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Electrical System Woes

To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Electrical System Woes
From: "Rick Roberts" <rrobertsmg@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 13:28:15 EST
My electrical system was groggy at best.  Upon reading many threads on 
both this and the UK NG, it was decided an alternator upgrade was in 
order.  

1.  A direct bolt on replacement was obtained from my local alternator 
shop, (supposedly from an 80 Ford Fiesta but they crossed it to a 
Delco-55 amp), and with no modifications other than slight filing of the 
adjusting bracket, the replacement fit flawlessly.  Even the same fan 
belt was used.

2.  I then attacked, by either replacing or REMOVING, all of the bullet 
connectors under the hood.

3. Reworking all of the grounds in the boot was next on the list, it 
went without a hitch.

4.  Load isolation:  Installed a 30A relay on the green/pink circuit 
plus further adding a 30A relay isolating the heater fan.  Put another 
30A relay on the fuel pump plus replaced the speaker wire the DPO had 
feeding it. All of the load side of the relays were fed by healthy 12 ga 
wire, fused and fed from the starter solenoid.  My ignition switch 
sighed in relief.

5.  I now have all bright lights, windshield wipers that actually move, 
plus a blower that will kick up the dust.  The brake lights now do not 
make the radio shut off!

Perhaps many steps could have been left out to achieve the end result, 
but I now have a lot of confidence in my electrical system I didn't 
enjoy before.


Rick Roberts
Columbus, Ohio USA
73 MGB
ICQ:29075776


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