Dan,
It sounds as if the car hasn't been started since a lot of work was done.
The instruction to check the cabling based upon the battery + and - markings is
the only real way to do it. Cables come in both colors. The thing that I'm
having trouble with is the idea that you could possibly have an alternator with
a positive ground. Granted I'm an OF brought up on TD's with generators that
can be polarized to go either way and I'm new to MGs with alternators, but I
don't recall ever seeing an alternator with a diode bridge connected to provide
a negative output voltage. Does your car have an alternator or a generator?
Bud Krueger
52TD
77MGB
Dan Dwelley wrote:
> <I can't imagine anyone going to the trouble of converting an LBC to
> positive earth!>
>
> You didn't meet the guy I bought it from!
>
> There have been areas of the electrical system that have been removed and
> other areas that have dangling wires so I don't rely on anything that I see
> on this poor little neglected car.
> It's amazing the things you find once you get them home! This car needed to
> find someone to take care if it.
>
> Dan Dwelley
> 77 Midget
> Alexandria, Va.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ajhsys@aol.com [mailto:Ajhsys@aol.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 1998 5:02 PM
> To: mgs@autox.team.net; ddwelley@UU.NET
> Subject: Re: Positive earth Systems
>
> >My 77 Midget looks to be a Positive Earth car but I seem to recall reading
> >somewhere that Positive Earth was phased out (no pun intended) around 1968.
> >Is this true or were positive earth cars available through 1980. Is there
> >another way to check this out other than just looking at the color of the
> >battery cables and which one is grounded to the frame?
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> Dan,
>
> All 1977s were negative earth. If the negative cable from the battery is
> grounded to the frame (Or the block. I'm not sure and I'm not near the
> car.),
> and the positive cable goes to the starter solenoid (I'm sure of that
> one.),
> it is negative earth. DO NOT rely on the color of the cables. Both of mine
> are black, and both of the cables in my sons pick up truck are red. DPOs
> are
> almost all color blind.
>
> I can't imagine anyone going to the trouble of converting an LBC to positive
> earth!
>
> Allen Hefner
> '77 Midget
> '92 Mitsubishi Expo LRV Sport (also negative ground)
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