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MG MGA - Stop Light Switch

I mentioned a while back that the stop light switch was on the blink, requiring humungus foot pressure to operate the lights; plus my hi level LED stop light was not coming on at all.

Well I have been so busy in lockdown that I have not even looked at the car in 8 weeks. Anyway, yesterday I raised the car on the hoist a couple of feet but within minutes my back told me I was past lying down underneath in awkward positions. But not before I managed to turn the old switch a tadge (it was only a little more than finger tight on its tapered thread). Then retightened.

Phoned my village garage to book her in first thing today to let them swap the switch. Got in the car at 0900 and b****r me, the lights and hi level LED operated perfectly at the slightest touch! Left it with them to do a once over and MOT type check (exempt). They need the money to get back up to speed, so it helps us both. Great asset to have in your local village.

Another one for Mr Lucas, unless my half turn of the spanner released an air lock or similar?

Hope you are all keeping well. Just had my Golden wedding using wedding cars tonbridge Anniversary in lockdown. That saved a few bob.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Are they still changing the switch?
If so, for what?
Dave O'Neill 2

Dave

I told them not to - if it ain't broke don't change it. I had bought one but will keep it for later. If you want the name I will let you know later. Car, switch, Dot 5, Eezi-Bleed and plastic pipes still at garage. Not risking contamination with their traditional fluids.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Hi Steve
I had to replace my brake light switch last year because it had begun to behave like your switch has, it only illuminated the brake lights if I pressed the pedal really hard.
So under gentle braking, the brake lights didn't work.

I was playing around with a mechanical brake light switch that I had found online, it is a spring loaded switch which swivels on a metal plate.

I fixed it to the steering column on a temporary trial basis using jubilee clips and I made a clamp to fit onto the brake pedal which had an attachment "eye" on it to hang the front of the operating spring to.

(there is no way I would consider drilling a hole in the brake pedal)

I admit, it looked a bit of a lash-up, as you can see on picture 1, but it operated the brake lights perfectly.

It was on the steering column for well over a year unused because I had replaced the faulty hydraulic brake light switch with a repro one which has worked fine, probably better than the old one ever did.

Anyway, over the last few weeks I was looking at my to-do list and took another look at the mechanical switch.
I realised that I could get rid of its original mounting plate an pop-rivet the jubilee clips directly onto the switch's swivel.
See Picture 2.

I then re-attached it with some 3 mm rubber strips between the clips and the column and this looked much better than the original lash-up.

I will attach another picture on my next post to show how it looks now.

I have made up a new twin wire loom to connect at the original switch, and I will wire it up when the new hydraulic switch fails.

Colyn








Colyn Firth

This is the new brake light switch as it fitted now.

It is well out of the way of my size 12 shoes.

Colyn


Colyn Firth

Thanks Colyn. I have done many non standard changes to my car but I am not in the the slightest interested in converting my switch away from standard. Some things appeal to me. That one does not.

Any way, as it's turned out it's not the switch at fault. The garage confirmed one of my suspicions that the wire spades had got a bit loose . They replaced. It's my inability to work in awkward places these days, not helped by lack of access down there due to the pre-engaged starter. I would be no better off contorting myself under the steering wheel. Unfortunately my accident injuries are beginning to tell on me.

Steve
Steve Gyles

I can see where you are coming from Steve,
I admit that I have done a fair number of modifications to my my MGA.

But in my defence, "no MGAs have been harmed by any of them" :^)
In other words, my brake switch mod, like all the other mods I have carried out, are all completely reversible using simple hand tools.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn

I'm not knocking the mod. It's just one I am not going to do. Bit like all the lighting relays. Can't get into that either. Incidentally, on that subject we seem to be on the road to LED light conversions so, with less loads from the bulbs will relays even be worthwhile?

Steve
Steve Gyles

I have to admit that I have fitted one very large relay (80 amps IIRC), this supplies a busbar that powers up pretty much all of the circuits that would normally go through the ignition switch.
Including, twin electric fans, 2-speed wipers, dip/flash relay, electronic rev counter, gauge wizard, and more recently, the electric power steering mod.

I recently experimented with adding a temporary extra power lead to the heater fan motor and it did actually speed up the motor by an estimated 10% or so.

So maybe a dedicated heater fan motor relay could be on the cards too.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn

Hardly an MGA for the driving experience by the time you've finished!! You should get an MGF.

Steve
Steve Gyles

If you fit LED stop/tail arrays you will unload the stop switch and it should last forever-perhaps. Kill two birds with one stone.
Bolney Coupe

Steve,
for me, the EPS is an experiment to see how I get on with it and now I have installed it, I am going to live with it for a few months and then decide to either drive it or dump it :^)

The reason I am trying out the EPS basically is that I tore my right bicep in half a couple of years ago on a skiing holiday and, as a result, I have lost a lot of strength in that arm.

So the idea of the EPS is to see if the car feels as good to drive with it operating as it does without it.

And if it does, then hopefully, it will allow me to be able to drive the car for many more years to come.

(Like all my other mods, the EPS comes with the caveat that it can be unbolted and returned to standard very easily)

I am doing a report of the installation and driving experience for Safety Fast (hopefully), however, the Covid "lockdown" has meant that I have only driven it for 30 miles or so and so not enough time in the car yet to develop an opinion.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Don't knock the EPS till you have driven an MGA with it fitted. Parking or manoeuvring at slow speed is no longer a shoulder workout, and at speed it's like driving the original. Hairpin bends at otherwise undreamed of speeds are almost too easy, but would probably be too much for wire wheel spokes..... But I lose almost no momentum up the mountain curves any more ! I now have the MGA I always wanted.
Dominic Clancy

Well here’s a controversial statement, and I don’t often contribute! Dominic, Why on earth would anyone want power steering to enhance their normal speed driving experience! At low speeds and parking maybe. The steering can be a bit of a strain then but at normal driving speeds steering is beautiful, responsive, full of feeling and quite light enough for anyone, surely? And, why would power steering enhance driving into hairpin bends at “otherwise undreamed of high speeds” when normal steering is quite adequate? Sorry, don’t get it.
Bruce.
Bruce Mayo

As I said Bruce, you have to experience it to understand it. Especially the hairpin bends bit.
Dominic Clancy

I'm with Bruce on this one. The MGA steering has its unique characteristics. Surely you drive into hairpins with that in mind. If you want to do it differently you are in the wrong car.

Steve
Steve Gyles

As Dom says - don't dis it until you have tried it!

I am seriously thinking about PS for my V8 - not because it is heavier than any other but because I have arthritis in my left shoulder - old age catches up with us all eventually.
Chris at Octarine Services

We managed a couple of hours in the MGA yesterday, we decided on a circular route because there are no public services open ( pubs, cafes, public conveniences etc) which kind of limits the options. We stopped after an hour to buy fish and chips in a small village with deserted picnic tables outside to comply with social distancing. Then another hours drive home.
The EPS does make the car far less tiring to drive, but what I did also discover is that if it is switched off, the steering feels to me to be virtually the same as a standard car, with similar feedback though the steering wheel.
(The EPS still has a direct steering column like the original, it doesn't have hydraulic pumps like older types of power steering)


So it is beginning to look as if it could actually give me the best of both worlds, where I can switch it on for a leisurely drive, or switch it off when I want to enjoy the MGA in its natural element, on a series of fast sweeping bends.

Once I have experimented with it a little more I will start a new thread to let you know how it works out.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn, how does the EPS work, mechanically? Are there solenoids or something?
Art
Art Pearse

I will reply on a new thread Art, I appear to have completely sidetracked this one, sorry Steve.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn

It's the natural way threads diverge.

My final thoughts (I have seen your new thread on the topic): These cars were always modified by owners and I am no exception on that one. But, being a sports car most modifications have been around additional speed and stopping power and by and large have used technology around the time of production. So things like engine capacity, superchargers, number of gears, differential ratio and disc brakes are fine in my book. Add on to that the odd safety issue for current day motoring such as seat belts and splitting off the direction indicators from the braking circuit.

However, when you start altering the fundamental feel of the car by installing power steering (switchable or otherwise) from a 21st century vehicle (designed on a Toyota Yaris you say) then you no longer have an MGA. I have no doubt it's less tiring, goes round hairpins faster etc. I am sure it makes the car far more driveable but it's not an MGA doing it.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Well I think I can work out which side of the EPS debate you are on Steve :^).

I'm hoping to be able to switch it on and off as I need it which would put me firmly in both camps! :^)

Don't forget that in the switched-off condition, the steering wheel is connected directly to the steering rack through a simple steering column, just like a standard MGA.

I suppose it gives you very similar options to those you have when you fit a Ford 5-speed gearbox to the MGA, for example, you can use 5th gear as an overdrive if you wish, but if you have more purist inclinations, you can just use the 4 gears.

For me, the MGA driving experience is really important and I don't plan on losing any of the great qualities that I love about this car.

So, after I have lived with this set up for a while, I will report back and let you all know what my conclusions are.

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

if you fit a ford 5 speed to a mga you have lost the feel of an mga i lost the feel of my midget so went back to a 4 speed
b bithell

Steve

Drive it and see what you think before condemning based on the idea alone....


Art

The EPS works by having an electric motor in the column that is controlled by a torque sensor, When torque is applied to the column, the motor kicks in with assistance. You probably have a similar system in your daily driver,
The level of assistance is controlled by a separate signal (VSS) to the EPS ECU which reduces the level of assistance in stages the faster you are driving, This can be dynamic ( my version) or manual (Gio's version)

Dominic
Dominic Clancy

This thread was discussed between 13/05/2020 and 28/06/2020

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