The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

The Number One Club for owners of Triumph's range of small saloons from the 1960s and 1970s.
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:51 pm

All times are UTC




Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:05 pm 
Offline
TDC Member

Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:52 pm
Posts: 2303
I reckon the worst thing to fail an MOT test on is an intermittent bulb-holder. Particularly at the back.
This seems to be a particular problem on cars that are not used very much; simply because the heat from the bulb in use tends to drive out moisture.
Replacement is one solution, and these bulb holders are the same as those fitted to the Spitfire, the Stag and also some Lotus models from the '70s. The Stag Owners Club always have lots of them on their stands at the Shows at a good price but I recently helped to work on a Sprint on which there was nothing lighting up at the back. In this case each bulb-holder's terminals, the connectors, the internal spring connectors all needed cleaning out before it worked.
There was one reversing light which proved to be much more of a problem than the others. The bulb by itself was O.K., the bulb connected across the wiring was O.K.; the contact springs were clean but it still refused to work.
The problem is in the design; the side copper contact that touches the bulb runs up the side of the holder and ends up under the plated mild steel of the surround. If moisture gets in here it corrodes and isolates this ground contact.
Solution: scrape the copper and mild steel clean and run a film of solder between the two. Surprisingly the mild steel solders quite well.
Sorted!


Attachments:
381_holder.jpg
381_holder.jpg [ 116.43 KiB | Viewed 2635 times ]
Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 3:27 pm 
Offline
TDC Member
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:48 pm
Posts: 8446
Location: Winscombe, North Somerset, England
:thumbsup: Exactly what I do Tony. I got fed up with trying to get a good connection.

_________________
Sprintless for the first time in 35+ years. :boggle2: ... Still Sprintless.

Engines, Gearboxes, Overdrives etc. rebuilt. PM me.


1997 TVR Chimaera 450


Image


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 8:56 pm 
Offline
TDC Member

Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:06 pm
Posts: 1164
Location: Bristol
Hi Tony.

I have started to draft what Steve is going to call Richard Old's A to Z on dolomites for inclusion in Dolly mixture in which I will attempt to give tips etc that I have picked up over the years. Will it is o.k for me to include this advice which is something new as far as I am concerned.

Richard


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:12 pm 
Offline
TDC Member

Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2016 9:53 pm
Posts: 1699
Location: Harrow Middlesex
Thats a good idea


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:30 pm 
Offline
TDC Member

Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:52 pm
Posts: 2303
Quote:
Hi Tony.

Will it is o.k for me to include this advice which is something new as far as I am concerned.

Richard
Hi Richard, Yes, no problem please do use this if it helps.
Cheers for now,
Tony.


Top
   
PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 3:22 pm 
Offline
TDC Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2014 11:02 pm
Posts: 2279
Location: Nr Kenilworth
Great tip Tony, will a decent soldering iron be good enough to solder to the steel ring?

Cheers

Tony

_________________
Membership 2014047


Top
   
PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2018 4:38 pm 
Offline
TDC Member

Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:52 pm
Posts: 2303
Hi Tony, I have a 25W Weller TCP1 with a selection of bits. That manages just fine. I tin the mild steel bit first with cored solder and scraping the steel with the point of the iron under a pool of flux and solder, and then when its tinned nicely I run a small fillet of solder down onto the top of the copper contact.
Tony.


Top
   
PostPosted: Thu May 10, 2018 1:12 pm 
Offline
TDC Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2014 11:02 pm
Posts: 2279
Location: Nr Kenilworth
Thanks Tony,I'll try on a couple of spares I have :thumbsup:

Tony

_________________
Membership 2014047


Top
   
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited