Morris Minor Owners Club

ok, i have just driven home to find the new speedo had arrived.
i changed over the speedo heads, labeled all the wires and connected them properly.
I decided to go for a little run, just to sit in awe at a working speedo, when i reversed off the drive way and the engine died and refused to start.
now, here is the confusing bit,
the engine turns over, but dosent fire, the head and side lights work as does the dip switch, the panel lights work. thats it.
the indicators, horn, interior light, brake lights, ignition light, petrol guage and window wipers all dont work.
i checked the fuses (3 of them) and all are ok, and the fuel pump even works without any of them in. checked all the wires for an earth and that they are connected, but still nothing
what have i done that has so terribly cooked half the electrics?

Ignition and fuel pump are NOT fused - everything else you mention (not working) is fed from the ignition circuit too - but is fused. So - obviously you have pulled a wire feed off the ignition switch. Speedo back out and check!

will do that again tomorrow when its light.
i always thought the ignition and fuel pump was fused, oh well you certainly learn something each day

cadetchris wrote:will do that again tomorrow when its light.
i always thought the ignition and fuel pump was fused, oh well you certainly learn something each day

It would be not very sensible to fuse the ignition (considering the current draw) or the fuel pump (cause the car would stop) As BMC says - you will have disturbed a wire on the back of the ign switch which was hanging on enough to start the car but subsequently fell off when you backed out the driveway - If not off the switch itself check back up the harness to the bullet connectors where they go into the main loom which is behind the drivers side glovebox.

Did you check the fuse in position or take it out? Sometimes the connections on the fusebox are tempermental and need a quick clean.

You can take the fuses out and throw them away Mike and the car will still start - This is the feed to that has been lost not the supply from the fusebox....

There was a list of ignition fuse components not working. If the fuse was checked in situ it would have shown the fault as a feed to the fusebox and therefore needed checking backwards from there.

NONE of the Ign items were working - so the fault lies right back at the switch.

right, so i checked the wiring and all was connected (save for a wire to the panel light switch) however, before i reconnectd this, the engine started straigt away (with no choke, which is odd) and after checking the fuses again and finding nothing wrong with wires or fuses, all worked and was well.
However, i took it for a run (not convienced the speedo is correct at all) and the reves died down, all electric went and i stopped. i popped the bonnet, checked the fuses (which where still ok) and instantly it started on the key.
so what was wrong with it? i cannot be the fuses as they are new, the terminals are clean and the wires are attached strongly.
is it the car being tempermental again or just one of those things that remind us of the joys of classic motoring?

It's nothing to do with fuses - you HAVE disturbed something in/around the ignition switch. I assume you had the battery disconnected while fiddling with the speedo - are the connections there back on good and tight ?

you can assume right, all leads tight, battery disconnected whilst fiddling with wires. i even cleaned each connector with the wire brush and reconnected.
so all is clean, tight and connected

If lights etc keep working then it's not the battery connections - so back to the ignition switch - or at least the wire coming away from the ignition switch!

These type of probs can be so frustrating...I agree you have probably bumped something behind the dash when refitting the speedo. The ignition switch has a bunch of wires coming from it, they can look OK but one may not be making full connection. Sorry can't be of more help!