MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
Ok, first of all thanks everyone on the steering wheel issue. Now I think there is a short somewhere, don't know where to start. I think I need to replace turn signal and I think ignition. I put in a new dash harness, new relays, turn & hazzard, waiting on switches for dash. Any suggestions on where to start would be great. The lights I maybe able to find problem, it's the car running without the key thats got me stumped. Thanks ahead of time.
Somewhere you have a wire on the wrong terminal. You are backfeeding from the alternator, so when the key is off, the alternator feeds the ignition. Re check your connections everywhere against the wiring diagram to see what is wrong.
Elizabeth -
Here's a link to wiring diagrams for the MGB. You'll want to scroll down to the correct country (US) and model year of your car. Look on the lower right corner of each page to determine what model year(s) the diagram is referring to.
Many folks, myself included, will recommend having several copies made on 11x17", and having them laminated, so that you can refer to them as you troubleshoot electrical problems.
http://www.advanceautowire.com/mgb.pdf
-Jim
The ignition circuit is on the white wires and unfused. They are only energized when the key is on. The Brown wires are always hot and unfused. Purple is always hot but fused. Green is ignition fed but fused. Check to see if brown and white got matched up somehow or maybe purple and white. Did you change any wires to the fuse box? The bottom fuse has a brown wire to it and the next one up has white. These are on the front side of the box. Maybe these are backward?
include the year of your car in every post asking a question. Because the answer is often year dependent.
Per her separate steering wheel removal thread, Elizabeth has a 1978 MGB.
Oh God, my sympathies. I spent 6 months listening to the starter crank when I tried to turn the headlights on. Problem turned out to be a faulty contact at the grounding strap (as diagnosed by several members here).
