Dumb Question re: Battery

[Tugboat]

Sooo...last night I was working on the MGA and, after having restored the engine compartment over 5 or 6 months, went to start it up to make certain everything worked still and was met with dead silence. No lights, no starter, no clicking from the fuel pump. It was an old battery so I took the battery from the TR3A and tried that in the MGA. Voila! Lights, cameras, action. Today I bought two new batteries, one for the MGA and one for the TR3A as even the working one in the TR3A was over ten years old. Installed the one in the MGA and, again, lights, cameras, action. Installed the new battery in the TR3A and nothing. The gauges sprang into action, but that was all. No lights, clicks or any other sign of life. The only other changes/variables I can think of were that: 1) I had been rewiring the voltage stabilizer connected to the temperature gauge and heater, and 2) I undid the positive ground cable from the bolt off the back of the manifold to replace it. Any suggestions as to the next course of action?

Thanks Much,

Mike

 

[DougF]

Clean all of your connections, both negative and ground, or vise versa if you have switched polarity. The remote starter button connections have been my culprits in the past. Don't forget the ground strap at the body side.

I usually use a light grit paper, 4-600 grit and shine things up. The battery cables can be cleaned with a terminal/cable end brush. Treat your cleaned connections with a preservative such as dielectric grease.

 

[Tugboat]

Appreciate it. You're up late!

 

[NickMorgan]

If the gauges sprung to life, I presume that would be the ammeter and fuel gauge. They are on separate circuits, so it is unlikely that it is a fuse box problem. All of your lights go through the control box and that is also your ignition switch circuit. So, I guess that your problem could be with the connection to the brown and blue wire coming from the control box. Alternatively, as has been suggested any of the earthing points could be a problem.

 

[Tugboat]

Nick,
Yes, ammeter and fuel gauge work but none of the panel lights or headlights or starter. And the windshield wipers work as well. I am starting to think that I may have jostled something loose behind the dash when wiring up the voltage stabilizer.
Thanks
Mike

 

[Geo Hahn]

...1) I had been rewiring the voltage stabilizer connected to the temperature gauge and heater, and 2) I undid the positive ground cable from the bolt off the back of the manifold...

Not that this is your problem... but I assume you know that the TR3A would not have originally had a voltage stabilizer and that the ground cable would have gone from the battery to the firewall.

 

[Tugboat]

Sorry, left that fact out. I have an electric temperature gauge from a TR4, thus the voltage stabilizer.

 

[tdskip]

Any update/progress Mike?

 

[Tugboat]

Update. I finished connecting up the voltage stabilizer and then took stock. When I turn the ignition switch, nothing. If I press the starter switch, nothing. The dash lights do not work but the headlights and tail lights do work, as do the windshield wipers. The ammeter and fuel gauge get active. When I tried to start it using the remote starter button the engine cranked up nicely! The ammeter and fuel gauge are accurate and I even think the temperature gauge is working correctly though it is a little cold and I did not run it long enough to be sure. Your thoughts appreciated.
Mike

 

[6TTR3A]

Mike,
I just got around to reading your post. Here's my 2 pence:
First, take a look at the photos on a later Triumph post (on page 1)
"Pictures Under TR3 Dash". Geo. Hahn posted a photo of the back of a facia that clearly shows the ignition and starting switches.
There are three white wires screwed into the right ignition switch connector. That's the way the factory wired it. One wire goes up toward the ignition warning light. The second is a "U" shaped wire in the photo going to the left connector of the starter switch. The third one goes to the harness (If you look close there is a spade connector hanging loose & it's NOT going to the other side of the starter switch.)
Now you said "I turn the ignition switch, nothing" Does the ignition warning light NOT come on? If it doesn't, that white wire going from the ignition switch to the warning light is open or the bulb is (unlikely) burnt out. You said "press the starter switch, nothing" But you said the engine will crank ( & I assume start) using the remote button on the starter solenoid. That means the "U" shaped wire between the ignition switch and the starter switch is open. As long as the ignition switch is on ( and working) you don't need the dash mounted starter switch.
That 3 white wire connector in the ignition switch is a favorite place to get "switched, un-fused" power for add-on accessories. You might have all color of wires coming out of there. Because of its location, it's easy to do a visual check.
The parking lights are something else. If the headlights work the dash lights should also work unless you have an open circuit from the S1 connector on the light switch to the Panel Light switch. (Some later cars have an in-line fuse in that circuit) Unfortunately there is no easy fix for that problem.(unless it is a fuse) You have to undo the oil line & the wing nuts so you can drop the facia in your lap.
I also have a TR4 Temp gauge but I put the stabilizer on the battery box next to the OD relay so I could get at it & not have to get involved with the "spaghetti".
I sell refurbished sidescreen facias on eBay and although I don't do connectors the way the factory did, I have eliminated 98% of the nightmares that crop up from bad grounds, corroding wiring and "accessory overload" that our 21st century electrics impose on our TRs
Frank

 

[Tugboat]

Frank,
Thanks much. Your excellent post confirms a number of things I have come to suspect since this first post and my later post "Pictures Under TR3A Dash," particularly about the ignition switch post being a favorite location for add-on accessories. I just finished making all of the necessary changes and plan to check it in the morning (I've run the battery down and it needs to charge).
Mike

 

[NickMorgan]

Any news?

 

[Tugboat]

Nick,
Thanks for checking back. As recounted in a subsequent thread "Pictures Under TR3A Dash" I decided it was time to take the dash out and make sure I had everything sorted out correctly. I had not done this in 15 years since when I originally replaced the electric wiring loom. Much had been forgotten. This lead to various misadventures, blown fuses and further dumb questions. But finally, last Thursday evening I got everything working. The quick responses here were a real assist.
Thanks again,
Mike

 

[NickMorgan]

Great to hear that you have sorted it out Mike. I remember doing a similar job on the wiring under the dash of my TR3 a couple of years ago. I was amazed at all of the modifications that had previously been done and the extra bits of wire. It is good to know that it is all as it should be now.

 

[MGA75002]

Just a suggestion for your new batteries: install a cut-off "knob" on your ground terminal. This is my first car that I put one on, and I LOVE IT! I have looked at them on other folks' cars for 30 years or so, and I finally went kicking and screaming into the 20th century (you folks are already in the 21st century). The switch makes it SOOOOOO easy to disconnect the electrical system.

A nice inexpensive Christmas present...

 

[Tugboat]

Good idea. Thank you.