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MG TD TF 1500 - New Way to Get Smoke Out of Wires

Reinstalled the dashboard yesterday after recovering it. After screwing the fascia in place I installed the speedometer and tachometer. Reached behind and inserted the lamps into both. Then I reached behind and installed the ground wire onto the tachometer mounting stud and connected the drive cables.
Great! Time to check out the wiring. Connected the battery. Turned the ignition key and heard the fuel pump do its thing. Turned the key off and turned the light switch on to the first position. Parking lights and tail lights came on. But -- no dash lights. Ah! the rheostat must be turned off. Gave it a twist and watched the smoke rapidly fill the air. Quick battery disconnect and a rapid opening of the garage door before the smoke detector went off. Shed a few tears and told myself to call it a night (it was late).

A few minutes ago I pulled the dash out and got a look at the war zone. The red/white instrument light wires were a mess. Spotted the culprit. When I installed the ground wire onto the tachometer mounting stud the ground lug was at an angle to contact the wire on the tachometer lamp socket. Smoke!! I'm just glad that the rheostat was in the off position when I first started or I'd have had smoke as soon as I turned the light switch and I would have had no idea where to start looking, probably at the light switch. Now to go and rewire the lamp sockets. Image below. Bud


Bud Krueger

Ah yes I know just how you feel Bud.
Mort
Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

"Turned the key off and turned the light switch on to the first position."
Interesting ...You can turn the lights on a TD on with the key off?
My TF has to have the key on for lights to work.
Did I do something wrong...or are other TF's this way also?
David Sheward

Dave, looking at the TF wiring diagram in the WSM I can see how that could be so. The power lead to the lighting switch should come from the always hot side of the ignition switch. If it is on the wrong terminal of the switch you would only have lighting power if the key is in the ON position. Bud
Bud Krueger

Bud, sorry to see the results of your accident. I hope you get it all repaired without too much work.
Jim Merz

There's that wet slap at the end of a cold fist again!
Car was like that when I bought it and I put it back together that way when I re-wired it!
(relayed and fused now)
Have a feeling I'm not the only one....pretty sure I have seen others here mention that key has to be on for lights to work.
David Sheward

Thanks for the condolences, Jim. If I had about 2 feet of red/white wire I could do an invisible fix with about an hour of soldering iron time. In the meantime, I have some orange wire that'll do the job from a functional standpoint. But, I'd rather do it the right way before I sell the car. Bud
Bud Krueger

Wow, looks like the end of a 3 year olds marshmellow. I can turn my lights on with out the key Dave.
L E D LaVerne

If your lights are wired to only function when the key is on, then the load of the headlights is going through the ignition switch, probably more than that switch was was designed to carry.

If the load is above spec, it could lead to premature failure of the ignition switch if the lights are on when the ignition is turned on or off.

It could also lead to a lighter than adequate amount of power to the headlights. On a completely different vehicle, this lead to the headlights dimming with the four way flashers. It took me awhile to figure that one out!

It is not part of the original scheme, but a relay in the circuit could enable the headlights with ignition without overloading that precious NOS ignition switch. The relay(s) could be hidden up underneath the dash.

Is there an aftermarket source to refill the Lucus wires after you have accidentally allowed the smoke to leak out?
Bob;
RwB Brown

My 54 TF is set up so that all the lights work with ignition off. Looking at the ignition switch it seems like a good idea to have it set up this way.

Regards,

Jan
Jan Kristoffersen

Bud, British Wiring has the red/white braided wire. I think there is a Lucas Smoke Recharging kit somewhere on the board, look for that too! Also, this is the best article I have ever seen on correct smoke replacement: http://www3.telus.net/bc_triumph_registry/smoke.htm George
George Butz

It may not be original, but I like to use insulated connectors just for this reason. These cars were built at a time when they hadn't thought of moving connectors away from each other far enough to avoid shorts!

I also have my lights wired to work with the key off. Its a handy feature to be able to flip the lights on sometimes without the key in the ignition.
Steve S

Bud,
Sorry about hi-jacking your thread...if I had some red/white braided wire I would send it to you.
Got smoke ;-) I'll put some in an envelope and send it!

Bob, Not too worried about loading the switch as I did install relay's & fusing when I re-wired back in 2000. Same time I replaced the ignition switch. Can't believe I didn't figure out it was wired wrong before this! Duh...even did an AutoCad drawing of the changes I made in the system ...but this one just slipped right past me till now.


David Sheward

George, I've tried calling British Wiring, but they aren't returning calls. Rhode Island Wiring is only about an hour drive from here.
Steve, don't think I've ever seen an insulated ground lug. In the future I'll know where I locate the ground lug on the tachometer. And, I will cover the wiring lugs on the lamps. Bud
Bud Krueger

Just got off of the phone with Rhode Island Wiring. They're sending me a 3' piece of r/w wire. No charge. That's what I call service. Maybe it's because the owner drives an MGB. Bud
Bud Krueger

With apologies to both Bud and the Platters:

They said someday you'll find
All who rewire TDs are blind
Oh, when your Wires’ on fire
You must realize
Smoke gets in your eyes
Jud
J K Chapin

Thank you, Jud. BTW, I did not buy the wiring harness from Rhode Island Wiring. I bought it from the UK. Makes their freebie even more awesome. Bud
Bud Krueger

Rhode Island Wiring freebie arrived today. New wires have been installed. Ground lugs are oriented up this time. The instrument lights now work without smoke.
I'm going to start a new thread to introduce folks to Rhode Island Wiring Service. IMHO, they should be on your quality vendors list. Bud


Bud Krueger

This thread was discussed between 25/03/2013 and 28/03/2013

MG TD TF 1500 index

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