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MG MGA - MGA wiring problem

Hi, Ben a while since I posted, Hi everyone! I am posting for my friend Terry He has an MGA 1600. He seems to have a lighting issue with complications. The car runs great with no issues UNTIL, the headlights or turn signals are activated. When the lights or turn signals are activated, the wires on the ignition switch get very hot. Im guessing that there is high resistance in the lighting circuit somewhere. I have found a few loose ground wires under the dash, and will tighten them. Does anyone have any ideas as to why the ignition switch terminals are getting hot in regard to the lights? The ignition switch is not original. It has lucar push on connectors, but evrything connected to the ignition switch seems clean and tight. ANy assistance would be appreciated. Thanks, Glenn
Glenn Hedrich

I hate Lucar connectors, especially for this application where one of them will carry all of the current for the whole car (except the starter motor), about 20 amps through one push on tab. If you can't find an original screw post type ignition switch, the solution is to install a barrier strip to remove the high current lighting wires from the ignition switch. See attached picture.



Barney Gaylord

Hi Barney! I found the problem. Inteesting story. Terry put a new dash in his car. While doing so, he decided to " moisture proof" the contacts on the switches, by coating them with epoxy glue! What happened was tha the glue seeped in between the spade, and the push on terminal, so there was minimal surface contact. Hence the resistance was high, and the terminals go very hot. I soldered on new push connectors, and problem is solved. Thanks for your help. I agree the Lucar connectors are a problem waiting to happend, and I will look for a proper non Lucar switch. Cheers, Glenn
Glenn Hedrich

This thread was discussed on 18/04/2009

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