Sparks is sparks

[SteveJ]

This weekend hasn't been a great one for me. The wife and I decided a little while back that the last car ride for the last of our dogs would be tomorrow. Given all of the dogs passed relatively close together and not long after my mother-in-law has made it just that much harder. 

So yesterday I was cleaning up the wagon for the ride to the vet, and the neighbor came over to ask a wiring question for his MG. He described the problem(s), and I gave him some information. We also agreed for me to come over today to take a look at his car. After all, car diagnostics would get my mind off of losing my girl, even if it was only for a short time.

I went over to his house and started looking at the issues. He had an aftermarket 3rd brake light that integrated into the license plate light and showed me where he used to have it wired with a vampire clamp. I asked him if he wanted the middle light to come on with the running lights or the brake lights. He said, "Both." With only one wire going to that light, I said he had to make a choice. What he didn't realize was that he didn't have it wired right before.

We moved on to the next issue. When he stepped on the brake pedal, his tach needle would drop, as well as the water temp and fuel gauge. Yes, it was the work of Lucas, Prince of Darkness. With a little diagnosis with the voltmeter, I could see a significant voltage drop. Looking at the wiring diagram, it was obvious how this could happen. The same 15A fuse supplied voltage to about 2/3rds of the circuits in the car, and there were a lot of places where the wiring had junctions to split in multiple directions. I thought it might be one of the junctions corroded, but I ran one last test at the fuse box. Sure enough the voltage dropped dramatically at the fuse box when he pressed the brake pedal. 

A quick examination of the wiring diagram pointed toward the ignition relay. I searched online for the possible location, and we found that the original relay was replaced by a common automotive relay. I went back to my house to get tools and connectors to fix the wiring at the back and grabbed a replacement relay. I installed the new relay, and we ran another test. No issues with the tachometer or other gauges when stepping on the brake pedal. I added a couple of bullet connectors to fix the wiring in the back, and his car was ready for the road again.

It felt good making it where another enthusiast could take his car out on the road. All of what I've learned at work and working on my cars pays off.

Of course, it only was a matter of time before I returned home and was crying with my wife as we contemplate tomorrow.

Anyway, careful diagnostics paid off well, replacing a $3 relay instead of tearing apart and replacing a bunch of wiring.

[Reptoid Overlords]

Sorry to hear about the dog.  We recently went through the same with a 17 year old cat. 

That's nice you were able to help get another MG sorted out for a few hundred more miles of use haha.  Sounds like you have a lucky neighbor.

[Diseazd]

So sorry about your dog. We went through the same trauma last year with Millie. Nothing worse than losing your best pal…..takes a very long time to heal!

 

[SoCalJim]

We have a small dog that just turned 13yo.  She’s down quite a few teeth, her eyes don’t work so well (hardly can see rabbits or squirrels), her top speed is way down, and her range is quite a bit less.  She’s probably got a few years left in her, but the quality of life isn’t what it used to be.  It’s sad to see these signs of her aging, and it’s real sad hearing about some of you folks losing your best friends.  🥲

[SteveJ]

Here's my last photo of Dee from this morning. She loved looking out to see what was going on. She was a wonderful sentinel for the Amazon deliveries. It's been a tough day for the most part.

Around noon I went to sit out on the front porch. Just before I went inside, I heard the raspy note of an old 4 cylinder as my neighbor took his MG out for a drive. I asked him how his drive went. He said there were no problems, and even the electric overdrive worked to his surprise. I told him that it was fed from the same relay we replaced. Anyway, he's the original owner of his 1980 MGB, and he takes pretty good care of the car. It shows you that a loving owner can overcome a lot of quality issues on a car.