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MG MGB Technical - That was lucky

I turned rather fast yesterday and came to an abrupt stop at the side of the road with a small under bonnet fire. A careless bit of workmanship had come back to bite me as at some point I'd hooked the temperature gauge capillary tube round the back of the coil to keep it out the way. My manoeuvre caused it spring free and it just happened to come to rest connecting the live coil ignition feed to the inner wing. The lucky bit was that I had wired this circuit through the overdrive switch as a primitive (and yes, flawed in design) immobiliser. The switch turned out to be a competent fuse and the damage stopped there, with one length of wire being needed to get things moving again.

I'm sure there are many lessons from this, but my immediate question is does anyone know where can I buy a few lengths of wire with the original colour coding in the UK? Every time I replace a wire I end up using the blue in my tool box. I can remember what goes where for all of 10 minutes and then it starts to get confusing.

Thanks

Steve
Steve Postins

Steve, I work for a company that, amongst other things, builds wiring harnesses. If you let me know what colours you're after I might be able to get you a few meters from the nearly-empty rolls that would otherwise be thrown away.

Not sure if this is of interest as it might take a while to get the right colours.

hth,
--
Olly
Oliver Stephenson

Olly,
That's great. I'll mail you offline.
Steve
Steve Postins

Steve,

Go here and get all you could possibly want!

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.co.uk/VWPweb2000/cables/cables.html
Chris at Octarine Services

Thanks Chris, that's bookmarked. I can feel my irrational desire to fit a starter button about to become a reality!
Steve Postins

... and if you'd had a fused supply to the OD switch you would have got away without any damage at all. Speaking as someone who has fused both his fuel pumps and ODs (but not his coils).
Paul Hunt

Steve.

Starter button........do it.

I found an old Jaguar one on E Bay which I've wired and fitted on the console near the gear lever, I preferred it to those 'modern' illuminated red ones.

Mike
Michael barnfather

I just have! It's as pleasing as I'd hoped in a splendidly immature way, and it fills the hole in the dash where the overdrive switch went. It's not got the Jag pedigree but it will do!

The real overdrive switch is fused as I relocated it to the gearstick and consequently is bound to suffer frayed wires at some point, but I've not done the fuel pump yet. I guess you don't want a fire there.

Steve Postins

I had problems with the OD wiring for about 4 years. The problem was that power ran to the gearlever switch and tended to short out inside the gearlever.
I wired in a relay so the relay was switched to earth through the gearlever switch. Power was supplied to the OD direct from the relay through a fuse (built in to the relay). The worst that can happen if the wiring shorts is that the relay will come on engaging OD.
No problems in the last 3 years so it looks good. Email me if you want a diagram or pictures.

Cheers
ray
RM Taylor

Clever...I like the idea of the ground switch. I might have to give it a go.
Steve Postins

This thread was discussed between 23/09/2004 and 29/09/2004

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