[Healeys] Master Switch

Michael Oritt michael.oritt at gmail.com
Wed Mar 25 16:54:26 MDT 2020


"Following that same thread, Roger Moment, in a series of articles a
few years ago recommended that if you are starting a newly rebuilt
engine or are otherwise going to run the starter motor under load
extensively, that you take the switch out of the circuit by connecting
both of the cables that run to the switch onto the same post or
otherwise complete the connection.  Then after the car starts with no
more than normal effort you can put the switch back into the circuit."

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I cannot think of a better commentary than this upon the switch's
reliability.

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 5:59 PM <sentenac.rw at gmail.com> wrote:

> Following that same thread, Roger Moment, in a series of articles a
> few years ago recommended that if you are starting a newly rebuilt
> engine or are otherwise going to run the starter motor under load
> extensively, that you take the switch out of the circuit by connecting
> both of the cables that run to the switch onto the same post or
> otherwise complete the connection.  Then after the car starts with no
> more than normal effort you can put the switch back into the circuit.
>
> -Roland
>
> On Wed, 25 Mar 2020 17:24:47 -0400, you wrote:
>
> >For my money (and car) I opted for a high quality marine-grade shutoff
> >switch such as that made by Hella and others, sold on the Pegasus site.
> >
> >On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 4:31 PM Michael Salter <michaelsalter at gmail.com>
> >wrote:
> >
> >> My experience with the original Lucas Master switches has been a little
> >> different.
> >> Many years ago, after having a newly installed NOS switch fail on my own
> >> car, I  discovered that it had failed because the ground cable running
> from
> >> the switch to the frame was not properly installed.
> >> The full starter current must pass through the switch then through the
> >> cable to ground. When there is resistance in that cable current passes
> >> through THE SPRING to then ground through the body of the switch and the
> >> switch mounting bracket.
> >> This high current rapidly overheats the spring and it looses tension
> >> ruining the switch.
> >> I have disassembled several of these switches to stretch the spring as
> >> suggested but often found that the brass of the spring had been totally
> >> annealed as a result of being overheated because of the current that had
> >> passed through them.
> >> For my own car (and several others since)  I made a new spring from
> copper
> >> coated steel welding wire wich lasted until I sold the car many years
> >> later.
> >>
> >> M
>
> --
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>
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