Excellent info on here on the A01 time delay relay and what it works on. I am thinking of purchasing one. Are all the relays currently on the market new reproductions? I'd rather trust something new as opposed to something like an NOS relay that has been slowly seizing up for 40 years. Can someone weigh in on this?

Hey Herve,

The time delay relay does power the light fixture on the steering column for the ignition switch and the title light fixture (switch panel).

Think of this time delay relay as operating like a one shot turn signal relay. Both relays work by stainless steel contact arms where one is wound with a wire coil. As heat builds up, these contacts heat up, bend and close, then when power is cut, the arm cools and disconnects.

The different is the time delay relay will turn on when a door is opened and continues to light those two bulbs after the door closes and does not re-trigger, but only continues on one time for about thirty seconds. Once the door opens again, this sequence starts over again.

The delay light relay should be mounted on the steering column with tape as they did at the factory. This serves as a heat sink since this is a thermal driven device. Hanging in mid air can cause this device to burn up rather quickly.

To test this relay, unplug and read the impedance between the 12 volt battery input and door jam ground terminals. It should read around -35 Ohms. If there is an O/L reading, the part is dead. Once plugged back in and the door opened and closed, the output terminal should read 12 dcv between and any clean exposed dash metal for a ground.



Jim