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 - Wiring connector system for dash instruments

I was wondering if anybody had rewired under the dash so that it would be easy to remove the instrument panel by simply uncoupling ONE wiring connector...
(I know it's not period!)
Would make working on it all much easier...
Geoffrey M Baker

TD or TF, Geoff?
Bud Krueger

Couldn't you just go to the automotive store and buy one of the plastic wiring plugs and spade lugs and just put it in about 1 foot from the dash? You may have to do it in two plugs because there are a few (ammeter and switch)wires that are heavier gauge than the others.
Chris Couper

That's what I was thinking, Chris, one of those multi-pin connectors. Make it a breeze to remove the whole panel... TD Bud!
Geoffrey M Baker

Geoffrey

I have don this with my TF. Diagram of the connector attached.

Rick


RG Taylor

Wiring diagram for the connector


RG Taylor

RG, what kind of connector did you buy? I'm concerned about the high amperage some of those wires carry, (headlights & ign) and think a fairly heavy duty connector would be the way to go...
Geoffrey M Baker

Bought the connector from Mouser Electronics.

www.mouser.com

Went through their catalog until I found the connector. Need to also buy the male and female connectors for the wire. I bought sections of wire from British wire and matched the gage / color code.

I found this information on the list archive.
RG Taylor

Serious question: how often do you need to remove the instrument panel?
Rob Edwards

I too split the wiring loom on my TD when I first put it together back in 1970. It made some sense to be able to remove the dash completely without all the fiddly undoing of the loom. I did not think to find a single plug which would make it even easier, but used just the bullet connectors available to me at the time.
Worked fine for about a 2 years - then one dark night while driving down a steep windy hill in Sevenoaks all the lights and ignition went out. Bit of a shock - doing 50 in the dark was not fun. I reached under the dash and gave the loom a tug as there was no under dash panel -thank God - and it all came back on. I guess the main connection from the ignition S/W verdigrises sufficient to brake the connection.

So from my experience I would say - be careful when you do this. Make sure the connection is locked together and bound in waterproof tape to prevent moisture getting anywhere near the connections. and big enough tot handle the current.

I have not taken my dash out for - I can't remember when - and it is now wired back as the factory made it :)

Rod


R D Jones

Rob... lol, the answer of course is too often... last year I rewired the dash (it was totally rotten and most of it didn't work) but I still have to wire in the heater and a couple of the dash lights have gone out since then (but it's not the bulbs that are the problem) and the ammeter stopped working but started again, so I know I've got to open it back up to figure it all out ... plus I'm eventually going to restore all the instruments and that will require removal... etc etc...
Just seems like now will be a good time to do it as I need to find out what's wrong with those bulbs and make sure the connections are good on the ammeter...
Geoffrey M Baker

This thread was discussed between 14/02/2014 and 15/02/2014

MG TD TF 1500 index

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