Morris Minor Owners Club

A few weeks ago my moggy just died on the way home. I noticed prior to this that my ignition light was staying on and that my indicators were working when they felt like it. She then backfired really loudly and everything went out and the engine died. The breakdown guy said he thought it was the dynamo but weve had this to bits and the brushes and everything seem to be fine. The battery has had a habit of going flat but on this occassion had been fine for weeks. Now the horn has given up the ghost. We think that its a problem with the wire running up the steering column as contacts and earth are ok. Any advice as to best way to change this? How can i find out how much charge is going back into the battery. Just in the process of fitting a voltmeter to see if this will help me.

It's just a thought, but the two fuses (just the other side of the bulkhead as you sit in the driver's seat) often shake loose from their contacts, resulting in intermittent contact which can cause all sorts of strange effects. Don't think that would explain the engine dying though.
a

Helena,

It's probably worth getting the voltage regulator checked over as well - if that's not right there'll be no charge reaching the battery. I'll second Bigginger's advice for the fuses though.

Colin

Electrical problems are the worst - and the answer is almost certainly listed in the last two posts. It might be worth employing an auto electrician on this as this will be basic stuff for them (but a nightmare for the eneducated).

Whenever anything electrical goes in the Minor it's best to wiggle the fuses first - 90% of problems are as basic as this.

The other reason for battery problems is overcharging. Above a certain volt level, batteries stop charging and start dieing. If this is happening you may notice a 'bad eggs' smell (sulfur dioxide?) which is a give-away hint of overcharging.
Overcharging is extremely common with Alternators when their flimsy regulator pack gives up but is also in therory possible with the Minor's low technology regulator box.
Failing indicators is often a loose fuse or poor conection at the fuse box, however if this happens when the battery is nearly gone then it may be related to low volts. It may also just be a loose connection in the wiring but if it is shorting out then the fuse should blow so a problem with the indicator wiring 'shouldn't' be capable of making the whole car stop (unless it has been wired wrongly)

You didn't mention what was needed to get the car going again - this would help guide the recommendations.

I think it is worth while pointing out that the ignition circuit does
NOT pass through any of the fuses, but agitate them anyway as they
are famous for going 'high resistance'. The horn is 'live' at all times
via the Purple wire, the horn push supplies the earth side when
pressed. Have you checked that you can only just turn the fan
blade by hand(fan belt tightness)?? If ok then you need a voltmeter
to check the dynamo output I am afraid.

bigginger wrote:It's just a thought, but the two fuses (just the other side of the bulkhead as you sit in the driver's seat) often shake loose from their contacts, resulting in intermittent contact which can cause all sorts of strange effects. Don't think that would explain the engine dying though.
a

That's why I didn't think it was the cause. As far as replacing the horn wire goes *WARNING* this is just from memory, so AEAO are my fault! - you'll need to pop the horn press out, take the wheel off, remve the little cowl underneath the wheel and possibly the bracket that joins the coulumn to the dash. I think the wires are joined with bullet connectors under the glove box, so you only need to replace that far. It's fiddly behind there, and awkward to put back together. Test the wires for continuity first, you may find they're fine, so you don't need to do it. Haynes say to check all the wiring for shorts and loose connections, check the horn is firmly attatched to the body, and check nothing is lying on the horn body - no, I don't see how it could be either... Then check leads inside the horn and the contact breaker contacts (the bits that look like an electric doorbell).
In my experience, the fault will be with one of the connections rather that the wires, so give them a look first to see if they're corroded or hanging by one strand of wire.