Landrover Series 3 1981 light laws

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AndyTheLandy(Tom)

AndyTheLandy(Tom)

Member
Posts
39
Location
Nottinghamshire
i have a land rover series 3 i am restoring and it came with a reverse light and a fog light.. does it actually need these for its mot or are the after market. if there not needed i will remove for mot but if they are needed where do the wire up to i have a switch for the fog light but not sure how the revers light is meant to work
 
I've been researching fitting a reverse light myself so I can tell you what I came up with. On top of the gearbox where the 'knuckle' of the gear selector is located there is a hole to take a switch. It's on the drivers side at the back of the 'mounting bracket'. When reverse gear is selected the selector pushes up against the hole/switch. Again, from research, the switch to use is 575166
https://www.johncraddockltd.co.uk/l...hicles-also-optional-reverse-lightswitch.html

A picture tells a thousand words.....
44149844341_c0efd44330_c.jpg
 
I would fit a rear fog becuse its useful even if its not required, the rear lights on a series are not much good and a bright rear fog is very handy if the weather gets bad. I have a large light high on the rear on a manual switch labled "work light" which, like the revovery wagons, comes in very handy for reversing. Its linked to a reversing camera which has saved me from reversing over children (!!) a number of times.
 
Fog light (two symmetrical or one on the right) is required but reversing light is not. As above, both are useful though even if not required.
The fog light should be a standard fitment for that year, and the pullout switch should light up when on.
Reversing lights can either be selected automatically by the gear lever (if you have the switch mount on the gearbox) or manually by the driver. If the latter, legally you need a warning light to let you know they're on. Simplest way is to have an illuminated rocker switch which lights up when the reverse light is on. This makes it useful as a work lamp too. Some people just fit an actual work lamp or 2 on the roof and use that for reversing. For a 1986 or later vehicle, reverse lights need to be e-marked so yours is old enough not to worry.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/14/made
 
Not entirely sure of the rules for MOT but I think fog lights are essential. If reverse lights are/ were an optional extra back in the day and weren't fitted originally and you fit them then I think they fall within the scope of the MOT. If they're not fitted it's irrelevant ( my '83 model doesn't have reverse lights). On recommendation of my landy garage I removed the repeater indicators on the side wings, put a rubber grommet in the holes. If you don't present it with the lights they are out of scope so there's a basic requirement. Why fit reversing lights if they're not really required. I know they improve safety but create a new test issue?
 
Fog lights are only a requirement if the vehicle originally required them. Likewise side repeaters aren't required on a series. Reverse lights are not a testable item except on very new vehicles. For our purposes, whether they're present, absent or broken is totally irrelevant and a tester going 'by the book' shouldn't even look at them.
 
These attachments should help, I had to get hold of the new MOT manual to check if my non working reverse lamp needed fixing. It did and a new switch sorted it.
 

Attachments

  • mot-inspection-manual-for-classes-3-4-5-and-7-from-20-may-2018-draft (dragged).pdf
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  • mot-inspection-manual-for-classes-3-4-5-and-7-from-20-may-2018-draft (dragged) 2.pdf
    62.2 KB · Views: 158
  • mot-inspection-manual-for-classes-3-4-5-and-7-from-20-may-2018-draft (dragged) 4.pdf
    121.5 KB · Views: 133
I think its more about choosing a test station that know how the rules apply to older vehicles and deciding what you want for safety. I fitted side repaters after a number or near misses. A 109 with a hard top has a huge blind spot on the nearside that seems to invite undertaking on roadabouts. The side repeaters have made a noticable diference. i have a rear fog, reversing light, reversing camera, front and rear running lights (LED) and a high level brake light all because of safety after I got fed up with people seemingly intend on driving as though I did not exist. As a camper we do 100 mile motorway runs to the coast, often at night and at 55 mph in left lane, we are doing the same speed as the HGVs but with 1/4 the rear light area, I've lost count of the number of last minute swerves behind me. The irony is that we are MOT exempt so for me its all a matter of personal safety and I would always place this above the MOT requirments, not least because safety is also the objective of the MOT so if there is a conflict between safety and the interpretation of the MOT something has gone wrong.
 
rob1miles said:
I have a rear fog, reversing light, reversing camera, front and rear running lights (LED) and a high level brake light all because of safety after I got fed up with people seemingly intend on driving as though I did not exist.
Click to expand...

I had some discreet day running lights on my 90 which worked well, using a rear stop/tail lamp base in the front sidelight position with a clear lens. The 5w side functioned as a normal front sidelight, switching over to the 21w filament as a DRL when the engine is running and other lights were off. I got the idea from an old Volvo. Filament bulbs at 21w tend to deform the plastic with prolonged use though so LED replacements would be better.
 
After 39 years with its original lights, my 1977 SWB truck cab was in dire need of improvement. I swapped the side lights, the tail lights and all four indicators, and it did a lot for the appearance, as well as for the actual effect of the lights. The side lights were so bad that the bulbs fell out of their sockets, and I am amazed they actually worked for so long. The worst thing was the head lights... 39 years had taken their toll, and the effect was equivalent to two tealights. However, a headlamp conversion kit and new backing bowls made a massive difference!
 
Riggwelter said:
After 39 years with its original lights, my 1977 SWB truck cab was in dire need of improvement. I swapped the side lights, the tail lights and all four indicators, and it did a lot for the appearance, as well as for the actual effect of the lights. The side lights were so bad that the bulbs fell out of their sockets, and I am amazed they actually worked for so long. The worst thing was the head lights... 39 years had taken their toll, and the effect was equivalent to two tealights. However, a headlamp conversion kit and new backing bowls made a massive difference!
Click to expand...

Old sealed beams can be pretty crap- a semi-decent pair of halogens make a big difference. The ones fitted to later Defenders as standard are quite good and not expensive. The standard front and rear lights aren't bad either as long as they're not corroded and broken.

What can look quite good on a station wagon is an extra set of rear lights mounted high up in the roof.
 
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