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MGB Turn signal, reverse and brake lights

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G

gudfood

Freshman Member
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Just bought a 79 "B". The lights were all working on the 2 test drives and now nothing. No turn signals, reverse or brake lights. All are on the same circuit but the fuse is not blown... Any ideas why I got nothing?
 
Welcome to the BCF!

First place I check for electrical problems with these cars is the ground connection. If I'm not mistaken, the lights at the rear of these cars share a common ground point. Look in the boot (trunk) along the rear panel and you should see a small group of black wires screwed/bolted to the panel. Disconnect them, clean up the contact area and reconnect.

Let us know what you find.

:cheers:
Mickey
 
check the circuit again - the fuse can be burnt under the cap - or the "clips" (that hold the fuse) can be loose. and, welcome!
 
Been there. Try cleaning fuse and contacts or test fuse and replace.
 
Off the same fuse...
Wiper
Washer pump
Tach
Fuel
Temp
fan switch
Brake falure light
Seat belt light
If any of these are getting power then its a lose bullet connection or lose ground. Rear common ground is indeed in the boot in front of the license platej
 
Advanceauto-wire.com has some great schematics. Welcome to the forum and keep us posted

Bet you can't tell I had the same problem... green is everything that fuse powers. I ended up taking the fuse box out and soldering the conections on it. Good luck!
 

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Thank to all. Still no resolution, but I will update (not enough MGB time!). Good to know about the ground. Bridged the fuse circuit and didn't work. Nonetheless, I am going to replace the fuse block for good measure. Should I replace the ignition relay?
 
Replacement fuse boxes will not go in my MGB. The ones I have tried have very little spring to the tabs that hold the fuse. Get a test light and see it there is power to one side of the fuse box where the green wires are. A multimeter will also work but is more of a pain in the butt to operate. A test light has one clip to ground and other end to see if power is present. With a multimeter you have to hold 2 wires, one to ground and the other to the end looking for power all while keeping the screen in view.
 
Going to invest in a test light. I agree on the multimeter. Cleaned up the ground at the rear panel and still nothing. Would a new headlight switch help? I ordered a new one, as this one is kind of "sloppy".
 
It's so easy to isolate electrical problems that just buying parts and replacing them, in the hope that it might fix a problem, really makes no sense. You need to use a meter or test lamp to trace through the circuit and figure out where you are losing power. It may well be the switch, or it may be somewhere else. You don't know, and we can't say, until you do that.
 
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