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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Midget 76 Voltage stabiliser

I have bought a 76 midget 1500 which was being used for spares, but am now in the process of getting back on the road, it now runs and drives ok.
One of the problems I have is the fuel guage and temp guage (dual guage with oil pressure) do not read at all.
Looking behind the dash I can not see any voltage stabiliser either on the firewall or behind the speedo.
If I fit a new stabiliser where does it gain its feed from, and where are the connections on the fuel and temp.guages. My MG owners manual only has a wiring diagram to assist.
Thanks in advance for any advice/ help
n griffiths

They were behind the rev-counter on the bulkhead, on the 1275s...

A
Anthony Cutler

Hi

a dual gauge means that it is a mechanical gauge (oil line from the engine, and a capillary tube from the cylinder head).


the fuel gauge (item 34) is fed from the stabilizer, which is most likely on the bulkhead, as Anthony said, near where the wire harness passes through the big grommet into the engine room.

Check your wiring diagram for wire color. The circuit most likely goes like this:

green/black wire from the level sensor in the tank (item 35), runs up the RH side footwell up to the main harness under the right end of the dash board, and to the gauge (item 34).

the other wire, light green/green, goes from the gauge to the voltage stabilizer (item 64), which is fed by a green wire from the fuse block.


Hope this is helpful,
Norm
Norm Kerr

Thank you for the helpful comments , Sorry I forgot to say I think the car has an electric temp guage as there is a temp sender in the water pump housing at front of the engine, this too has been disconnected and the wire is missing (sensor has just a single spade terminal. No capillary tubes from the head either.I have checked behind all the instruments for a voltage stab and it is definitely missing.
n griffiths

right I'll say it up front what you need is a owners Handbook, only £8, which gives you all the information you need as a driver/owner including a wiring diagram, see (ref: 0058) - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue_Handbooks_5.html

I've looked in my Haynes (Haynes never as good as a owners Handbook I've found) and yet again it's let me down as I can't find a temp gauge on it's wiring diagram (unless it's my eyes, quite possible)

it does show the voltage stabilser with only the fuel gauge on it

I don't know if a '76 car should have seperate temp and oil gauges or even if it has a oil gauge

I suggest not getting a voltage stabiliser but the modern alternative semi- condutor/solid state such as - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Semiconductor-Voltage-Stabilizer-MG-Midget-MGB-MGC-/280615200810?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4155f8282a

or - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SOLID-STATE-VOLTAGE-STABILIZER-MG-Midget-MGB-MGA-/130473931769?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e60da33f9
Nigel Atkins

thats a good plan nigel. my smiths voltage stabiliser blew in my 85 mini. it was going to be £18 for a new one. I dug around my old uni box and found a 5A 10V Voltage Regulator (maplin sell them for about 90p i think) Same wiring as the original (supply, ground, feed). If you are planning on using a modern Vreg, you must use a heat sink of some sort (you could use the cars body, bust must ensure it is bound using a correct thermal conducting paste)

Rich K

Nigel

i've got a Mg Midget repair operation manual which has a wiring diagram etc. but i dont find this as helpful as say a Haynes.
I also bought a solid state stabilser replacement (off ebay) and this is where it gets interesting, I removed guage today thinking I would wire up this replacement and found the temp is fed from a capillary tube though this is missing or broken off, and its not in the car anywhere, oil pressures is fed from pipe from engine as ususal.
I'm guessing the car has had a replacement engine at some time as temp sender is electrical, so do I buy a electrical temp guage and wire it up, or find an original type guage which i would hope comes with the capillary tube.?

Thanks again for any advice

Nigel
n griffiths

Nigel,

the stabilizer only goes to the fuel gauge (as far as i know)

I can't find a photo of a '76 dash to see what temp gauge you should have but there's loads of 1500 owners on here so you could try another thread asking about the oil and temp gauge(s) for a ('76) 1500

On the Haynes wiring diagramph I can't see either a temp or oil gauge, did the 1500s have them?

The temp gauge can be either elec or tube by adapting the head fitting ON A 1275 BMC A-series) engine I assume that might be the same for a 1500(?) - the 1500 cars had Triumph engines when new

you need your GAN number to sort gauges (and all stuff that would have been on your car when new)

An owners Handbook would suppliment the repair book well, each would cover what the other is missing so I still (and always do) recommend spending £8 on buying the owners Handbook - I bet it will save you at least £8 on rebuild and ownership of car and it would show instrument layout
Nigel Atkins

Progress, now I know its not a an electric temp guage, I checked Moss for a combined oil and temp guage and their suggestion appears to be a BHA4737 for about £80 plus postage, i googled BHA4737 and found one on PL minis website for £49 plus postage and tax came to £65 all in,the capillary temp sender screws into where P.O fitted electric temp sender, so fingers crossed all will be well and I can attend to the other jobs that need doing like front end rust on bonnet.

Nigel
n griffiths

good news

if it's like mine you'll need to use some sort of thread seal to stop any coolant leaks where it screws into head adaptor

and check for oil leaks from the gauge end when you run the engine - I found black oil doesn't show up on the black console carpet cover but will feel wet when you put your elbow on it
Nigel Atkins

Not sure if this is any help or not, but i think the early 1500's had the original style instruments, and the capiliary temp gauage and oil pressure guage, and I think they changed to the Triumph style (black faces with the white square needles) instruments with the electric temp guage and no oil pressure guage sometime in the early part of 1977. On my car, a later '77, the voltage stabiliser is screwed to the back of either the speedo or the rev counter, not sure which.


Alan
A Pritchett

Nigel,

You will very likely need an adaptor in the side of the head - Moss list the standard 1275 Midget one as 'Item 8' under Engine and '80' under Gauges. There are at least 2 different capillary end types - the Midget used one with a 'male' end, as shown on the Moss site, but there is a female end as well. If you post a picture of your new one, that will help to identify the adaptor needed.

Richard
Richard Wale

Right update,
Yes checked Moss for temp sender etc and they showed an adaptor is needed, Moss required a min £10 order so looked for other stuff to make it over £10 but site would not give me the option to purchase, so then looked on Rimmer bros (after googling the adaptor part number) and just bought the adapter and sealing ring from them, received 2 days later (today) now fitted and I now have a working temp guage.Ran engine up and the temp guage sat at about 170F it would occasionally blip briefly to almost 190 then come almost straight back down.Phew glad thats out of the way as it wasn't till I bought the car that I discovered via various forums how potentially troublesome the Triumph engines can be.
Oil pressure is good when hot sits at 50lbs and maxs at about 80-85lbs at 4000 rpm.Next step is to fit a set of Minators, clean up front disks and pads as its been unused for approx last year.Get lights, indicators
(removed rubber bumpers)and screen washer to work.
Oh yes and horns are missing!
So thanks again for all help and suggestions

Nigel
n griffiths

This thread was discussed between 12/01/2011 and 22/01/2011

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