MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - no juice

I have an electrical problem that has me dumbfounded. My friend painted his TD and now wants to fire it up. He also had the generator rebuilt. We charged the battery, and it is good. We hooked up the battery [positive ground] and tried to set the polarity of the generator. We didn't get any spark when we shorted between terminals A1 and D on the regulator. We then disconnected the generator from the circuit (to protect it), and started trying to turn on electrical equipment. The electrical system is completely dead. No fuel pump, no dash instrument lights, no headlights, no nothing. We cleaned up the battery box ground well without any result. There is electrical continuity between the negative terminal on the battery and the fuses.

My friend removed all of the fenders and had both sides of the metal painted.

My hunch is that we are overlooking something really simple, but I am completely stumped!

Any of you folks have an answer for me? Please!
G Hollingsworth

Obviously Louis is your friend...see other posting on this. When you pull your starter, does the engine turn over? If not then it has to be a grounding problem.
Gene Gillam

Gene,

Ahem, where are the grounds on a TD? The only obvious ground we saw was from the positive battery terminal to the metal battery box. The engine was not removed so I am skeptical that an engine-to-chassis ground was removed, but it is certainly worth checking.
G Hollingsworth

Gene

Was fire wall painted and if so, was all electrical taken off?. Grounding of things like the voltage regulator, and coil were done by touching metal. May need to clean the paint on the bolt holed so there is a metal to metal ground. Fuel pump should have a separate black ground.

Engine should have a braded ground on the passenger side between the block and the support tower.
Bruce-C

"Engine should have a braded ground on the passenger side between the block and the support tower." or on the driver's side as it is on our TD and I believe on most TDs. The cable goes under one of the bolts holding the bell housing to the block. For information on making a good ground, see the article, Electrical Connection Preparation in the Other Tech Articles on my web site at: http://homepages.donobi.net/sufuelpumps/ Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Ok Dave. That is probably another of those "How did it come from the factory" points. I just find that the driver side is so crammed with other stuff, that the passenger side makes it a lot easier to put the grounding strap in.
Bruce-C

I'm guessing you have your harness lead connected to the wrong side of the starter switch. It should be on the same post as the battery hot wire. The other post on the switch should only have the lead to the starter. Of course I'm just guessing as I can't see it, but it would cause the symptoms you describe.

LaVerne
LED DOWNEY

This thread was discussed on 27/11/2008

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.