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Electrical Failure

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K

kcolas

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After three months away for some military duty, my first drive was unexpectedly cut short when the car died from loss of ignition. This was my first "hard-break-stuck-in-traffic" failure and I was quite surprised. Plus the whole family happened to be with me! After I pushed the whole gang to the side of the road, I fiddled with the battery switch (I had turned it off during the lay off and recharged the battery before the drive) and I got power back. I remember a thread a while ago on this problem, but can't remember the consensus. Is it worth replacing the switch--$100 seems to be the going rate for a Lucas one, use an aftermarket one, or get rid of it altogether? Any thoughts?

Kirby
66 BJ8
 
If you think that the battery switch is a necessity get an improved aftermarket switch such as the ones from Moss. Or an original type if absolutely original is needed.

I personally think that a battery switch is just another unneeded reliability problem. Just connect the battery ground lead to the place that the switch ground goes now. There are those who disagree.
D
 
Had the same problem with my switch. You could feel the switch getting warm from the poor connection inside. I took mine apart, cleaned it all up and works just fine. If your careful you can take out the two hollow rivets that hold it together and reuse them. Mac
 
Kirby: Personally, I like the trunk switch as a theft deterrent. Healeys are easily stolen if left unattended and there is at least that one preventive measure built in to help. Turning off that switch and locking the trunk does help. Yes, I know the car can be physically loaded on a rollback and removed with relative ease, but at least it presents a bit of a challenge to the hot-wire expert. I would suggest that you repair or replace that switch and continue to use it. AL Bradley
 
I did exactly as Mac did (salvaging the rivits and all) and it has been fine. Its a free fix for a change and you can always replace it later if it fails again. I keep a piece of heavey copper wire in the car's tool kit to jump across the switch in case I'm on the road if it happens again.
 
I also like having the switch even after I replaced mine after being stuck a time or two (and then learning to bypass it).

It makes sure the battery doesn't discharge due to a slow leak, or have the smoke leak out of the wiring while I'm not watching.

John, BN4
 
The story continues..
Planning to rebuild the part, I attempted to remove it and found that the nut on the chasis ground cable post was arc welded on. Other signs of arcing were also present. The switch seems very poorly built. The good news is that when I connected the cable to ground (bypassing the switch that was by now in pieces--the post seperated from rest getting the cable off) the starter & engine roared to life with new vigor! Apparently the added resistance in the switch was so bad that it almost had me replacing the starter as it would turn over horribly slow sometimes even on a full battery charge. I imagine the ignition will also perform better. Just in time for the last day of BCW!!

Thanks to all that contributed. I'm off to find a good quality shutoff switch--Anybody know if the aftermarket ones have the ignition-ground feature the Lucas one does?

Kirby
66 BJ8
 
Kirby,

The stock Lucas switch relies on a very small weak compression spring to keep the contacts together. If there is any resistance between the contacts due to corrosion, oxidation, or dirt, the contacts get hot enough to take the temper out of the small spring. Contact pressure is reduced & the contacts get even hotter next time. This goes on with varying degrees of starting difficulty until the switch completely fails. It just can't handle two to three hundred amps reliabily for a long time.

Moss has a good quality switch #145-785 for $72 which I believe has the grounding feature. Race car shops offer a variety of battery switches, as do boat shops. Some might be cheaper than $72.

Tahoe,
"I keep a piece of heavey copper wire in the car's tool kit to jump across the switch in case I'm on the road if it happens again."

I don't think that many people want to take a chance on it happening again. I guess that it depends on whether you want to save a few bucks or have a reliable car.
D

[ 05-31-2003: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>
 
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