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MG MGB Technical - turn lights and tail lights won't work

My headlights work and the flashers work but turnlights and tail lights won't. Some have suggested not grounded but do you need to go thru every light and screw to check? Any ideas would be great.

Dan
DG Dan Ginther

If you follow the harness inside the trunk you should be able to find the ground lead for all the rear lights. It is a black wire in the harness and is typicaly grounded at the license plate bracket mount. Also check all the bullit connectors where the rear harness connects to the main harness under the hood.
John H

There are no ground wires for tail and flasher lights on any MGB, only reversing lights and some number plate lights, the main light clusters get their ground from their physical mounting to the body. If the front flashers light but the rears don't, that explains why there is no flashing as you have to have two bulbs in circuit (tell-tales excepted) before they will flash.

As such it is unlikely that both grounds have failed together (if that is what has happened), more likely some bullets pulled out, possibly by something in the boot hitting the harness. Check by the right-hand light cluster in the boot which is where both sides connect to the feed wires. It would mean three (69 or earlier) or four (70 or later) would have to have been pulled out to affect tail and turn signal lights both sides, which could be considered equally as unlikely. There is also a mass of bullet connectors near the fusebox where the main and gearbox harnesses join the main harness where conenctions could have been dislodged.
Paul Hunt

This thread was discussed between 01/04/2009 and 02/04/2009

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