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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Fuel/temp gauge wiring & brake light warning switc

I have 78 midget and am in the process of wiring up the dash and checking all the vehicle’s remaining wiring. I have both the Workshop Manual and the Haynes wiring diagrams. My question is how do you know where to put the temp and fuel sending unit connectors on the back of each gauge? I know which wires connect to them but don’t know on which of the two terminals on each gauge I need to the wires. Does it matter if I mix up the wires, meaning for the temp gauge I connect the [light green] wire to the left terminal facing the gauge from the back with the gauge panel lamp at the top and the [green/blue] wire on the right terminal, will it matter? I’m assuming it will so wanted to know how to figure out how to plug these in correctly. I’m referring to the charts on page 216 in the workshop manual and page 209 in the Haynes.

Next question, I’m also trying to wire up the brake test switch in the center of my dashboard (I’m not sure if that’s what it’s officially called). I don’t really understand exactly how this thing works. But, I have two terminals on the back of this switch. There is a number 3 beside one of the terminals and a number 2 beside the other. From the wiring diagrams, I can see that a [green/orange] wire from the brake pressure switch connects to it. I understand the brake test switch/light to be a diode (whatever that means)? I know that it has something to do with current only traveling in one direction but that’s all I know. The problem is I don’t know which terminal this [green/orange] wire connects to and I don’t see another free wire (at least in the dashboard wiring, because the dash is off the car) to connect to the other switch terminal. The diagrams shows a [white/red] wire comes of the brake test switch/diode and connects to the number 6 terminal on the Time delay buzzer and also that same wire goes to the Ignition Switch and then on to the Starter solenoid. So when I found these wires (white/red) on the vehicle, I wouldn’t know which terminals on the back of the Brake Test switch to connect them to, terminal 3 or 2? Please help, because I definitely want to do this right. I’ve already found several wiring issues by the PO, one that fired the rheostat (panel light dimmer). So any help would be greatly appreciated.
DLW

This thread was discussed on 25/06/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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