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MG MGA - Flash to pass.

Have read item on Barney's site with interest and will probably fir it on my MGA. Wonder whether it would also work on a Morris Minor which has the same sort of floor dipswitch?
H L Davy

Hugh,I'm 99% sure that Morris 1000 dipwswitch would be wired up in exactly the same way as tha MGAs. It is the same switch.
Colyn

You have been really busy on the forums today!
c firth

Most BMC cars of the time used the same Lucas switch gear.

The Minor uses the same type of floor mounted switch, as do the early Sprite/midget and MGB.

I bought a secondhand relay on Ebay this week, which turned up yesterday. I've just built a test rig to make sure everything works - it does.

The only thing I wasn't expecting is that if you use the headlamp flash on its own, the headlamps change state - i.e. if they were on dipped beam when they were last switched off, they will be on main beam when they are next switched on.
Dave O'Neill 2

I must admit that after reading barneys article about this relay in mga guru I expected the same. I should have realised that the relay is a change-over latching one, if it wasn't it would only flash the lights and not dip them. I don't think there is relay made that will automatically return to dipped beams when switched off.
The original foot dip switch is exactly the same though, if you push it with the lights switched off it is still switching between main and dipped beam.
I still love the dip/ flash option though, one of the best modifications I have done to my car.
Colyn
c firth

Hi Dave, Can you send me alink to the wiring diagram? Thanks. Simon
s page

Now if you can just get your MGA to pass something!

Steve Meline
SAM Meline

Colyn,
I have just got round to fitting the VW relay into my 1500. I am following your re-positioning of the indicator light and the rheostat switch but the re-routing of the loom is puzzling because Barney's addendum makes it quite clear that the foot dipswitch is retained. He also goes on to write "when lights are on high beam the original FTP does nothing".

The foot dipper was always a curse and I remember removing it back in the early sixties. My question is whether the dash-mounted switch changes the beams from high to low when lights are on ? (and does Barney's statement mean "when the lights are on high beam the original foot dip switch does nothing "?

Whilst writing could you also confirm that the new power source to terminal 30 should come from an unfused negative ?

I have probably missed something in the instructions but clarification would be most welcome.

Roger
Roger W

Roger
I just looked at Barneys instructions for the VW relay again and it is a little confusing. (Article 113-A)

In the first part of it he says you should disconnect the 3 wires from the original dipper switch and re-route them to the new VW relay. This would completely disable the original dip switch so that the new relay would then work as the flash to pass switch when the headlights are switched off and also then as the dip-switch once the headlights are switched on.

In Barneys addendum January 12 2012 he then discusses that it is possible to use the special DNI 0127 VW relay solely as a high beam flasher switch.
You would then retain the original foot dip switch for switching between high and low beam and only use the new VW relay as a headlight main beam) flasher.

He does add that this would be a waste of the expensive special VW relay and I agree. You could buy a really inexpensive standard none-latching relay for this.

It makes much more sense to get rid of the original dip-switch and use the VW relay in its flash to pass/ dip-switch role and remove the old dip-switch completely.
It is a really brilliant modification.

To answer your questions ,

1 Yes, when the headlights are switched on, the new switch on the dashboard will then switch between high beams and low beams each time you press it.
When the headlights are switched off, the same switch will flash the high beams for as long as you hold it down.
Interestingly, this new VW relay will still be alternating between high and low beams even when the headlights are switched off. So each time you use it to flash the lights, it will actually change between dipped and main beams. So the next time you switch on the headlights they could be on either main beam or dipped depending on how many times you have flashed the lights.
(This happens with the original foot operated switch too if you press it when the lights are switched off)

2 The new power supply to terminal 30 on the relay is the the supply for the main beams when you operate it in the flasher switch function. I fitted an in-line 25 amp fuse to protect the wiring.
Connect it to the negative side of your battery if you have positive earth (Or to the positive side if you have converted to negative earth)

Hope that helps.

If not, email me and I will try my best to explain further.(hopefully!)

Cheers

Colyn
c firth

Colyn,
All is now perfectly clear.Thank you.

I shall disconnect and remove the foot dipswitch and for owners who feel originality is everything - those of us who used these cars as daily drivers in the late 50s and early 60s did the same. Obviously there were enough of us to warrant the manufacture of a locally available kit.

Colyn - thanks again

R

Roger W

This thread was discussed between 16/10/2014 and 08/11/2014

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This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.