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Somebody's wrong, but it ain't me

To: spridgets-digest@autox.team.net
Subject: Somebody's wrong, but it ain't me
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 09:28:29 -0700 (PDT)
 Well, between the Haynes manual and the Moss catalog, somebody's wrong, but
not me.

  My 1979 Midget has a brass housing for the brake failure warning switch.
The Moss catalog thinks that brass was for 1975 and earlier Midgets.  Since
the Moss catalog lists replacement switches by housing material, but lists
housing material by year, I was misled into buying the wrong part. That
wouldn't be so bad, but at $8 shipping to me and another $4 back to them,
that's practically half the cost of the buggered switch.

 In case anyone else needs to know, the part you need is Moss number
181-955. The OEM part number is AAU2454. This switch is the same one used in
dual-line servo assist 1994.5 MGBs from 386601 forward. (Not, as I'd
guessed, TR6s).

 The Haynes manual illustration of the piston in the PWDA (Pressure Warning
Differential Actuator) just ain't what I got, although it *does* resemble
what is used in Moss' TR6 illustration.  Moreover, the instructions for
resetting the TR6 switch are exactly those needed to reset the Midget
switch, and not the Haynes instructions. I reckon somebody at Leyland
changed the spec between the time Haynes gathered information and went to
press.

 Which raises the point of which housing  the Moss repair kit  (181-995)
fits. The Little British Car Co. (which I recommend over other outfits
mentioned earlier in another thread) shows this as a chrome-bumper MGB part.
Has any lister bought one of these? What's in it? 

 The repair kit Moss lists as NA for the 181-955 switch is 180-795, and is
illustrated with two O-rings and a spring, which is what the Midget piston
looks like it needs.

 For the Midget piston, you need at least a couple of O-rings 5/16 x 3/16 x
1/6. The original O-rings from the piston seem flattish on the outside
circumference, but I don't know if that's not the result of being pressed in
the bore for 20-odd years. You also need a new copper washer of the right
thickness. That's kind of difficult, because stock copper washers for oil
drain plugs at the auto supply are the right bore, but twice as thick as you
need. It's a bugger to shave one down. I finally abandoned that and just
resurfaced the 20-year-old copper washer. But I'm not happy about it.

 Cheers,
Rick in MD





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