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MG TD TF 1500 - Lights Dim

Hi All, 6 months ago we bought a '52 TD. After a few driving surprises (no brakes, SU spraying Gas, exhaust manifold bolts fell off, new tires,etc.) I have fixed many of the nits. I just finished rebuilding and tuning the previously leaking SUs. Now I am trying to figure out how to tackle a perceived electrical problem. The lights dim and brighten as I drive. I have already replaced/rewired the dynamo and regulator (one of those surprises including smoke this time) cleaned many of the electrical connections. Anyone with ideas for a solution?


E Norrgard

E, Where are you in Ct.? I have a shop in Newtown (Hobby) and would help if needed. Looks like you have some other issuses from the pictuere.
R.AF. Robert Finucane

E,
I would follow all of the harnesses to locate the grounds and ensure that they are corrosion free and doing their job. As well, I had similar problems with turn signal lights of my TF until I discovered not only that the lamp assemblies weren't properly grounded, but that the bulbs had somehow been installed in the sockets in reverse, a hundred and eighty degrees from normal. This allowed the running lights up front to be brighter than the turn signals, since the wrong filaments were being lit.
Gene
Gene Burgess

E. Grounding is the problem. I actually got so fed up with one light bright and one light dim that I ran a seperate ground wire to the headlights. No more problem.

Simple way to check is to take a booster cable and hook it to you ground terminal on the battery (positive side if your TD is original). Touch this to the undside of the headlight bolt. Dim lights should brighten right up. If not, check where they ground inside the headlight.
Bruce-C

Bruce is absolutely correct about a ground wire straight to the headlights. While this may not be your problem, one only has to consider the number of less than perfect electrical junctions between the head light bulb and the actual ground on the frame of the car to wonder why the headlights work at all, much less efficiently.

E. Norrgard - See my article Ground Point Preparation in the Other Tech Articles section of my web site at: http://homepages.donobi.net/sufuelpumps/ Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Same with the rear license plate light... i have a 3rd brake light installed there (triumph motorcycle rear light) and there are about 4 places to scrape the paint off the brackets to get a good ground. My tailight ground was going through the brakelight wires and causing all sorts of neat effects.
gblawson (gordon)- TD#27667

Thanks all. The problem was very severe at one point and cleared up to a certain degree when I cleaned the easy to get to ground connections. Now the lights brighten at higher revs and dim at idle. I plan on checking all the suggested connections. Thanks
E Norrgard

This thread was discussed between 15/05/2008 and 16/05/2008

MG TD TF 1500 index

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