Subject: Re: [Mgs] Starter update and another question

From: "PaulHunt73" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:29:02 -0000

"A test at Autozone determined that the starter was locked up,"

FWIW, that doesn't agree with your test earlier that showed a very low 
current when the starter was energised.  Unless by 'locked up' they mean 
'isn't working'.  'Locked up' to me is a mechanical problem where the 
current is trying to turn the motor but is physically prevented from doing 
so.  That would result in a very high current.

On an American 74 the side marker lights come on with the parking lights. 
Do you have any instrument lights?  If they've stopped working as well then 
it's probably the main lighting switch or the red/green wire fallen off it.

If the instrument lights still work then check the top two fuses in the fuse 
box.  There should be the same red/green wire feeding the front of one of 
those, and that should have 12v on it with the main lighting switch in the 
parking light position.  Current then goes through the top two fuses (there 
is a link between the fronts of those two) to red wires at the back, one 
wire to each corner, one fuse per side.

PaulH.

----- Original Message ----- 

> You may remember me asking about starter trouble on a 1974 MGB recently. 
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From: "Stephen West-Fisher" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:38:37 -0400

I'd check grounds first. The tail lights and fuel pump ground at one point
inside boot right behind the number plate. By the way, a bad ground there
can eat fuel pumps.

--
Stephen West-Fisher
N4IK
-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]] On
Behalf Of William Killeffer
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2013 11:29 PM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: [Mgs] Starter update and another question

You may remember me asking about starter trouble on a 1974 MGB recently. I
decided to drop the starter and get a closer look at everything. While the
starter was off the car, I gave all the wiring fastened to it a good
cleaning.
Then, I cleaned the ground strap area under the hood, and cleaned everything
associated with the battery terminals. A test at Autozone determined that
the starter was locked up, so I put a new warranted starter in this
afternoon. It spins up nicely and sounds like it turns faster than any
previous starter that I have had on the car.

Now, I know questions about the lights get asked all the time, but I want to
make sure I do not miss anything. A few years ago, I added relays into the
headlamp and hi-beam circuits, and all seemed well until about last
November, when the starter began to act up.

When I turn the headlamps on, the headlamps themselves come on, but no other
lights do. No marker lights nor tail-lights. The brake lights still work, as
do the turn signals.

I am trying to remember where to check the voltage for the tail-lights at
the fuse box, and how to check if power is making it back to the tail-light
assemblies.

This sort of thing is most frustrating cause I cannot think of any good
reason for the lights to stop working. They just stopped.

Thank you,

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From: "PaulHunt73" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:52:58 -0000

Assuming a chrome bumper the main rear light clusters and the front 
parking/indicator light units are earthed separately through their physical 
mountings, so a single earth fault isn't going to stop all of them working 
at once.  Whilst the rear side markers do earth at that number plate bolt so 
do the reversing and number plate lights, so if the former are working it 
isn't that earth.  The front side markers earth with the headlights, to a 
single point near the starter relay, so if the headlights are working it 
isn't that earth either.

PaulH.

----- Original Message ----- 
> inside boot right behind the number plate. 

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