Can anyone identify this part?

[Ed Sweeney]

Can anyone identify this part? It came out of the passenger footwell from up under the dash of a 1974 TR6. I'm an MG guy myself, so any help is appreciated.

 

[MrPandy]

Just guessing here, but I would say a buzzer... for seatbelts, maybe, or key in ignition?

 

[Yellowdog]

It's a "Control Unit; seat belt interlock and ignition warning".

The system is to provide an audible and visual alert if the car is started without the seatbelts being fastened. There are sensors in the seat bottoms that detect weight in the seat. If you start the car without the seatbelts being fastened a buzzer sounds and the 'fasten belts' light on the dash illuminates for about 8 - 10 seconds. Fastening the belt in this period stops the buzzer but the light remains lit.

I would venture to say that most have 'gone away' over the years.

 

[Webb Sledge]

If you're considering installing it in a TR6, I would recommend not to. It's not uncommon for them to go bad and just buzz all the time. Very annoying as well.

 

[Paul Johnson]

In '74 only, cars were required to not start unless the belt was connected. Public outcry changed the law very quickly. As an aside, at the port of entry in New Orleans, where then worked, the MGB controller would often fail, causing the car to spontaneously start. We discovered it one morning when in a warehouse full of Bs, several were running, though the ignition was switched off. Had a hard rule from then on that all cars must always be left in neutral. Triumphs, of course, never exhibited the problem.

 

[Ed Sweeney]

Thanks for the quick info

- Ed

 

[Webb Sledge]

Paul,
That would be extremely interesting... leaving your car for a movie and then coming back to discover it was either running or out of gas.

 

[vettedog72]

Where was Nader when you needed him?