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MG TD TF 1500 - TF dash, A & P switches

I am trying top 'regularise the wiring behind the TF's dashboard. It is now RHD but may have been a LHD export originally which could be relevant to what follows.

The current problem relates to the two pull switches, marked A & P and goes as follows:

The workshop manual shows the P switch on the left and the A switch on the right, in this car they are the other way round.

Question 1: does anyone know if the LHD and RHD layouts were different? Or is the current set up just plain wrong?

Both the switches marked A & P are two position switches. The wiring digram shows the P as a two position (panel then map lights) and the A as a one position switch (auxilliary light, eg spotlights).

Question 2: should the A switch be a one-way or is two way correct (eg for spot lamp then fog lamp)?

The residual wiring (there is a load of additional wiring bringing in fused circuits) is the original braided wire but it is so dirty as to be all brown with a light brown secondary colour, and so not much help!)

Your bountiful knowledge and help is, as always, much appreciated

IanB
Ian Bowers

My RHD TF9097 has the Auxilliary on the right (undisturbed dash with original wiring) and is a one-stage switch.

A check of your chassis number prefix on the ID plate will eliminate any doubt as to wether the car was LHD or not. Happy to explain this if required.

Cheers,
Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

That answers the question for RHD TF.
I have asked this a couple times on here.
Is it different on a LHD car?
All my manuals show RHD only.

BTW: My LHD is same as Matthew's ...but my dash was wrong for years as far as Speedo & Tach placement!
David Sheward

David,

MG typically reversed the placements of items from a RH drive car to a LH drive. For example, on a TD all the items shown in the center instrument panel are reversed, symetrically hole for hole.

The only exception is that they didn't make us drive Left footed! (the clutch brake and gas pedals are in their normal order!)

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Thanks for the details Matthew, just what I needed.

The chassis number indicates that the car was originally a US export. It is now RHD but there is no sign of the pedal box being cut off.

The switch and the knob are readily separated, so I guess that at the time the wiring was 're-designed', a two way switch was introduced and the A knob re-used. At the same time the knobs were reversed, but I will probably never know why!

That is one small matter resolved.

IanB
Ian Bowers

This thread was discussed on 29/05/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

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