side foot well. This unit mixes the signal from the blinker with the signal from the brake pedal to run the high filament of the dual filament bulbs in the tail lights. I believe it is called N44. You won't need this. Instead you will power the tail lights from the lines coming out of N22, the Alfa Romeo Control Unit, and going to N44 connector. On European models, the brake lights are supplied by N22 terminals A7 (left) and A5 (right). From my present location, I can't tell which pins these correspond to on the connector that goes into N44, but this should be easy to tell from a US diagram (also available on the Cardisc CD-ROM) or with a digital voltmeter (don't use an analog one, it may cause electronic damage). Similarly, there are pins in the N44 connector for the turn signals. For the tail lights proper, tap into the low filament line anywhere you want.

Once you have determined which pins you need on the N44, you can connect with spade plugs.

You will also need a flasher relay suitable for the diminished load (sits in top left corner of fuse box). I recently got a relay off a European vehicle. It is labeled Sipea 0925 12V-[(21+21)+4]2W. Obvilusly the markings refer to the front and rear 21 W bulbs and the side repeater bulb, which is actually 5 W on most models. This relay is not a stock item in the US, but many German and Swedish cars have similar cumulative turn signal loads, so it should be possible to find a suitable subsitute in the US. As to the proper load with or without side turn signals, consider the fact that the SAE 1156 and 1157 bulbs that most people run are 27W @ 12 V rather than 21 W. Some auto stores do store actual 21 W bulbs.

Once I had determined how I wanted to connect everything, I would make a mock-up, not pulling wires to the rear of the car, but placing the lamps on the front seat with short runs to the plug intended for the N44. I would make sure that the turn signal frequency was correct, that the brake lights work, that the blown brake light warning works correctly, that the turn signal lights light up when the alarm is activated, that the alarm is not unduly triggered, etc. Actually, I think bypassing N44 will cure the problem of the brake light warning coming on at random, which seems to be a US-only problem. Not until I was satisfied with all aspect of its operation would I pull the wires to the rear of the car. 

Leaving the original wiring and N44 in place would allow an easy conversion back to the original US specs.

As a curious aside, early european tail lights (the ones with three rather than two compartments ) have SAE/DOT stamps on them.

Hope this helps,
Sonny 91 S
Baltimore

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