Modern MG Forum
The Dreaded MGF Boot Loom!
Well. now I've had the pleasure of dealing with just about all of the MGF's endemic problems.
Last weekend I swapped the MGF's dash, a job that included lots of electrical work, Instruments out, radio out, console swap with all new switches, installed an Electric power steering bypass circuit, LED illuminated instrument needles, and a solid state heater control conversion. When I got everything back together everything worked as it should Woo-Hoo!
Then, on Tuesday morning I hopped in the car to go to work, turned on the lights and Poof! The instrument lights went out along with the L/H marker lights.
Two separate circuits-Hmmm. Of course my first thought was that something I did was shorting and blowing fuses. The first thing I did was check a couple of circuits, rapidly exhausting my supply of 10A fuses, then drove to work.
When I got home I checked the net, and the first thing that popped up was a link to the MGF Register forum describing my exact issue. Turned out it was the famous "boot hinge fault". The wires that lead to the boot lid exit the main loom at a right angle, and over time the continual flexing of the wires cause them to break causing some truly bizarre faults in circuits throughout the car. Modern engineering!-Hmmmph!
Anyway, problem solved in half an hour, and this weekend I'll do all the wires and reroute the harness to try to minimise the flexing.
Thanks to the MGF Register and to Rob Bell who posted the solution!
If you have strange electrical issues it's worth checking.
Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-23 07:06 PM by Rich in Vancouver.
Last weekend I swapped the MGF's dash, a job that included lots of electrical work, Instruments out, radio out, console swap with all new switches, installed an Electric power steering bypass circuit, LED illuminated instrument needles, and a solid state heater control conversion. When I got everything back together everything worked as it should Woo-Hoo!
Then, on Tuesday morning I hopped in the car to go to work, turned on the lights and Poof! The instrument lights went out along with the L/H marker lights.
Two separate circuits-Hmmm. Of course my first thought was that something I did was shorting and blowing fuses. The first thing I did was check a couple of circuits, rapidly exhausting my supply of 10A fuses, then drove to work.
When I got home I checked the net, and the first thing that popped up was a link to the MGF Register forum describing my exact issue. Turned out it was the famous "boot hinge fault". The wires that lead to the boot lid exit the main loom at a right angle, and over time the continual flexing of the wires cause them to break causing some truly bizarre faults in circuits throughout the car. Modern engineering!-Hmmmph!
Anyway, problem solved in half an hour, and this weekend I'll do all the wires and reroute the harness to try to minimise the flexing.
Thanks to the MGF Register and to Rob Bell who posted the solution!
If you have strange electrical issues it's worth checking.
Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-04-23 07:06 PM by Rich in Vancouver.
Probably not a good idea John. I am teetering on the edge of insanity!
Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!
Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!
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In reply to # 2670007 by Rich in Vancouver
Probably not a good idea John. I am teetering on the edge of insanity!
And that makes you different from the rest of us how?
Nice job Rich, but got no proof of ANY of this...
Good idea John. I'll go change Rich's title to Tech Advisor.
Canadian Modern MG Rover Car Club - www.cmmgrcc.com
MOWOG Garage serving the needs of all Post Abingdon MG owners in Lambton Co. since 2011.
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How did you make out Rich rerouting the wires?
Canadian Modern MG Rover Car Club - www.cmmgrcc.com
MOWOG Garage serving the needs of all Post Abingdon MG owners in Lambton Co. since 2011.
Canadian Modern MG Rover Car Club - www.cmmgrcc.com
MOWOG Garage serving the needs of all Post Abingdon MG owners in Lambton Co. since 2011.
Sean, I think I probably jinxed myself!
The brake light is working as it should so I am thinking that the fault may come from the instrument light circuit as I had the whole thing completely
apart to add the LED needle lighting. I am going to try to unplug the instrument panel to see if that solves the problem (not sure if I can get it unplugged in situ though!) . If it does that means that the instrument panel has to come back out. The other thing I am a bit suspicious of is the lighting connections in the console. I can remove the center vent to get access to the oil temp and clock, again unplugging them to see if they solve the fuse blowing. Last is the lighting for the heater dials, but that one may mean taking the center portion of the console out. My new stereo head unit should be here in the next couple of days so I will probably do the installation and checking of circuits this weekend.
Fortunately the fault doesn't make the car undriveable as I hardly ever need to drive it at night, so if It has to wait until after the ABFM that's no big deal.
I hate electrical problems!
Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!
The brake light is working as it should so I am thinking that the fault may come from the instrument light circuit as I had the whole thing completely
apart to add the LED needle lighting. I am going to try to unplug the instrument panel to see if that solves the problem (not sure if I can get it unplugged in situ though!) . If it does that means that the instrument panel has to come back out. The other thing I am a bit suspicious of is the lighting connections in the console. I can remove the center vent to get access to the oil temp and clock, again unplugging them to see if they solve the fuse blowing. Last is the lighting for the heater dials, but that one may mean taking the center portion of the console out. My new stereo head unit should be here in the next couple of days so I will probably do the installation and checking of circuits this weekend.
Fortunately the fault doesn't make the car undriveable as I hardly ever need to drive it at night, so if It has to wait until after the ABFM that's no big deal.
I hate electrical problems!
Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!
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