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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Ignition Light Bulb Holder

My ignition light has dropped out of the tachometer - it must have given up in protest for its lack of use in the past 12 months!

It looks as though a PO's temporary bodge has finally failed. I guess there should be four tangs that clip the black sleeve into the back of the tacho, but they have all broken off and the PO had wrapped it with insulating tape to jam it in place.

Try as I might, I cannot find this plastic sleeve unit for sale anywhere online, it doesn't even appear in any tachometer parts diagrams and I haven't found any references to it in the archive.

Can anyone suggest where I might find a replacement? Or should I just resort to the PO's bodge that must have lasted at least 10 years, so repeating it would probably go unnoticed for another 10 years!

Colin


C Mee

Looks like a non-standard part bodge to me, I'll look at my car when I've finished doing the bins as I'll already be wrapped up (and no hike down a long path on a country estate to a collection of large outbuildings, just a few paces to the hardstanding).
Nigel Atkins

Nigel, I suspect that it's a part that's not intended to be removed - which is why it doesn't show up on parts diagrams.

I doubt you'll be able to see much of it in situ unless you're double jointed and can get in a position to see the back of your tacho! I certainly wouldn't want anyone to remove their tacho just to take a look at this sleeve.
C Mee

Colin,
it was the bit the bulb holder slides into didn't look right to me and thinking about it even the bulb holder looks wrong, doesn't it have two wires off it.

I'm pretty sure you're right with that black bit the bulb holder goes into is a part of the gauge what it looks like I'm not sure as I've only had a speedo apart a good many years back and can't remember. I do know for that speedo the blue jewel is held to the dial face by a collared sleeve which is (was with mine) covered by some sort of whiteish plasticy cement/sleeve/seal to probably a black tube same as/similar to yours as I have the dail face in my hands now, been sat on the desk for years.

I hope I didn't get too technical with the descriptions there.

If you've had no problems with it I'd go with the 10 year repeat.

Nigel Atkins

I have a couple of tach's RV1 and a RVC the black holders are slightly different in both, I've just taken the one out of the RV1 and its held in by two thin steel spring strips. Can take a pic if you want it.

As long as it can be secured into the tach it should be OK as the lamp holder has its own earth and does not need an earth to the tach body.

Could try the instrument overhaulers that have been mentioned in recent posts.

R.

richard b

Colin
Could you not bond it in place with araldite or JB Weld?
Bill Bretherton

The lamp holder shouldn't be earthed, one connection goes to a switched live and the other goes to either the alternator or the dynamo control unit.

Bob
R.A Davis

It's an ignition warning light hence has 2 wires and MUST be isolated from the tacho body, otherwise you will let the Lucas smoke out.
Rob
MG Moneypit

This thread was discussed between 22/02/2021 and 23/02/2021

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