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First drive in new Sprite!

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mgless

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Posted this on the Spridget list as well... what's the etiquette round here?

So it was 60 degrees in Wisconsin today, and with the rain a few days ago the roads were clean... perfect time to drive the new (old) Sprite for the first time!

She started up on the first turn... and she drove beautifully. Shifts were smooth, brakes worked great, car turned and accelerated like a new car. A guy in a pickup drives past the other way and gives the thumbs up. A woman walking her dog yells "love the car!" Ah yes, this is definitely going to be a long and healthy relationship. Drove another 2 miles or so around the neighborhood and back to the house. Throw her in reverse and a neighbor walks up and starts talking to me. I glance over at the working Smiths temp gauge and all is well after a few minutes of idling, then...

the car died. Huh. Okay. Neighbor takes off and I try to restart the car. Nothing happens. Pop the hood... and the battery cable was loose and came off! It was the negative terminal (car is positive earth.)

Okay, whew. Easy fix. Put cable back on terminal and tighten. Get back in, turn key and... nothing.

So, I'm not sure where to start now. The fuses still look good, but I tried replacing anyway. The headlights still work, but the fuel pump doesn't come on and the fuel gauge doesn't register. Ignition light doesn't come on, which I think it normally does before you start the car.

Advice? Car is a '65 Sprite.
 
Odds are that you just have dirty battery connections and dirty fuse holders in the fuse box. Clean the fuse holders (after you disconnect the battery) and really clean the battery terminals and connectors and you should be good to go.
Bill
 
And... get a good charge on the battery before trying again.
 
I'll try cleaning the fuse holder... otherwise, the battery has no corrosion on it and the cables look brand new. Battery still has full charge, just checked it.
 
mgless said:
Ah yes, this is definitely going to be a long and healthy relationship.
Click to expand...

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif

Welcome to the LOVE/HATE relationship my good man!!
 
Cleaned the fuse holders and checked voltage at either side. One fuse showed 12.6v, and the other was 0 on both sides. I'm squinting at the wiring diagram trying to figure out if this is normal...

And yes, I still love my car. I only blame myself (and maybe the PO a little tiny bit.) /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
Do you get a click from the starter solenoid or literally nothing?

How long has this car been sitting idle?
 
Literally nothing.

The car had been sitting 2 days since the last time it was started. This was my first real drive in it -- only other drives were on and off the trailer less than a month ago. Prior to that, the PO had it in a heated garage all winter and said he started it up "occasionally." It was all stripped and rebuilt last year.

Battery cable came off while car was idling after a 10 minute drive.

Headlights are the only thing that seem to work now. Key doesn't do anything, turn signals don't function, fuel pump doesn't tick, solenoid doesn't click... Everything on the car worked prior to that cable falling off.

I fiddled with the multimeter for a little bit, but I'm new to all this so I'm still trying to figure out what's what.
 
It's a '65 Sprite. Positive ground, if that matters.

If I'm reading the diagram correctly, theres a white wire from the ignition coil to the tach and ignition light. There's an unlabeled wire and a white/black wire from the ignition coil to the distributor.
 
Okay, with the key in the "2" position, I get 0 volts at the white wire on the fuse block. The other fuse, with the brown wire, has 12.6v.

regularman said:
Ah ,you said 65. Now that I read it again. Might still be a white wire, not sure. Check the fuseblock for the white wire fuse and see it it has power.
Click to expand...
 
When I said how long idle I meant how long idle before you acquired it?

1. Make sure the ignition switch makes good contact inside the key/switch unit. Lucas electrics were not very robust in these areas. and if it had been idle for a while various contacts could be gummed up and rendered marginal for conducting purposes.

2. Make sure the ignition is OFF, and take a 2 foot length of wire, jump from the live side of the battery to the live side of the solenoid. There's no need to try to get anything more than a good confirmation that the solenoid is operating, and that the starter WOULD turn if you persisted.

3. Check the main battery cables attached to the solenoid, ie the thick high-current starter cables, in and out. It's not just the battery connections that can give trouble.

4. Check the connection of the aforesaid thick cable to the starter motor itself, for the same reasons.
 
Darr... okay. Got it running.

Either I have a LOT of loose wires, or it was just a freaky coincidence. The battery cable AND the blue/brown wire to the ignition both got disconnected at the same time.

Thanks everyone. I'll try and ask for help with something a bit more serious next time. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
I also found out what a freaking rats nest of wires it is under my dashboard. Ugh. When were wiring harnesses invented? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
hey, that was my solution as i was reading! u beat me to the punch! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif ..zimmmy
 
One of the best things about classic British car is stranger walking up to you and drooling over the car, people at stop lights leaning out the windows and shouting "cool car", even the young kids seem to love it.

I sat in my MGB GT the other night in a grocery store parking lot as my wife went in to get a few things and a guy just walked up to me and started talking about my car, he said he always wanted one and regretted he had never got one. We talked for a few minutes then he said he wife had just came out of the grocery store, so he better get back to his car. In my mind I imagined the guy would come riding by me in a mini van, but instead he came riding by with a big wave in a new Porsche, kinda made me feel good that a guy with new Porsche wanted my car /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
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