Morris Minor Owners Club

Two years old. Fortunately, both lights were still working, but for how much longer?

I must have gone through 3 or four of these in the last decade. I'm fed up of replacing them, or every so often having to dig out the bulb & clean it up to get it working again. Does anyone do a plastic replacement base unit? Or are there any smart looking modern alternatives to the standard side/indicator lamp units?

Cheers N

Where are you getting them ?

I recently took mine off to replace with original type and they did not look like that.They had been on the car 20 years. Is moisture getting in through the back or front seals? Or are they shorting out ?

As I recall there should be a rubber sleeve round the bulb holders which face into the front wing to prevent water ingress and a foam / rubber gasket between the lamp base and lenses to prevent it at the front. There is also a gasket between wing and lamp base to stop water getting in that way. Parts 15-24 (and 55) on the illustration.

Can't remember which, but one of the big 4 suppliers. All the seals were replaced at the same time, the rubber boot over the cable at the back seems intact, and the lens units are intact. I think they are just poor.
The originals lasted over 30yrs before replacement, and to be fair, had almost rusted away to the point where I couldn't locate them in the wing properly, but the electrical part was still clean and useable. Since then, I seem to be replacing them every few years. It seems that as soon as they start rusting, it just spreads, and eventually the bulbs get rusted in, or make poor/intermittent contact. Someone must have a better idea of how to do this! Surely a moulded plastic base unit is the way to go? I have plastic headlamp buckets that I put on in 1988, and they are still intact.

I have just fitted a couple of these, the original (51years) old ones were looking tired and rusting in places.

I did give them a coat of Dynax S50 behind and under the bulb holder sleeves before fitting to try and keep any damp out, time will tell but my car is a sunny day car so doesn't get the winter thrown at it.

Blimey the ones on mine look excellent compared to them. When I change a bulb I normally spray some wd40 in them. Works well on the land rover anyway.

You know, it's a shame but these old cars and all their bits are much happier indoors with a bit of ventilation.
Most modern stuff just rots unless it's kept dry. And probably the original fittings weren't much better.
Many years ago when I bought my first old car the vendor, a lovely old chap, wouldn't sell it to me until he came to see where the car would be kept. I passed the test but it was worse than A levels!

Can anyone confirm if there's meant to be a spring under the sidelight bulb? There is under the indicator bulb, but the sidelight is so rusted it's difficult to tell?

cheers N

I think so as the base connection is then pushed against the bottom of the bulb

I have been told that originally there was a spring but to be honest I really don't think it is essential. Neither of my cars have the springs now, but my Austin A30 does..

Yes there should be a spring in there.