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MG MGB Technical - Switches on steering column

Can the levers (switches) for wiper/overdrive and directional /hi-low / horn be repaired or would it be better to replace them? Moss wants over $100 each. If they can be repaired, what should I be looking for?

All of a sudden the wipers decided to start running and would not shut off. I just recently installed a new wiper motor but that should not have affected the on off switch or could it?
Lee

Yes, sometimes they can be repaired. Need to take the switch apart and figure out what exactly is failing. Use dielectric grease to lubricate the switch when reassembling.
Be careful when disassembling the switches, there are small springs and ball bearings. Some have disassembled them in a gallon zip loc bag to avoid the loss of parts.
Kimberly

It could possibly be your new motor.

There may well be a fault with the 'park' switch - the one on the motor which parks the wipers after you switch them off.

Why did you replace the motor?
Dave O'Neill

Yes, there is a possiblity of being an incorrectly wired motor. If it is the switches, they are probably in need of replacement both cosmetically as well as mechanically. These are made from quite a bit of plastic on anything 1968 and newer and tend to wear out- plastic breaks after so many years of being dried and sun baked out. Neat thing is MGB's have more rebuildable items in them then newer cars, but like newer cars, they do have throw away items- 85% of the time, the switches are completely replaced.

Good Luck,

-BMC.
BMC Brian McCullough

I've recently put some pictures and description of a typical indicator/dip switch on http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/wn_electricsframe.htm and click on 'Dip-switch', might help.

Unless the switch is flopping about and/or stops the motor once it has started by itself, then if the problem of them starting up on their own only happened after working on the motor maybe you disturbed something in the wiring. Also it's possible that the park switch in the motor itself is faulty and causing the problem.
Paul Hunt 2

I've seen "turn signal repair" kits for sale in some catalogs that replace the springs etc.......I bought a new unit however and am very happy with it.
Jim
J A Kelly

The main problem I was having was the windshield wipers dragging and eventually locking up with each other. I thought the motor might have not been strong enough to power the blades smoothly. I have removed the entire wiper track, lubricated all the gears and cable before attaching the wiper track to the motor. I slid it back and forth. It did not bind but was not easy to slide. Once everything was re-assembled I ran the wipers while spraying the windshield with water. They seemed to be operating as they should with the exception they now parked on the passenger side (right) in the middle of the windshield rather than on the drivers side resting on the bottom.

My wife took the car on her shopping trip; after about an hour the wipers began working on their own and would not shut off at the switch.

I have located both new and used switches but now I am not certain as to the cause with the information given in this thread.

Lee

Seems as if I have been able to solve at least part of the problem. I plugged in the old wiper motor and "voila" the switch works properly. Tried the new motor again and it won't shut off. First thing tomorrow a call to Moss regarding a defective motor.

The second part of the problem - the blades getting tied up with each other persists. How smoothly should the cable move? What can I do to prevent this problem? I have tightened the screws holding the arms as tightly as possible
Lee

You don't say the year. On round motors the park switch is integral with the connector, and can be slid forwards and replaced independantly. Of course, Moss *should* have supplied a good motor, it all depends on what is the least hassle.

The cable should be *smooth*, but there is quite a heavy load on it. They should only be used when the screen is wet of course, which does 'lubricate' the blades and make things much easier for the motor.

If you mean the blades end up pointing at different angles then either the rack and pinion in one of the wiper wheel boxes is faulty, or the splines on one shaft or wiper arm are defective. Just possibly the closing plate on one of the wheel boxes is loose which is allowing the rack to jump teeth on the wheel-box pinion.

All Clausager's pictures of LHD cars (which is what I presume you have) show the blades parking on the right-hand side i.e. the same as right-hand drive cars. Curiously the only car shown parked on the left is the Jacques Coune car, which is right-hand drive! I hear tell that you can alter the park position by removing the motor cover, prising up the cam ring which is on the face of the large gear wheel, and refitting it in the appropriate position. But I also assume that you then need the correct arms with the appropriate kink, so that they sweep right down to the rubber surround in front of the driver, and not the passenger, and lie flat in front of the driver when parked, and not diagonally across your view.
Paul Hunt 2

Lee,

ALthough you may have sorted the problem by now, it should be easy enough to rig up a test to see of the switch is broken. Look at the wiring diagram to see which wires are connected when the switch is on slow and fast; disconnect the multi-connector then re-connect the appropriate wires with a jumper cable - if the wipers are fine then the switch is knackered, if the wipers still malfunction then the problem is elsewhere.

Neil
Neil Lock

M' Pappy sed a horseless contraption as old as ours, ya better clean/replace the connectors befo taking the contraption into bits.
Dan Robinson

Impossible to work out what the switch does from the diagram as none of the wires are labeled with function such as 'park', 'slow' and 'fast'. Neither do we know what year we are talking about. Have a look at http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/wn_electricsframe.htm and click on 'Wipers' for what wires the switch connects together (text and schematics)


Paul Hunt 2

The problem definitely was not the switch. The problem is within the motor. I am sending it back for replacement.

Thanks to all of you for your input.
Lee

Hi Paul,
Do you know why we can't have both the high and the low beam operating simultainiously?. When they are both on visibility is very good, much less good when just the high beam is on.
The reason why this came to my attention is that when driving up the east coat recently (at night)I had the high beam die on me. I needed to drive with the "headlight flash" held on alot of the time.

by the way, if anyone else has this problem I found a cure. The connection between the lefthand terminal and righthand terminal in your photo
http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/dip.htm#1
had in some mysterious way become disconnected. Which terminals? The lines to your lables "Dip contact open" and "main contact closed" pass through them.
I could not get into the switch to see what the problem was so I simply soldered an external wire from one to the other. These things cost around $200 to replace, so it's worth the effort.
P.N. Sherman

Hi PN,

The only reasons I can think of by modifying the standard set-up i.e. not having to hold the flasher on all the time - would be the doubling of the current load through the main lighting switch and on the alternator. If uprated headlights and relays are installed then that takes away the switch issue, leaving the alternator issue. But of course whilst doing it by holding the headlamp flasher on increases the load on the alternator it isn't affecting the main lighting switch as the flasher supply comes via a different route, being available when the headlights are off.
Paul Hunt 2

This thread was discussed between 16/12/2006 and 21/12/2006

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