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Hi all,
I am from Miami and my MP has been sitting at my parents’ garage for years. I finally decided to get it going again. I needed to tow it to my mechanic. After changing the battery, fuel pump and getting a new carb, he got it going again. Now my problem is that when we started it, the yellow lights (not the main headlights) on the left side of the vehicle turned on by themselves.The light switch had been turned off. I just got it back from the mechanic. It was a vw engine and wiring. Could anyone tell me if it is a matter of changing a relay? or fuse? If so, which one?
Thanks for reading this and I hope you will be able to help me! Hopefully, I won’t need to get a priest to perform an exorcism on the car.
Best regards!
Electrical problems are so much fun to track down.
Fuse….I doubt it…bad fuse would mean no power at all.
Relay…probably not…relays are used for the turn-signals/flashers and the high-beams. Would seem if they went bad, they just would not work
Possibly bad headlight switch, allowing power to leak through even tho you think it is off (although this should light up the right and left running lights).
You’ll probably have to trace back the wires from the lights to see where they have gone “wrong”
Go over to the Download Manuals page (from the side links).
Last link on the page is to the full wiring schematic for a VW based Classic Roadsters TD. It should be common enough that it will work for your car.
PMOSSBERG40624.9289699074
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Ground!
check and re-do all your chassis ground connections.
somehow that tends to magically solve problems on ancient, seldom-driven cars.
As Ed said it is most likely a ground problem.
Look for all the grounds you can find and take them loose and clean them up, apply elec grease and put it them back tight. Most likely just corrosion at the conections.
Thanks guys,
Finally getting to look under the hood and here is what I am seeing: I found this wire (under the spare tire, in front of vehicle), which was not connected to anything. It is taped up, comes from the area near the instrument panel and it has two wires coming out of it ( a gray and a brown one). I am thinking either the mechanic knocked them loose or they were connected somewhere or not connnected at all:
I am also including a photo of the wiring panel. Does it look OK to you guys? I am also including a photo of the wiring panel. Does it look OK to you guys?
Thanks for your help!
Leave them alone for now. Tape them up. Fix all the grounds first. THEN see if there’s something that still doesn’t work.
Trying to find a “use” or purpose for all the loose wires on a zillion-year-old car that someone else adapted wiring to is a fool’s errand.
Thanks for your help! The oddest thing happened this weekend. I reconnected the wire on the front for the turn signal and the darn thing started working again (the turn signal) for about 10 seconds and then stayed on. Even after I had stopped the turn signal. The turn signal works on the other side. So, could this be a relay?
It sounds like the wire from the LF turn signal has been connected to a terminal that is hot all the time.Trace the wire from the LF signal light back to the interior of the car. See if it is attached to the fuse panel or to whatever. IMHO if the LR signal is working properly ,the switch is Probably OK. You could also trace the LR signal wire from the light to the interior of the car and see where it is connected.
Mricio, isn’t this fun?
Blinkers and indicators are working . . . now. But:
I’ve got a high beam indicator that works until you put the headlights on, then it indicates highs when the lows are on. And when the indicator is on, the instrument lights go off!
Ratsa-fratsa GROUNDS!
Also found a wire that had burned/melted to the next one. Probably circa 1986. The PO just taped it over. Untaped it, cut it and spliced in new wire.
Tracing just about everything.
Fun fun fun!
Good luck to you. God help us all!
Having fully rebuilt a Lafer I can tell you that on my car the gray and brown
wires in the front hood area go to the Fuel level sender installed on the gas
tank.
thanks much :O) I had the floors redone a few years back and as I was leaving the shop, I had noticed the fuel was on empty, which was impossible, since I always have at least 1/2 a tank. The guy did not bother to test any wires. He just ran a new wire to the tank. That fixed it. Should I leave these alone? or connect them to the tank? Thanks for your help!
wait…your fuel gauge works fine now…and you still want to mess with these wires?
If you want to play with them and the tank sender and fuel gauge, here is your illustrated primer.
Learn it. Live it. Love it.
But seriously, why not just tape them up and forget them or, better still, track them to their source and pull them out? Coil them up somewhere and store them in the shop. Or even in the car for an emergency.
Hello I know I’m new here but thought I share something with you about shorts in wiring.If you have a short all I have done over the years is to put a compass on the front seat turn the key and it will point toward the short as if it was north and you can take the compass and follow it.If it has not blown a fuse.If it has just make your self a circut breaker for that fuse and have one reset it and you follow the compass needle.I hope you get what I’m saying it has work for me for years.If you have question please ask willing to help Rich
It sounds like a lose or corroded conection. I had a berry mini t that had a similar problem, I cleaned and tightened all connections to the Parking/turn light affected and it worked fine. I would check and make sure that the fuel guage has two wires conected a ground and a wire to the guage. If you don’t have a good ground to the plate on the fuel guage you run the risk of a spark between the plate and the tank, NOT A GOOD PLACE FOR SPARKS. If two are there follow the old rule,”If it’s not broke, don’t fix it”.
Keep us posted as to what you find.
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