Surely the tiniest MoT failure ever... but I'm struggling to fix it.

[brownnova]

I think you've got it wired a bit barse ackwards. But for the moment, as said, buy a simple illuminated switch (as RBJ says), bang that in series, when you switch it on then the whole thing will light up - sorted, MoT out the way.

 

I haven't rewired owt except for trying to put the blue cable I to the connector which gave me permanent orange light. So It's now as it was when I pulled the switch off. Tell tale must not have been wired in originally. I reckon that blue one must be the wrong cable somewhere.

 

What confuses me is the fact that the fog light can be turned on even when the car is off... that's not supposed to happen is It?

[Guest VicN]

This is what I've been using as a guide to the pins and wires...

 

Screenshot_20180617-115547.png

 

So the fifth pin should be connected. By my amateur hour electrical knowledge is preventing me from knowing which wire does what...

Pin 3 is the extra one on your switch and is clearly shown going to ground. You have connected it to live so the switch now has two live feeds.

 

Change your new wire to connect to ground.

[Guest Hooli]

What confuses me is the fact that the fog light can be turned on even when the car is off... that's not supposed to happen is It?

 

Foglights typically run off the sidelight circuit so it makes sense. It'd need an extra cut-out to make it ignition switched too.

[NorthernMonkey]

This is what I've been using as a guide to the pins and wires...

 

Screenshot_20180617-115547.png

 

So the fifth pin should be connected. By my amateur hour electrical knowledge is preventing me from knowing which wire does what...

Just connect pin 3 to pin 4 then it’ll* work

[PiperCub]

^^ Yup, the tell-tale indicator just needs an earth going by the switch diagram. When you close the switch, that will put 12V on the indicator lamp to light it. 

[MorrisItalSLX]

[hennabm]

post-18217-0-73276500-1529227101.jpg

 

Or put it through the blanking plug between the two switches. 

[Guest Hooli]

Or just reconnect the one wire that needs changing. Like I said earlier, it's easier to fix it than bodge it.

[castros_bro]

Sir or madam, if you have on connector 12v,earth and fog light any competant auto electrician will do the switch in 10 mins an save any more buggery aboutery.

[Richard]

I think the 5th pin might be for a warning light on the dash. 

[brownnova]

Sir or madam, if you have on connector 12v,earth and fog light any competant auto electrician will do the switch in 10 mins an save any more buggery aboutery.

This is getting more tempting by the minute!!!

[brownnova]

Just connect pin 3 to pin 4 then it’ll* work

By disconnecting pin four or by splicing a wire into it to go to pin 3???

[NorthernMonkey]

By disconnecting pin four or by splicing a wire into it to go to pin 3???

Just splice a wire to pin 3 so they’re joined up permanently.

[brownnova]

Thanks. I'll get someone I trust with electrics to have a go at that...

 

If i do it I'll probably cause a fire...

[Guest VicN]

CONNECT PIN 3 TO GROUND!

 

As pin 4 is already connected to ground you can connect pin 3 to pin 4.

 

How difficult can it be to do that?

[brownnova]

How difficult can it be to do that?

Having never spliced a wire in my life... I wouldn't know...

[Remspoor]

The laughable thing about this is I bet you cannot see the light when you drive. I had Rover 400 (R8) the switch for the rear fogs was behind the steering wheel. Could never see the indication lamp located on the switch.

[Guest VicN]

Having never spliced a wire in my life... I wouldn't know...

Cut the wire that comes from pin 4. Strip 5mm of insulation from both cut ends. Fit a wire to pin 3 and strip 5mm of insulation from the end. Put the wires from pin 3 and 4 in one side of a connector block and the other bit of the wire from pin 4 in the other side of the connector block. Tighten the screws in the connector block. Wrap some insulation tape round the connector block.

 

Done.

[Guest Hooli]

Having never spliced a wire in my life... I wouldn't know...

 

 

You know that blue piggy back connector you used to get it wrong? that's splicing two wires together. Just move it to the right wire.

[brownnova]

Cut the wire that comes from pin 4. Strip 5mm of insulation from both cut ends. Fit a wire to pin 3 and strip 5mm of insulation from the end. Put the wires from pin 3 and 4 in one side of a connector block and the other bit of the wire from pin 4 in the other side of the connector block. Tighten the screws in the connector block. Wrap some insulation tape round the connector block.

 

Done.

That sir is the sort of helpful advice which reminds me why I'm on here...

 

Thank you.

[brownnova]

Hello bodge it and sons...

 

So as I hadn't seen the helpful advice given by some here on splicing, I decided a more shite temporary fix was in order...

 

Enter fluorescent stickers and scissors

 

 

Cut to fit the rocker and hey presto...

 

In situ it's not amazing but it is visible (worse with a flash admittedly)

 

I'm going to run it by the mot man tomorrow... Will it get past him??

 

Place your bets.........

 

(If not I'll follow, with trepidation, splicing advice given above which I will do anyway once I have daylight and time to splice)

[Zelandeth]

I had a right old faff one year with the one Skoda because the tester decided that the dash lamp for main beam wasn't lit.

 

It was. It was just really dim - actually perfectly visible when driving at night as intended (and a really pretty deep blue colour too), but nigh on impossible to see in a brightly lit workshop. He deemed it "defective" despite it being exactly as the designer intended and how it had been for each of the previous 20+ MOTs. No dice.

 

I drove away, never went back, and instead went to my usual garage a week later...no problems! So much for trying to save time using the garage by work.

 

Seriously, just find either an auto electrician or a mate who knows electrics. It's the work of minutes to sort that.

 

Whereabouts are you? If you're in my neck of the woods I'd gladly sort it for you and talk you through it so you learn something too.

[Mrcento]

My MX5 MoT test was this week. It failed...

 

But on the most tiny and ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. My fog light has no tell tale for when it is on.

 

Can i enter this competition?

 

I once had a car fail an MOT for.....

 

And i quote

 

"Untidy horn wiring".

 

Not unsafe, not unprotected, not shorting out, not loose, not dangling, not broken or rubbing on anything, just "Untidy", I.e, it wasn't clamped down perfectly flat to the slam panel all the way along, a tiny kink in the wire raised off flat.

 

I've also had a car fail on "Ecu wiring fouling on air filter" for a covered diagnostic plug that could just, JUST touch the perfectly round filter carbon canister (A BMC CDA airbox) if you unclipped it, stretched it over and "forgot" to put it back. And even then if you did that, the second you let it go, i would dangle near nothing, you had to physically stretch the whole harness to get it to touch.

 

I've had some right "testers" in my day, lesson, find a fair MOT garage. (and i did).

[loserone]

Best MOT repair ever, right there

[Remspoor]

My car did not fail I just got what the UKers would call an advisory. The Blue EU section with gold stars and the the E

Did I fu*k? Nope went onto fleabay and purchased two stickers for 2.50€ Stick one on saved the other. It is not reflective but it passed the local roadworthiness test last Dec.

[brownnova]

Computer says......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.... YES!!

 

Orange sticker secures new years MoT...

 

He took a little persuading that it net the criteria but I'd swotted up beforehand. Another years Mazda-ing all sorted. Just the Saab and the Camper to go then... *sigh*

[brownnova]

Can i enter this competition?

 

I once had a car fail an MOT for.....

 

And i quote

 

"Untidy horn wiring".

 

 

You beat me there...

 

Anyone else with a pedantic MoT fail?