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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - unknown switch

Would anyone have a clue what this switch is for in the picture.


P Ruszczyk

Dash/insturment lights....

If you turn the headlights on, then you can flip the switch and turn the dash/instrument lights on or off...appeartly it was for some wierd law in the UK that you have to turn your interior lights off when parked on the side of the road with the engine running...dont ask...beyound my comperihinsion

prop
Prop

Thanks it was daylight when I threw a battery in the thing and tested the lights so I would not have noticed if the dash lights went on and off when I played with the switch.
P Ruszczyk

Somehow I knew exactly what switch he was asking about without even reading the post ;-) It is even harder to figure out why your 1974 has an empty hole right there on the cowling. In 74 the dash lights are on a knob on the dash.

It is for those lovely moonlit nights when you just want to kill all forms of light pollution on your car and experience the thrill of wondering if bambi is in the road in front of you.

It is also for those times when your alternator is dying in the middle of a 27-hour endurance rally and you are trying to limp the rest of the way round on the charge in your battery.

David "who me?" Lieb
David Lieb

I had one as well the didn't make it back on the final resto. I don't miss it.
CJCharvet

IIRC it's a holdover from times when having your engine running but not having any lights on could have been very important.
Air raids and all that, when you have a mortal enemy that can fly over your country whenever they want and bomb the crud out of you these things tend to become important.
Now with modern warfare and the kind of technology available it really doesn't matter about vehicle lights.
In the past is was a way the enemy could pinpoint streets, houses, buildings etc.
Or that's how I've heard it anyway.
Rick Bastedo

Ha, great replies...

From what I could see in the picture, it appears to be an aftermarket switch added by a previous owner for some reason. I guess you'll need to trace the wires to see what it does.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Gryf,
No, it was from the factory. Yes, it does look like an afterthought. As I indicated, even after the function was moved to the dash as a dimming knob, the hole in the cowling is still there.
David "with and without" Lieb
David Lieb

I'd heard that the switch was there to reduce the drain on the battery when the car was parked on the street at night. The clearance lights had to be on (much as our 4 way flashers) but you could turn off the dash lights in order to save power. Either way, it was original equipment as David said. Not sure when they dropped it or if it continued for home market cars after it was dropped on export models.
Bill Young

My understsanding was it was droped starting in 72 when they came out with alt. instead of gen. for the USA market, but that dosnt jive with what david was saying...mine had it, but I took it out and just tied the 2 wires toghater so the dash lights work all the time when the head lights are on.

The main draw back to not having them...is when your stalking a girl friend outside her apartment or your going to break into someones house after dark....the dash lights tend to give you away...yeah not so much the exhause noise, the oil patch, having to ask for a jump start, barrow gas because you idled your 5 gallons of gas away trying to stay warm or the fact that your where your not supposed to be, and the niabors noticed you outside parked on the street....yeah its pretty much the dash lights that give you away. good thing for that little switch...LOL. (Just kidding)

prop
Prop

All kidding aside I do think it will be nice to have the dashlights off late at night when we are stargazing as we cruise the backroads. Now that I think about it I think I do remember it from my old 72 midget that I had in 75.
P Ruszczyk

This thread was discussed between 07/11/2008 and 08/11/2008

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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