Wipers, light & fuel gauge cut out

Post by **salty_monk** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:30 am

Just stopped all at once, the wipers (not at park just stopped in middle of screen), fuel gauge (reads zero) & all the lights (such as high beam, ignition light, oil etc).

Headlights, speedo light etc still work though... Do these all run on a common fuse or wire/earth??

Any ideas before I get the meter out tomorrow if it's not raining...

Post by **woo** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 6:29 am

Check the fuse between A3 and A4.

Post by **ColinP** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:33 am

All of those work from the one 17 Amp fuse! You'll also find that the indicators don't work either.....

It happened to me on a Dark & Stormy Night when the rain came down in torrents. Fortunately 200 yards from home! After that I bought a waterproof lantern for the car (about £5), and kept in in the car ever since. (oh yes, and a stock of fuses!)

Colin

Post by **Matt** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:11 pm

I had an interesting experience when a wire wire off the solenoid switch and cut the ignition...... I managed to drivve it to the car park about 1/2 mile away with it running (badly) and a popping noise on the radio. I stopped in the car park to drop off some keys and it didn't start again (surprise surprise) and I was told to move it because it was in the way of some building works and it could get damaged...... all good fun.

Sorry about the ramble, loosing the ignition and indicators reminded me of it......

Post by **Willie** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:29 pm

SALTY....assume you have found it now? It is worth noting that
the Minor fuses have a habit of going open circuit in the fuse holders
even though the fuse itself hasn't blown. All it needs is a slight agitation
of the fuse and all is well. In other words agitate the fuses periodically
to stop this situation developing. I bid £5 for a complete Minor
heater on e bay in case you couldn't sort your one out but it went for
£35.00!!!

Post by **57traveller** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:58 am

I saw that heater Willie, I wasn't bidding but watching. Silly price. There's another just sold for £3.95!! + postage.

Similar to what Willie has said re fuses but sometimes the fuse holders lose their "spring" strength and contact with each or one end of the fuse is lost. They can be bent in again but soon the same thing happens and the only fix is a complete new fuse holder unit.

Post by **Pyoor_Kate** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 11:31 am

If you're not worried about originality, for convenience sake it can be worth changing for the modern spade-fuses. I used to have 'european' fuses on my MZ and when they blew finding spares was an impossibility in local garages. All they had were the spade ones.

In the mog, I've got a big bunch of spare fuses in the glove box, but certainly if I change the fuse box (at some point) then I'll switch over to spade ones.

Post by **Cam** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 11:36 am

I always used to go on a fuse & bulb hunt whenever I went down to the scrappy so I have quite a lot of spares...... luckily I started doing that about 12 years ago when there were cars in the scrappy with the correct type of fuses in!!

Now there's only the odd Mini or Moggy or maybe some other BL offering......

Post by **salty_monk** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 5:38 pm

Funnily enough I haven't had chance to check it & today it all suddenly started working again after about 5 miles (been practising my hand signals - yes the indicators were out as well

)

Willie - reckon you are right as always! Must have gone over a bump & moved it & that solved the problem, will remember to "wiggle regularly" in future!!

Post by **Squiggle** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:59 am

salty_monk wrote:Funnily enough I haven't had chance to check it & today it all suddenly started working again after about 5 miles (been practising my hand signals - yes the indicators were out as well )

Willie - reckon you are right as always! Must have gone over a bump & moved it & that solved the problem, will remember to "wiggle regularly" in future!!

My fuel gauge has never worked since I bought the car in April. A 'sender unit' is on order to replace the current one.

I was stuck in traffic for some time yesterday. Stop - start etc...

When we got going, a flicker caught my eye, it was working again! It needs a tap occaisonally to wake it up. Maybe I need to 'wiggle' more often too!

Should there be a blue light showing when he's on main beam? Or did I dream that somewhere? The panel lights work ok.

Thanks

Chrissie n HUT

1952 Series MM, 918cc side valve, 4 door saloon, split screen, spoilt monster...

Post by **Cam** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:47 pm

There should be a warning light on the dash when you are on main beam. I'm not sure what colour it is though as I've never seen mine working!!

I know the main beam light is blue on the later cars....... (like my 4-door).

Post by **polo2k** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:04 am

i think its always blue

Post by **Squiggle** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:32 am

Well the fuel gauge has worked intermittently all week and the speedo has come out in sympathy needing a tap to wake it up from starting out.

Is my instrument panel feeling the cold/damp? Ah!
Or should I wiggle more?

Wondering if it's possible to access it and give it a good clean etc.

Must get my technical CD of Rob T.

This week was sooo busy........Thanks for all your replies last weekend and sorry I was unable to respond.

Chrissie n HUT

1952 Series MM, 918cc side valve, 4 door saloon, split screen, spoilt monster...

Post by **Squiggle** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:37 am

Squiggle wrote:Well the fuel gauge has worked intermittently all week and the speedo has come out in sympathy needing a tap to wake it up from starting out.

Is my instrument panel feeling the cold/damp? Ah!
Or should I wiggle more?
Wondering if it's possible to access it and give it a good clean etc.

Must get my technical CD of Rob T.

This week was sooo busy........Thanks for all your replies last weekend and sorry I was unable to respond.

Chrissie n HUT

1952 Series MM, 918cc side valve, 4 door saloon, split screen, spoilt monster...

ooops I mean OFF or FROM Rob -- not a CD about maintaining him

Chrissie n HUT

Post by **Kevin** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:12 am

ooops I mean OFF or FROM Rob -- not a CD about maintaining him

Thats the fun part of typo errors thay give us all some

Post by **57traveller** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 11:41 am

Cam wrote: I know the main beam light is blue on the later cars....... (like my 4-door).

Strangely enough, as blue seems to be the convention, on my saloon, bronze speedo, it's red, same as ign warning. Also red on a spare bronze (NOS)unused speedo I have.

Post by **Cam** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 11:51 am

Yes, 57. That's why I said later cars were blue (yours not being a later car). I have not had the electrics working on my '52 yet so I could not comment on the colour, epecially if they were different colours as the years progressed.

Post by **57traveller** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 1:21 pm

Maybe Smiths occasionally ran out of certain lens colours for assembly and used whatever was available! Later getting the supply correct for, as you rightly say, what seems to be only blue in the later (black) speedos similar to that fitted in my Traveller which is blue (the h/b light I mean).
Sorry Cam I didn't mean "strange" as a contradiction to what you had written but "strange" choosing red for the earlier speedo when the ign was also red.

Post by **Kevin** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 1:29 pm

My fuel gauge has never worked since I bought the car in April. A 'sender unit' is on order to replace the current one.

Chrissie are you sure the sender unit is the culprit, have you tested it ?

Post by **57traveller** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 2:54 pm

Squiggle wrote:Well the fuel gauge has worked intermittently all week and the speedo has come out in sympathy needing a tap to wake it up from starting out.

...

Sounds more like a bad connection somewhere either at the tank sender unit or at the back of the speedo.
The speedo sticking will be a separate problem.