Reverse Lights & Speedo Cable ii

Got a new speedo cable and a new reverse switch and a pair of ridiculously tall but very useful blokes and made a start. No way would my stomach have fit under that car!

Crappy old speedo cable

(Watching Simon) fit the new cable!

Lionel got on with the switch using the new electrics from a few weeks ago. 

Job done: working speedo and working reverse lights. Thanks chaps! 

Reverse Lights & Speedo Cable i

On 20th July, the Tamed Electrician and I had a go at fixing the reversing lights and the shafted speedo. The speedo hasn't worked properly since April when it was taxed. It was found that the cable had buggered. At one end is a lump of metal that fits into the gearbox. It was still in the gearbox but it couldn't be guaranteed that the cable was pushed in properly. The problem was the plastic plug that fits into the speedo housing, This was cracked and taped up badly. New cable required.

The reverse lights used to flick on and off between first and second gear. They eventually stayed on at ll times. I temporarily fixed it by unplugging the bulbs at the back! It was a the reverse switch. It would appear that I tightened it too tightly all those months ago. The 12 volts to the switch had also disappeared for some reason  so Lionel found some more electric in another wire. Another switch required.

Dodgy switch

Finding some electric

Hot and Cold

I have brought the Beast to work this morning which seemed like a good idea at the time as no rain is planned and I haven't used it for about two weeks. It was very cold! Whilst spluttering and kangarooing down the road, I came to some traffic and a Chav in a dungy Corsa, which has probably cost a great deal less than the Beast to "do up", kindly and happily informs me that my reverse lights keep coming on, which I had honestly completely forgotten about!

By the time I got to work all those 1.5 miles away, the temp guage was edging slowly to 3/4, so I am not convinced that I'll get home now without either blowing up or getting nicked for dodgy wiring/switches. And I've never driven it in the dark before!

And an old MX5 was a couple of cars away just to rub it in a bit. Although the big girl didn't have his roof down!

Reverse Light Switch

Also fixed was the reverse lights. It was decided that the switch must be at fault as the resident electrical genius managed to get the reverse lights working by adding feeds to various cables in the boot. I really ought pay more attention. So how to get the old switch out? Crawling under the car proved impossible, although Line was able to confirm that the wires from the loom to the switch were ok. We need a pit then. This is when we recruited a Paul.

My fat fingers were usless here so (just for a change) Lionel and Paul did the job, Lionel in the car and Paul underneath. It was switch then as we now have reverse lights! However, whilst messing with the reverse lights, it would appear that we disturbed some ore of th wiring in the engine bay as the car only started with a wobble of the mass of wires that were enclosed in tape. Which now brings us on to Bloody Wiring Part 2