wildoliver help !! please!!!

[SB - Nigel]

To keep a long story stort

MG Midget Mk3 105 501 onwards

wiring to ignition switch

looking at the ignition switch from the rear with it in situ, pedals behind my head and rear of switch in front of me

northish terminal (single)

eastish terminal (single)

southish terminal (single)

westish termnial (double)

X3 white wires

white/green wire

brown wire

white/red wire

which wire goes on which terminal above please I've got myself confused and I think the switch may be faulty but I can't get another to try until I'm sure of order

what started this - ignition light was not always coming on with switch and today indicators, fuel gauge and rev counter stopped working - I was hoping it was just a fuse which looked ok but I changed anyway

[wildoliver]

Ey Up Nigel, sorry for the late reply.

In answer to your question not the foggiest lol!

However I can help......

Get yourself a multimeter on continuity and first off find the permanent live post (on the switch not the wiring) then work round the other terminals noting which does what on the turn of the key. Then find the permanent live wire and install it and work out the purposes of the others (haynes also tells you).

The switch could be faulty, it could also be a fuse box issue or control box or rev counter. I'll mull it over overnight, sorry I can't be of more help on the switch were I there I could work it out in about 2 mins, but other end of a pc (or even mac) I can't.

Hope it helped!

[SB - Nigel]

Thanks for your reply - I'll try and sort it out but possibly not today

It would happen the Sunday before Xmas and we'd dropped the top ready for a run to a country pub

It's very annoying as well as regularly servicing the car I've put on a lot of new parts/components since I got it, the last things were new sports coil and new starter cables to go with the new uprated starter motor

I'm trying to remenber if the ignition light has been iffy (didn't always come on with ignition but was there after switch off) since fitting the new sports coil (the Wr/ign light wire connection on the new starter solonoid isn't the best so I thought that was the cause of that as everything else was working fine)

I'll keep you (and others?) updated - I need all the help I can get !

ETA I also fitted an uprated alternator as the alternator failing was the only other time the Midget has let me down but it had to do it in Belguim on a BH !!

Edited by SB - Nigel on Monday 22 December 10:30

[wildoliver]

Alternators are the way forwards, big improvement over a dynamo in every way, only 1 item to go wrong as opposed to 2, more reliable, charge better and if one does die on you pull in to the nearest scrap yard and you will find something close enough to get you home!

[SB - Nigel]

Yeap along with a good battery and electronic ignition and electronic petrol pump they are a priority to everyday use

My Midget came with a newly reconned (conned) alternator and I uprated it's brand new Belguim distress replacement with an uprated version ready for when I put on an electric cooling fan (I've got a crossflow rad and it over cools in winter)

Having had everday classics for over 15 years I find prevention is better than cure especialy, as you can tell, I am amost clueless about mechanics and very unskilled

It annoys me slightly that despite the very regular servicing and maintaince that I still get problems and others get away with not even checking the oil :eyesroll:

[wildoliver]

Just go and have a play with it Nigel, you won't damage anything by getting the wires the wrong way round, once you have found that permanent live it's easy. Touch the wires together till either the starter goes or the ign light comes on, one of those (usually the thick one) is the main power (live) in. From memory it goes on the south or west terminal (non double anyway). Then it's just trial and error. Worse case scenario you'll wire it up and the starter will stay on constantly. Nothing will blow.

If the problem persists you can test the switch with a multimeter, to be honest they tend to suffer worn barrels but rarely give issues with wiring, however it could be faulty, they are only cheap though, best to buy new than a used one, to take the rev counter out of the equation depending on your loom you should be able to connect the input and output wires together (bullet connectors) the rev counter is in series on the ignition so if it packs up the circuit breaks.

[SB - Nigel]

Thanks for the encouragement

Neighbour has just dropped off a simple multi-meter (looks like the one I found too complicated and lost anyway years ago) so I'll have a look at the Midget sometime this week

I was hoping to take advantage of the empty roads on Xmas day

I'm glad you say that cross wiring wont damaged the car as I know from experience that the coil can get very hot when trying to get the right wire

If I could only remember all that I've learnt from previous experiences

Sunday the long suffering and I set about realigning the bonnet so it didn't rub and sorting out if this electrical problem - if a fuse had blown I obviouly wanted to know the cause

The glass fuse looked fine but I swapped it anyway for the pretested spare in the fuse box, as the fuse I took out turned out not to work (after finding my tester and getting the tester to work again) I decided that the fuse was of faulty manufacture as I'd had this happen to me before (and could remember it)

So we dropped the top ready for a drive to a country pub but then I couldn't get the car started (probably just flooded it) but the mood was lost and doom and gloom entered my head - did I hear the petrol pump working? had I lost my new coil or electronic igniter? - best to leave everything for another day

Pity Oliver isn't closer to me he'd be earning no end in repairs and regular servicing off me as I gave up working on the car outside with a lead lamp late at night in all weathers years ago - there are a few good car places around here but not that specialise in old MGs and know that a gasket and copper washer are required under the heater tap to stop it leaking - this'll be the fourth time the tap's had to be taken off (two faulty taps before) - I'll leave this until April to do yet again

The previous classic, of a different marque, taught me no end about faulty manufactured reproduction parts and I already knew about faulty reconditioned parts and of course faulty brand new manufactured parts - so now I'm very wary

I'll let yopu know if I blow anything up

[wildoliver]

Indeed if I could be everywhere I could make a fortune!

Out of interest where are you?

Modern remanufactured parts are generally junk. Where possible we use original parts and recon them where needed.

[SB - Nigel]

wildoliver said:

Out of interest where are you?

As My Profile, Northampton

wildoliver said:

Modern remanufactured parts are generally junk.

generally yes they are

wildoliver said:

Where possible we use original parts and recon them where needed.

yes that's good where you know the parts and are going to recon them properly, other people need to be wary as by now some recon parts have been reconned more than once and their conditioned depends on how bad they were before each recon and how well they've been reconned each time

[SB - Nigel]

Well I've done it :amazed smilie:

Finding live supply was easy as even I realised the thick brown wire would be it - but I checked anyway (just in case)

Finding the live terminal on the switch I thought I'd done first try but on checking it was the other one of the two

I cleaned and tightened all connectors and cleaned all terminals and had the brilliant idea of making up four extention test leads but only after squeezing myself on my back between the steering wheel and seat a good few times

Reconnected all and everything worked fine - started car - no it wouldn't start !

So I checked the fuel was getting through after the filter, yes, checked the dissy cap as I took that off on Sunday - and guess what, cap wasn't on properly at the bottom !

So the reason it wouldn't start now and on Sunday that caused me to miss a sunny run to a pub was me not checking fully

In my slight defense the dissy cap is awkward to seat as the igniter leads' grommet is a very tight fit to the cap but I know this and usually check - usually

So faulty fuse and user error and bad mood then

I'm glad I did check all tho' as (if I remember it) I will have learnt a little and some connectors were a little loose and the loose connection to the new starter soloniod was not the connector but the loose rivet on the solonoid (poor parts quality again)

And I've now got a solid ignition light before starting the car and after

I went on a celebration run to get the unused petrol out of the exhaust and in my imagination the car is going better than before

Thanks Oliver for your help and encouragement

Edited by SB - Nigel on Tuesday 23 December 17:02

[mgtony]

Nigel does this help, pics from K reg midget.

[mgtony]

Whoops,a bit late, just read you've done it.

[justinbaker]

Excellent! Pictures speak a thousand words. I love piston heads for this reason. ask for help and just look at the response. It doesnt get any better.

Nigel, I forgot to tell you I have a 1971 Austin Healey Sprite here for things like that. Just not seen you since Alan's garage warming.

[wildoliver]

mgtony said:

You just know this pic is going to come back to haunt you

[mgtony]

Especially as you've now quoted it so I can't delete it.

[justinbaker]

aaaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!!

[SB - Nigel]

Tony thanks for your photo that is exactly what I should have done before I started

I was studying the photo so much I missed you in the corner at first !

justinbaker said:

Excellent! Pictures speak a thousand words. I love piston heads for this reason. ask for help and just look at the response. It doesnt get any better.

here, here thanks Tony

justinbaker said:

Nigel, I forgot to tell you I have a 1971 Austin Healey Sprite here for things like that.

1971 AH that's a very late one, I must get round to see that - I had a 1969 Sprite before