Odd Electricals

[stuart131]

Hi folks and hope this message finds you & your cars in fine fettle. Anyone got any ideas about this one?. My brake lights, heaqdlights and indicators all work fine, however, I noticed last night (after someone pointed it out) that with my headlights on, the brake lights are full on as if the brake pedal is being pressed= bit dodgy as when braking no change in the brilliance of the lights. During the day they work normally hence I ve not noticed.
Spent time today checking connections, cleaning all earths I could find/fuses/etc but no joy and still scratching my head none the wiser-any ideas?
Secondly, not a major problem, but I have noticed recently that i get a sort of light scraping sound when lifting the clutch. Gears engage ok and car moves along fine- ...am I right in thinking the release bearing might be worn? wonder if i might get 2/3 more months out of it before booking in for new clutch?
Apart from these minor queries, have had (touch wood) no problems with the car, even in the blistering heat of recent weeks ... managed to repair the heater control so the "cold "setting can now be selected-glad about that as the last 12 months were like driving around in a sauna......even in Winter!

Best regards to all

Stuart

[barrie013]

Try putting a seperate earth wire from the bulb to earth, this will tell you finally if it is the earth that is the problem. I've had this on a few different cars, and it seems like no matter what you do to clean the earth, it never seems to work...not for me anyway.
The clutch release bearing can go on for ages after it starts to make a noise, but I wouldn't like to say how long. Luckily, they are a slow-running bearing, unlike for example a wheel bearing, so they are not under so much stress.
Just in case, learn to do clutchless gearchanges...

[stuart131]

Hi Barrie& thanks for reply,
I ll give this a go.

Ive also got a funny feeling could be something to do with the headlamp circuit as only an issue when headlamps on ? == weird.

Thanks for clutch info also

Nos da & all the best

Stuart

[stuart131]

I have now got my front sidelights coming on when I hit the brake- removed, cleaned and replaced the chrome bulb holder thingy for ages with sandpaper, cleaned all connections etc STILL happening- brain damage. Other than that, everythings great!

Has anyone had this before?

[Brian M]

Stuart

I had the same thing last month on my 131. Only noticed it when I put the car in the garage late one evening without the lights on and spotted the front lights coming on when braking.

I had recently replaced my rear lights with diode bulbs and found that one rear brake bulb was not seated quite right on the terminals in the bulb holder so the brake light feed was in contact with the rear light feed, causing the front lights to come on.

A quick "twiddle" with the bulb and problem solved.

Brian

[stuart131]

Brian, sorry for delayed reply, so busy at work , bit of infrequent visitor to the site these days. After last post I did check the seating of the bulbs and this did indeed sort the problem. However, today I lost my brake lights altogether, earths ok , bulbs ok, you know the score. Ordered a new brake light switch from Brookhouse now as dont know what else it could be.
Im hopeless with electrics.

[Pigeon]

I think it's a bad earth in the rear light fitting. Bulb to holder contact may be OK but what about holder to body? When you put the brakes on, the current can't go to earth straight from the bulb so it goes through the sidelight filaments, along the sidelight wire to the front, and through the front sidelight filaments to earth. What about the indicators and the reversing lights - are they playing up too?