Sleeping in MG4 [merged thread]

[siteguru]

First of all, I don't know if this fuse fits our car, but a fuse with a switch on it would be ideal, no need to remove it, just switch it on and off.
View attachment 37773
Here in Ebay.

I'd be wary about something like that - vibration may cause it to switch to the Open state whilst the car is in motion.

 

[Ramontiker]

That's tempting. Anyone going to buy a couple and see if they work?

They are wrong size

 

[Archev]

I'd be wary about something like that - vibration may cause it to switch to the Open state whilst the car is in motion.

Yes - if you’re still having to open the bonnet to access the fuse box to switch this bit of kit on and off why not cut out the extra complexity and potential for malfunctioning and just simply draw the fuse. That in itself would appear to be the perfect solution leaving the all important headlights and Drl’s with the fewest impediments to normal operation.
I know how terrifying it was to have all the lights in my stupid Mercedes go off at 60mph one very dark night half way up the A9, I’m certain due to faulty switches or wiring. The more (or less) I can do to prevent that recurring the better.
I’d say draw the fuses, put them in a wee bag tied to the steering wheel as a reminder to refit them.

 

[Ramontiker]

I know how that feels. In the 1980s, something similar happened to me with my Fiat Panda on snowy, winding roads in the Black Forest. The high beam switch suddenly broke, and it suddenly became pitch black going downhill. Luckily, the high beam position still worked. Without the necessary tools and with cold fingers, I was able to reroute the bulb connectors with a nail file so that the low beam was connected to the high beam.

 

[Archev]

I know how that feels. In the 1980s, something similar happened to me with my Fiat Panda on snowy, winding roads in the Black Forest. The high beam switch suddenly broke, and it suddenly became pitch black going downhill. Luckily, the high beam position still worked. Without the necessary tools and with cold fingers, I was able to reroute the bulb connectors with a nail file so that the low beam was connected to the high beam.

Ahh the ubiquitous nail file, stalwart of many a glovebox toolkit .
It wasn’t so easy with that mercedes. Every light in the car went out and never reappeared.
The main dealership near Edinburgh couldn’t convince me that they could fix even after the service team drove it for a day or two and tried to persuade me to take it back. I was so angry about the eight day old junk with the tractor- like transmission controls (I really wasn’t impressed with that car) I actually lost money just to walk away and leave it.

 

[Rolfe]

They are wrong size

Oh well, that's that then!

Yes - if you’re still having to open the bonnet to access the fuse box to switch this bit of kit on and off why not cut out the extra complexity and potential for malfunctioning and just simply draw the fuse. That in itself would appear to be the perfect solution leaving the all important headlights and Drl’s with the fewest impediments to normal operation.
I know how terrifying it was to have all the lights in my stupid mercedes go off at 60mph one very dark night half way up the A9 I’m certain due to faulty switches or wiring. The more (or less) I can do to prevent that recurring the better.
I’d say draw the fuses, put them in a wee bag tied to the steering wheel as a reminder to refit them.

It cuts out the fiddly prising out of the fuses, and putting them back in again. Makes it a job of literally seconds, and you don't even have to think about which fuses you're after. But if they're the wrong size, that's that.

There's room inside the fuse box just to leave them there. Probably safer than fiddling around with wee bags. It's not something you're going to forget about, get real. And if you did you'd soon realise when it got dark. It's not illegal to run without DRLs, just unwise.

 

[Ramontiker]

Possible nail file fixes were much toi simple for German Engineers. My "Fix It Again Toni" Panda even if sometimes naggy in details drove out some other "high quality" cars, especially if it came to engine and gearbox reliability.

 

[Ramontiker]

Oh well, that's that then!



It cuts out the fiddly prising out of the fuses, and putting them back in again. Makes it a job of literally seconds, and you don't even have to think about which fuses you're after. But if they're the wrong size, that's that.

There's room inside the fuse box just to leave them there. Probably safer than fiddling around with wee bags. It's not something you're going to forget about, get real. And if you did you'd soon realise when it got dark. It's not illegal to run without DRLs, just unwise.

I would never ever put one of these aromatic fuses into my car's wiring. They are not much reliable and tend to switch faulty. Furthermore they are one more potentially weak spot. If someone needed it in the car there is often another electrical problem that should be solved first.

 

[Ramontiker]

automatic fuses

 

[Archev]

.

automatic fuses

I preferred the aromatic which they could well have been if the wrong size got hot wired

 

[Rolfe]

You can edit your posts, you know - although that one was probably too good to delete!

Anyway, good advice. It was a tempting thought, but as you say, it's easy enough just to pull the fuses. And it doesn't cost anything.

 

[T1 Terry]

Aromatic fuses, a warning smell the fuse is about at it's limit ..... I think there might a market for that ...... and a range of different aromas for the different fuse capacity ..... too many to identify circuits to identify which fuse using smellatronics, but at least you nose would lead you to the area where the problem is ..... Trust German engineering to find a new way to fault find

T1 Terry

 

[decrep]

There was a rectifier in the old days, you could definitely tell when that was going, produced a very unpleasant "brown smell". I have feeling it was selenium, those that ring any bells?

 

[Ian Key]

I remember the old Scalextric hand controls used to get warm and give off a certain smell.

 

[Archev]

There was a rectifier in the old days, you could definitely tell when that was going, produced a very unpleasant "brown smell". I have feeling it was selenium, those that ring any bells?

I never noticed when the power fell
I had a cold I couldn’t tell
Hells bells, I was not well !!

 

[T1 Terry]

I remember the old Scalextric hand controls used to get warm and give off a certain smell.

View attachment 37801

Remember that, especially when you upped the voltage to 18V, 2 x 12V batteries let the smoke out of the little motors, but a 12V and 6V battery in series gave them quite a boost, but the standard control did get rather hot, but there were performance controllers complete with brake control ..... but that was more for the bigger bodied cars at the slot car track shops ...... one of good things about growing up during that period, the music was good too ..... now there's a smell, the old valve amplifier getting a solid work out .... especially hitting deep base notes .... it was all about the bass in those days

T1 Terry

 

[Ramontiker]

Selenium rectifier.
In German "rectifier" means "Gleichrichter" which in case of a selenium rectifier was pronounced as "gleich riecht er", English translation "it will smell soon".
If it comes to aromatic electronic engenering the British are front in line as well, because I own an old Royal Enfield Motorbike equipped with a plate selenium rectifier. Very clever of the "Prinze of Darkness" to use aromatic indicators. The only drawback was that the smell of a faulty rectifier was only recogniseable if standing still with the bike and not while driving.

 

[T1 Terry]

Lord Lucas, the Prince of Darkness, they even have a part number for a bottle of the smoke that escapes from every Lucas wiring harness ...... unfortunately the adapter to suit the more common wiring harnesses is NLA .......

I remember the Norton had a rather large Zener Diode mounted in a finned alloy heat sink that stopped the battery from over charging ..... but turning the headlight on had the same effect ..... but at least my '71 Norton had the capacitor coil feed, even with a dead flat 12V battery, one kick charged the capacitor, the second started the motor .... or sent you over the handlebars if you weren't paying attention ........ Scored many a schooner of beer from the old bikers who reckoned they knew all about kicking over the old British bikes ...... the 750 Combat Norton Commando twin was a painfully learned starting process .....

T1 Terry

 

[Rolfe]

Selenium rectifier.
In German "rectifier" means "Gleichrichter" which in case of a selenium rectifier was pronounced as "gleich riecht er", English translation "it will smell soon".
If it comes to aromatic electronic engenering the British are front in line as well, because I own an old Royal Enfield Motorbike equipped with a plate selenium rectifier. Very clever of the "Prinze of Darkness" to use aromatic indicators. The only drawback was that the smell of a faulty rectifier was only recogniseable if standing still with the bike and not while driving.

Clever puns in German. What next.

 

[GaryMG4]

There was a rectifier in the old days, you could definitely tell when that was going, produced a very unpleasant "brown smell". I have feeling it was selenium, those that ring any bells?

My Saturday job whilst at school was helping out in an electrical retailer/TV hire shop and yes sometimes in the workshop was that smell was there, babies nappies best described it.