Fast Marina Magazine

I took my car to my favourite MOT tester today.
I had spent most of yesterday trying to locate a fault in my hazard warning light circuit.
Indicators were fine but Hazards only managed to work on one side.
Never mind being upside down with the steering wheel off for more space, it gradually became clear that the original loom had been hacked about and that in all probability the original car had not had hazards fitted in the first place.
Eventually I found one of those horrible cable lock connectors, the blue ones that you clip around the cable and blades theoretically cut through the insulation, the whole thing being clipped shut to make a connection. Theoretically.
Replaced the damn things with Bullet conectors and now eveything is working.
If you want to know how the Hazard switch wiring should work, I am now your man!

But as the MOT tester didnt know where the Hazard switch was, as its a bit hidden, and didnt ask me, so I sort of wasted my time.

Despite all the various modifications done since last year including my Dolomite axle install and the Clio front brakes and all the other little changes, everything was absolutely fine.

I now have a new MOT.

My biggest regret was that I forgot to write down the brake readings so I have no idea just what effect my mods have had over the standard brakes, but they certainly feel sharper, but that could just be the braided hoses.
Perhaps I will pop back and have the brakes retested.......but is that tempting fate?

If anyone has those blue scotch lock connectors, get rid of them as they pretty crap if exposed to wet conditions!
Plus when been fitted for a long time often weaken the wire / loom and the bit of wire breaks!
These were fitted on the extras on the Jubilee from factory / garage. So the repeater indicator on the wings and the fogs which were a dealer fit used these. Even the extra hazard lamp loom used them inside the car.

Mine are all now gone and repairs to the loom complete. Well worth doing as Steve mentions not easy to find faults like the one above.

Also if you do have to join wires under the bonnet area try the heat seal connectors as these will prevent water from destroying the connection.

Happy Marinaring

jiversteve wrote:My biggest regret was that I forgot to write down the brake readings so I have no idea just what effect my mods have had over the standard brakes, but they certainly feel sharper, but that could just be the braided hoses.
Perhaps I will pop back and have the brakes retested.......but is that tempting fate?

The nice chappies down here have a Safety Inspection Report form that they fill out during the WoF/MoT test, and they write down the brake performance numbers off the machine. Not sure what the numbers mean - my last test has Service Brake recorded as 200 for both fronts and 100 for both rears (3% imbalance rear), and Park Brake as 100 left and 110 right (presumably force in kg or some such :? ).

It's a bit odd, because they do the test, write down the numbers and then have to type them into the central MOT computer system.

There is plenty of space on the current A4 sized MOT certificate, and it wont cost the authorities any more money to have them and possibly emissions results printed as well.