You should also be aware that the + and - battery posts are different sizes,
hence the clamps are different sizes, therefore you will have a difficult
time hooking up the battery backwards.
Unless someone has replaced both clamps with generic bolt-ons, but even then
they should retain the impression of the post they were attached too.
on 8/27/01 9:55 AM, Ken Waringa at kwaringa@dynsys.com wrote:
> Thanks for all the responses, but I failed to mention, there is no battery
> in the car. Also, the wires to the coil are not connected. I guess I'll
> just have to hook it up and try it. There isn't a radio currently in it.
> If anyone has an original AM/FM radio they would like to part with please
> contact me off list.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ken
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Howard [mailto:mgbob@juno.com]
> Sent: Monday, August 27, 2001 11:31 AM
> To: kwaringa@dynsys.com
> Subject: Re: Positive Ground
>
>
> Ken,
> DOn't trust the color of the battery cable to give you the info you
> seek--look at the battery itself and see where the cable runs.
> If the car still has its original positive earth, the + terminal will
> be connected to the ground point at the "chassis".
> With the original wiring of these cars you will not harm anything by
> hooking up backwards, although the ammeter (if fitted) will show negative
> as the generator kicks in rather than positive. The starter doesn't care.
> The fuel pumps are said to be affected, but nobody knows if they work
> better or worse so don't worry about that either. If you have anything
> that has a diode and transistor modification, as in a clock, reverse
> polarity will fry out the diode. I suspect that you don't have any of
> that, though you might have a radio.
> If you know that the car was running before you bought it, I would not
> go changing wires around until you have other things set up. Polarity
> isn't all that important (in fact, there are some theoretical advantages
> to Pos Earth). Hook it up as it was before and get it going. Then you can
> tell with a voltmeter how it is earthed.
> My TD was Pos earth and I later changed to Neg earth to make
> installation of a CB radio easier. Aside from my modified clock,
> everthing worked without any problems.
> Bob
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
///
/// mgs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// (If they are dupes, this trailer may also catch them.)
|