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MG TD TF 1500 - Rear tail lamp wiring

Hope this is not to dumb of a question but I was wondering if anyont in TF land has replaced the socket in the rear tail light assembly with Moss 156-300 and if so, how did you connect the three wires to it? It looks like it should take a snap connector but I can't find anything that fits. Does not look like any solder connection that I have ever seen. Can't take a picture - camera is broke.

Thanks for any help - John 54TF
J Ostergren

John,

A new, and revised wiring diagram for the tail lights has just been released. See:- http://xkcd.com/730/.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

I just disconnected the wires from the older rectangular tail light. It is a little weird looking as well. It has what looked like 2 prongs sticking up.

To remove the wire I pressed down on the piece with the two prongs and the wire released from a hole in the receptor. Kinda like a press down stereo connection. When the spring extends it catches the wire.

Hope this helps.
C.R. Tyrell

Gord, thanks for that wiring diagram. I seem to be missing that damn electric eel!! Not sure how where it went. Great diagram, how do you find these things?

C.R., My old ones were as you describe. A couple were broken off and one had the wire soldered to it. The new ones from MOSS have a bullet type connector. You take the bullet out of its holder which has a hole in its end, much like a 22 cal. hollow point bullet, and push the wire though it with about a 1/4" of insulation stripped from it.
The individual wire stands get folded back over the bullet and the bullet in then pushed/forced back into its holder. I have never seen a connector like this and this was the only way I could figure out how to use it... John
J Ostergren

John,

The bullet you are talking about is common on the ground installation on Lucas lighting products (headlamp, tailights and the like). The other connections were typically like the 'Stereo connections described by C.R. Mignt be time to buy a cheap camera to put pictures on-line ;)

Pictures for a TD are in my website http://www.dbraun99.com MGTD15470 » On Going Maintenance » LED Tail Lights and in the lighting section of the electrical portion of the restoration. I would imagine the TF is similar.

warmly,
dave


Dave Braun

Dave, I know that you've heard this before but, I personally want to thank you for all the work you've done on preparing your site. A lot of dedication to the craft is involved in preparing a site like yours. I know it has helped many others and has helped me immensely! Thanks again. PJ
P Jennings

On a TF, originally did the tail light wireing connect directly from the harness or are there bullet connectors with pigtails to the lights?

Dan H.
Dan Hanson

Dan, my best guess is that the harness originally connected directly to the tail light. I have all new MOSS harnesses and the head lights and front fender lights both came with pigtails and bullet connectors while the rear light wires just come off the main harness with no pigtails or connectors provided. I have made pigtails and am using bullet connectors for the rear also. John
J Ostergren

Again, I'm ignorant about TF differences, but ---
The wiring diagram for TDs, e.g., on page N.23 of the WSM, clearly shows a group of snap connectors where the harness goes to the rear lighting. There was a thread about this a short while ago. Bud
Bud Krueger

Right you are Bud. I'm sure that the TF was probably the same. The harness that I took out was wired directly to the light socket but it was not the original harness. I wonder why the Moss harness kit does not include pigtails with connectors to the rear lights. It provides them for the front fender lights although there is no ground wire included in the pigtails. Not sure you can get a really good ground on these front lights because of the way they are mounted without one. I have added a groung wire to each one. John
J Ostergren

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2011 and 19/11/2011

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