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MG MGB Technical - Turn Signal Lamps

Has anybody increased the brightness level of the turn signal lamps? I'm ready to install a bell so that I know that the're on due to the low light output.
JLG Galbreath

You can buy a noisey flasher. I use one for when the top is up. I also have a switch to use a Radio Shack beeper for top-down driving.
Dan Robinson

Hi.

You might like to consider using green LED's, which are becoming quite efficient and are directional, so you can direct the all of the light output towards the driver. LEDs must be used with a current limiting resistor, and connected the right way around.
You could even arrange for them to be brighter in daylight, ie when the sidelights are off.

My personal preference is for an additional relay designed to give a solid mechanical clunk (similar to a fuel pump) as the lights go on and off, a bleeper works but (in my opinion) gets tiresome.

Don
Don

Before you add anything else to the electrical system, have you tried cleaning all the ground (earth) wires in the system, and all the connectors? My turn signal lamps certainly seem bright enough to me, and will cause a very decent yellow glow at night such that it's very obvious they are on. Or did you mean the small indicator lamps in the dash? Same principle applies, make sure all the power and ground connectors are clean. You should have no trouble seeing them, even in daylight, if all is as it should be.


Paul K

I do mean the directional indicators on the dash. I would like to preserve the orgional arrows but increase the illumination as my ideal solution. I'll check out my grounds and yet I'm not hopeful that will be the solution. I suppose going with led bulbs can be done without changing the "look"? If so has anybody done this? What did you use and where did you get the componets?
JLG Galbreath

Hi.

There is no reason that LEDs could not be put behind the original arrows, some soldering would be needed along with some minor mechanical work to secure them in the holder.

Some cars have used LEDs as standard, I seem to recall that VW have been doing so for some time in some models.

I would recommend LEDs with a clear casing and with a narrow viewing angle. The light output should be as high as you can get, but at least 30mcd. A resistor value of 680 ohms is about right. The components are not expensive.
They do have the advantage of more-or-less infinite life.

I guess that you can't see the originals with the top down and the sun shining from above / behind you ?... this might be a tough challenge without resorting to some quite high power bulbs.

HTH... Don
Don

Gents: Thanks for your input. The sun's glare is the cause as is the lamp design of my 71B. My 74B does not have the same problem. I think I'll just buy the 74's lens and see if that isn't the best fix. Have you seen the difference in cost between the years in the Moss cataloge?
JLG Galbreath

Are the bulbs still in the correct position behind the lenses? Are the lenses clean? Maybe someone painted over them when repainting the dash. I don't know whether that happened to mine but when I restored my dash the lenses were black but cleaned up to green. Lack of visibility has never been a problem on either my 73 roadster or 75 V8. You can make a louder audible warning by connecting a DC buzzer across the terminals of the two-pin flasher, +ve connection to the green and -ve to the light-green/brown. Not tried it on the earlier three-pin flasher.
Paul Hunt

This thread was discussed between 26/12/2003 and 29/12/2003

MG MGB Technical index

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