Morris Minor Owners Club

Heya guys many questions
My tail lights are having major issues seems alot like it being an earth issue but could be other things

So what happens?
Well with headlights OFF I push my brake pedal down and it brings brake lights on and also indicators as a constant beam

With headlights ON my rear side lights work as they should with a strong light but when braking the sidelight goes out and my indicator comes on as a constant beam

With headlights OFF my indicator works (eventually) but very slow when idling

With headlights ON they will flash only with a bit of accelerator/choke and when they come on the side lights go off

So where are the earth's for the rear lights I have a feeling one earth is missing
This is the drivers side I have stripped the earth down and cleaned it all after this it gave a stronger beam
[frame][/frame]

This is the passenger side there doesn't seem to be any existence of an earth and no where there could have been one[frame][/frame]

Is there any possible other earth's or culprits for this

It's becoming dangerous
Thank you for any suggestions

It IS earth faults - you'll have to open them up and have a look at where the wires are connected. It could be the fault is in a front light...

The earth for the near side rear light should be a black wire going across with the feed wires and joining with the offside earth to the bumper bracket.

bmcecosse wrote:It IS earth faults - you'll have to open them up and have a look at where the wires are connected. It could be the fault is in a front light...

Thought it may have been
And hmm ok that's going to be fun lol
And you sure? :S all my front works perfect lol

ianmack wrote:The earth for the near side rear light should be a black wire going across with the feed wires and joining with the offside earth to the bumper bracket.

Ahhh ok so there isn't an earth on the passenger side?
So on the drivers side earth should there just be the 1 terminal or 2 earthed to the bolt?

I had a similar problem and checked and rechecked my front earths...The fault was my N/S/R earth so I made good the connection and all lights were fine.

You can't have too many earths - add extra ones all you like - the more the merrier.

MoggyBlue wrote:

ianmack wrote:The earth for the near side rear light should be a black wire going across with the feed wires and joining with the offside earth to the bumper bracket.

Ahhh ok so there isn't an earth on the passenger side?
So on the drivers side earth should there just be the 1 terminal or 2 earthed to the bolt?

I think the original setup was one terminal on the bumper bolt with one wire going to a snap connector where it meets the black earth wires from the two rear lights.

ianmack wrote:i think the original setup was one terminal on the bumper bolt with one wire going to a snap connector where it meets the black earth wires from the two rear lights.

Hmm sounds like the set up it has there I've just thought they are fibreglass wings should there by any chance be an extra earth fitted maybe that's the problem :S

Fibreglass rear wings shouldn't make a difference on a Minor because the earth is through the black wires. But as bmc says you can't have too many earths.

The front lights are earthed by clips on the inner wings and they corrode so I run earth wires from the lamps direct to the battery earth point.

We used to have a Lotus 7 with plastic front and rear wings and an alloy body and earths were a constant problem, you had to clean the earth terminals at least once a year.and when you went any where in winter, first job was to hose the car down under neath to get all the road salt off. Funny things happened to the flashers when you braked or put other lights on cause it went to earth through the path of least resistance

bmcecosse wrote:You can't have too many earths - add extra ones all you like - the more the merrier.

Haha maybe if I have enough ill try make a temporary earth to see if that fixes it then ;)

ianmack wrote:Fibreglass rear wings shouldn't make a difference on a Minor because the earth is through the black wires. But as bmc says you can't have too many earths.

The front lights are earthed by clips on the inner wings and they corrode so I run earth wires from the lamps direct to the battery earth point.

Yeah I wondered if there was a chance of it being them though
And hmm yeah are they near the centre? There one of the terminals I planned on replacing on the drivers side as it seems close to snapping lpl so maybe that's the reason

smithskids wrote:We used to have a Lotus 7 with plastic front and rear wings and an alloy body and earths were a constant problem, you had to clean the earth terminals at least once a year.and when you went any where in winter, first job was to hose the car down under neath to get all the road salt off. Funny things happened to the flashers when you braked or put other lights on cause it went to earth through the path of least resistance

sounds like a fun job haha
And hmm yeah I guess that's true well weekend will be spent searching for the culprit xD

Thanks for the help guys ill report back with the results

Fibreglass wings are going to need really GOOD earth wires from each and every lamp housing.

bmcecosse wrote:Fibreglass wings are going to need really GOOD earth wires from each and every lamp housing.

Hmm yeah thinking maybe to make a bit of wire with two crocodile clips to make an earth and see if it helps where could I connect each end to one of the ends to the bolt head in the body but where the other end? On the light housing studs that go into the wing? :S

If they are clean/bright metal. Just make and fit new earths from each lamp...it will pay in the long run.

Did you open up and check inside the lights to make sure everything is OK there?

Hey everyone
I cleaned and replaced one of the two earth's under the bonnet
Sadly it's not fixed it not sure where else I could go for earth's also realised that the indicators are working correctly on the front but working on the opposite side on the rear so when I indicate right the front goes right and rear goes left and vis versa hmmmm