Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Wing mounted side lights - serious problem

A quick warning for any other fellow recent 'tradders' who've now got the wing mounted side lights wired up.

For a time, at least, the factory have fitted units where a part formerly made out of Bakelite was/is now made from something more akin to cardboard!

If it gets wet it can fail, especially if put under pressure when you change the bulbs. This shorts the wiring and blows the fuse(s).

My offside one did this, and because a lot of the lighting is biased to the loom on that side, I lost all headlamp beams - and the spots.

The two remaining sidelights would not perhaps provide the ideal amount of illumination required should one be 'making progress' at night time (fortunately not an experience I was obliged to enjoy).

Do take care!

got mine wired up,
will ask dealer

mine will be taken off
want those wings to be "clean"

Thanks for the tip Paul,

We had ours wired in recently - What have you done about your's since this failure??

BHM took the car back, traced the fault and replaced the unit - I think the design may have been changed, but they are happy that all will now be sweetness and light (pun intended).

Under the 'belt and braces' approach, the spots have been moved to a different fuse (air con one was spare, of course). If all else fails, they'll get me to the hard shoulder, if not home...

On a slightly related lighting issue - be aware that the later spec (current) round reversing lamp and fog lamp have two quirks.
The first is that the 'shiny' lamp bezel is a thin metal pressing in the style of a Kilner jar lid, or 50's jam jar lid. It appears to be chromed, although the inside may be zinc plated. This pressing is bonded to the lens with clear silicon sealer, and there are two small rivets pushed into the holes which normally carry the fixing screws - these are decorative. The bezel screws into the black rubber pedestal on a coarse thread and on many Mogs it's not located properly. The bezel should be snug against the rubber with only a small recess evident between the two. Beware if you try to unscrew this, as it can bring the bulbholder with it and the wires will twist round if this happens.
The second quirk is that the bulbholder is a barely adequate pressing and I had trouble refitting my foglamp bulb so that it would work. The recesses for the bulb tabs are so shallow that it barely holds. So be careful........

Sounds like the quill twiddlers are costcutting again Dave!

The Big Beaulieu International Auto Jumble is coming soon (12th & 13th Sept). Maybe some 'old' and 'better' replacements for all of us????

I have looked into this issue (the jam jar rear lights).

The angle between the plastic valance and the rubber bases is the same as between the wings and the front indicator lights. So the rubber plinths for front indicators should work. Then you could use L691/692 lamp bases and lenses (red and clear).

It would be a "proper job" and all the rear lights would match. My only question is whether the rear fog would be bright enough for the OE spec, but as a mod that wouldn't matter - I hate rear fogs anyway, as they are normally misused to blind following drivers.

Nigel