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I got the Eletric Blues

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mylillooker

mylillooker

Senior Member
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Just got my first Midget. The lights aren't working as they should. No headlights. I do have a front driver's side, turn signal, a passenger side tail light and a license plate light...No, it's not the bulbs.
Actually, when I pulled everything off to check the bulbs, I could get rear lights to come on by putting the tail light bulb into the turn signal socket (what's that all about?).
What I really want to know is where should I start. I'm sure I should probably the fuses and I will today. Last night it got dark and couldn't get the hood up. If it's not the fuses, is there a book to buy somethingelse to check. I'v e got a couple of hours before I get home and get started.
 
I would suggest that you check out the earthing of each unit, systematically. Sounds to me as if either corrosion or dirt.....possibly both.....is playing a major role in this. Make sure that everything is fastened securely, and that you have proper contact with clean metal.
 
I can't get my headlights working properly either, the thing that I have found is that grounding one wire on one side will change what BOTH of the lights do. I haven't seen a wiring diagram but they seem to wired together in a very odd way.

The thing I have done is put a plug on each wire coming from the light and a receptacle on the wire that comes from the harness. That way I can disconnect one wire and connect it to another to figure out the correct combination to get both lights working the way they should.
 
Thanks, I'll look into those. Any other suggestions? Electrical issues are not really my forte. I just don't get them. All help is more appreciated then you may ever imagine. I suck at diagnostics...but tell me what's wrong and hand me a manual and I'll be up and running.
 
My car has a separate ground wire/bus that extends to the reverse lights, plate lights, and the tail/trunk assemblies. Clean all those connections. Get a test light and check that the power is reaching the plug closet to the bulbs. If there is no power there, then keep working backwards until you get to the switch. The rear harness is plugged to the front harness under the dash on the passenger side. Check all these connections as well. Remember, there is a British car club in Louisville, and little projects like these make good tech sessions.
 
opposite corners at least on my car turned out to be the connection at the fuse block... it seems there are cross corner feeds. head lites are usually the connections at the drivers side, behind the lite where the harnes is. nine times out of ten cleaning and checkinng all those bullet connectors is the place to start. each lite is grounded individually. one dim headlite is a sign of a bad ground on that lite.

mark
 
Depending on what year your Midget is, check the floor mounted dip switch. They go bad and you will not have any headlamps.
Or the dash switch, hook the brown and blue wires together to see if the head lights work. that will tell you if it's the switch or not.
And of course, the grounds and bullet connectors. They come loose and/or get dirty.
 
Hey, How do you "Clean" the connections? Exactly how is it done? Don't forget, I'm an electrical idiot /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.
 
to clean the bullet plugs, pull them apart. they can be tight sometimes and my require a good tug. use a little scotchbrite or some fine sand paper and gently remove any corrosion, the female side i use the tip of a small file and insert it in and clean them the best i can, reassemble with a little diaelectric grease. these bullet plugs are not the best type of connector and i have seen them go bad where they are crimped on the wire. It is best to use a test lite to make sure powere is getting to and leaving the plug. Good luck

mark
 
I finally got my headlights working properly! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

For some reason the PO had wired all of the wires to a 12V connection, actually that may be because my car has been converted to negative earth.

So I just took the black wire on both sides and grounded it to an available screw and tada working and bright lights.
 
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