Morris Minor Owners Club

put it all back together and now the horn doesn't work, that Gremlins been hard at work behind my back. So ive stripped it all back off again to see where the problem lies[frame][/frame]

I gave the copper contact band a wipe, as it was rather greasey, and took her out on another test drive, just to check the exhaust wasn't rattling, she ran beautifully, and I pressed the horn saying what a shame this doesn't work, and to my surprise she peeeeeped! happpily glad to be out on the winding country roads. Showing her annoyance earlier at being in the garage by not letting the horn work, or maybe it was just that dirty copper band. Q opening music from the outer limits..
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there should be a carbon bush on the copper contact, to help maintain a contact through 360* - as with mine, yours is missing. i put a dob of solder on the contact.

The araldited conection is more than likley the cause. Soldering the wire to the copper rivet/eye would be a much better conection. Conections have to be mechanically sound in the first instance even when soldering!

Oohps!
Sorry Matt,
I didn't read your post fully to the soldered bit!!

thanks for that Matt I'll look at getting that brush fitted, can't find one on esm or bull, so maybe one of the other suppliers will stock one, In the meantime the horn and indicators are working well.
Now the cab interior, Ive neglected this area of the restoration so far, as soon as you get a car through it's MOT and onto the road, the trim aspect goes into the background. So, the kidney panel interior trim panels...[frame][/frame]

Ive kept two ruined door cards and a ruined kidney panel as a pattern, there's enough space in the door cards to make to kidneys out of them. I'm going to paint them black like the current door cards.[frame][/frame]

I cut them out carefully turning the pattern over to provide mirror images of each panel[frame][/frame][frame][img]

first coat of black, covers all the multiple colours of the old panels[frame][/frame]

fitted in place they really finish off this area[frame][/frame]

David
Looking smart !!
Bob

re: horn bush
as far as i can find, they're not available anywhere separately (annoyingly)
i good dob of solder does the same job

Thanks Bob, Matt, you're right the moss catalogue shows an exploded view with that bent piece touching the copper band as not having a brush per say, but bolted to part 102 named as an Insulator, looks like a small holed steel plate, bolted to the bent bit. Anyway, the indicators are working really well so I shant bother them again unless I get trouble.
Next on my list is the ceiling, or rather the lack of a header cloth.[frame][/frame]

Also here, the interior ceiling light needs attention. When I have the parts next January, funding as usual this time of year diverted to Mega bloks, Soda stream, Christmas tree (and a Pickup is now available to collect it) large Turkey, Crackers, Scalelectric cars ect[frame][/frame]

total and sudden ignition failure this morning, the starter motor is working nice and strong, plenty of power, checked the fuel pump, see if the filter was blocked, no, plenty of fuel. Checked the dizzy, the Rotor arm looks burned at the tip, anyone know what causes that, I'm getting a replacement sent from ESM Tommorrow, Maybe I should order a complete set of points too. So it's check the cycle tyres for an early cycle to work in the morning.[frame][/frame]

David
Were your points burnt as well ? If so, it could indicate that your condenser has gone.I've ruled out a loosely fitted set of points because you say the van has been running well but it might worth double checking that the screw, holding the baseplate down is firm, when you have a look at the point faces.Replace the points, if they are beyond saving.
Since the vast majority of roadside breakdowns are electrical in nature, I always have a "spare " set of points, condenser and rotor arm, spare low tension lead, coil to distributer in the car boot
The Red Top type of rotor arms are the ones to go for, a little more expensive , but worth for reliabilty.Convince you wife that it's an early Christmas stocking present.
Bob

Sorry Bob, I'm being more Dizzy than my Dizzy, it's electronic not points, so what am I talking about points for? good question.
Is there anything that I can check on one of these?[frame][/frame]
still unsure where my fail to start problem lies[frame][/frame]

Last year I had that kind of trouble with my saloon and it turned out to be the coil.
I am told by people who know a lot more of sparkie things that I do that if you use a really old coil it can stop functionating reliably....
I bought a new one and since then no more problems.
Best regards
Jan

thanks Jan, I disconnected the wires and ht lead from the coil to do an ohms test with my multi meter, to test for resistance and it gave a 1, very low, that suggests my problem isn't the coil.

Well good that you are able to measure that.
I thought I'd mention it ,succes with your search!
regards Jan

Was that 1 ohm? are you useing a didgital meter or an analoge one? where was the reading taken? If it's a digital meter and the "1" is flashing that's open circuit or out of range of the setting on your meter. It's odd because the leads on your meter should be about 3 ohms.

Best way to test a coil is forget the multimeter.
remove coil from vehicle, clamp a good spark plug onto the "wings" that are clamped to the coil with mole grips on the hexagon where the socket fits so as it's earthed to the coil. Fit a good HT lead from the centre output of the coil to the spark plug's top electrode conection as if it was in the engine.
Make up 2 fly leads with amp tags on one end long enough to reach a car battery. Connect the -ve terminal on coil to the -ve battery post, connect the other fly lead to the +ve terminal on the coil then with the other end of it strike the +ve post on the battery. Observe the plug gap and every time you strike the +ve post making the primary circuit the plug should spark, just like it would on a running engine with points in the dizzy. This will not only confirm if coil is a good un but will eliminate your aftermarket electronic ignition module.

Nice sharing,thanks..