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MG Midget and Sprite General - Check the bl**ding obvious first

Check the bl**ding obvious first

Long stories short:

I was trying to get my wiper switch out of the dash and it was determined to stay there but my efforts did pull the back of the switch off leaving the switch and surround still in the dash and spilling the internal parts on to the black carpet on this dark night

Despite a long time searching I couldn’t find the little spring so I went in for a cuppa and suddenly thought perhaps the spring is sitting on the inside bottom ledge of the dash where the interior light is also screwed to the dash just below the wiper switch location – yes that’s were the spring was all the time

Also I found the reason, that I’d missed before, for the slight hesitation of one wiper in its sweep across a barely wet windscreen, the top tip of the wiper blade rubber was just catching the seal at the top of the windscreen – cutting off a tiny triangle at the very tip cured it
N Atkins

Nigel,

You said somewhere that you are not that technical, but you seem to do quite a few mechanical fixes to me.
Lawrence Slater

yes but I broke it so had to try and reair it

if an item isn't working at all so it doesn't matter if I ruin it I'll have a go at mending it

such is the throw away society that my wife brings odd bits home from work for me to 'repair' that 'have stopped working'

some are just rediculous, like just recently an old phone that had coffee spilt on it, the culprity had cleaned off the evidence on the outside but not the inside, 3 sugars by the feel of it

a coin checking machine that just needed a new rechargeable battery pack or would work off the mains once the correct plug adaptor was found

a laminating machine than just need the rollers degunking of lumps and a bit of lube refresh

like cars a lot of repairs and servicing of items is just cleaning and lubing

N Atkins

ha ha there are a number of thing that are better with a bit of lube. lol
Lawrence Slater

It took ten years and thousands of post on my behalf....Now finally im rubbing off onto somebody else

Hahaha

Prop
Prop

narh, I've always been a climsy devil :)
N Atkins

Just curious Nigel

I don't seem to be able to find the section in t'owners club workshop manual that covers cutting the corner of the wiper off or indeed ripping the switch apart and locating the spring lodged on the dash board.
Sure it will be there somewhere?

LOL.
Bob Turbo Midget England

I don't know about the reprint of the factory Workshop Manual as I rarely look at it because I only have that on a DVD and it's a pain to use, I've not bothered to get a paper copy as I'd never do most of the stuff in there, well beyond me

anyway I've got a paper copy of the owner Handbook :)

but it doesn't cover this type of stuff as the original switches last for 30 or 40 years so they didn't bother about them

plus how could they know that in the future parts and compoments would be so poorly made even against BL standards

my switch is a replacement switch which I put in a couple of years back hoping it would be the old switch faulty as that was more convenient to replace at the time rather than the motor - of course it wasn't the switch and was the motor

new switch had 'grease' on the contact side of the switch plate which I'm hoping is the cause of the wipers not switching off yesterday

the foriegn razor sharp replacement wiper blades weren't even dreamed of back when the great book (owners Handbook) was written

I'm not sure what's misaligned or wrong size, the windscreen surround (not original), wiper mechanism and spindles (possibly original), wiper arm (possibly original) or the wiper blades (nasty newish ones) but the modification was easy enough so I wont worry about the cause
N Atkins

Getting the clips out is a pain. But a small screwdriver and suprising little force pushes back each tab (without breaking them off) and it should come out no problem.

Suprisingly I seem to have a head light switch for a another car... the retaining clips are 3/4" too far back as if to fit over a really thick dash! - Weird... its just a bit loose in the dash but i can live with that... might make a thick washer to hold it... not worth another £11 on a new switch!
C L Carter

the old switch was no real problem to get out but its replacement was very reluctant

I couldn't get my two small head screws in and the light to see, I was also using various spatulors (?) to try and keep one side lifted

theonly thing I could really get a purchase on was the back part of the switch which disconnected quite easily, every time

simple 5 minute job took nearer an hour :)

don't they usually, infact if I say it's a 10 minute job my wife expects me to see me again in two hours
N Atkins

Get an older car
The toggle switches are way better ;)
Onno Könemann

Echo Onno.

I still have the original toggle switches in my '66 sprite. I've got several spares, but can honsetly say I can't remember the last time I changed one, -- maybe never. They seem to be built to withstand a nuclear blast. :)
Lawrence Slater

This thread was discussed between 08/11/2011 and 09/11/2011

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