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MG MGA - Overheating problems

MGA 1600 w/ 1800 engine...
Just put a new radiator, new plugs and new air filters in, all seemed fine for the first 20 miles. Then gauge started showing I was running close to 212 when driving on the freeway. 55mph at 40,000 rpm. Also when letting of the gas going down hill I was getting a little backfiring, just got the car out of the shop..?

Any suggestions..?
M Saunders

There is all kinds of information on overheating in the archives. I have a 1600 with the 1600 engine. At 4000 rpm, I am going closer to 70 mph not 55 mph. (You might want to check out your tach and/or spedometer.) I have fought overheating here in South Carolina for years. The car just does not like 95 degree air temperature. It seems to be getting a little better - opened the slats on the grill, felt pad on the hood, heater duct pipe installed.

The car will not boil over until about 240 degrees (depending on the pressure rating of your radiator cap), so 212 probably isn't a worry in itself, but you should check the coolant level in the radiator.

Check out Barney Gaylord's web site http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/ . There is a wealth of information there.

Good luck.
Don

D. R. Carlberg

Don,
Thanks for your comments, I have talked with my mechanic who did the work. He is picking up the car later this week to check the timing and will make sure the gauges are reading properly.

When I got gas that afternoon, the radiator was full to the brim with coolant/water. I have the correct cap on the radiator as well as the proper thermostat. I will try and move the slats. I have the pad on the bonnet, in addition to the air duct pipes on both sides.

Cheers,
Merl
MS728

Merl, can I buy your car. I always wanted a car that could turn 40,000rpm. It must be a real screamer!!!!! Look in the archive for information on overheating. There is a lot of it.
JEFF BECKER

Merl, if the radiator was full up to the brim, there was too much coolant in the radiator, so some of it had to be released past the pressure cap when the engine got up to temperature and the coolant expanded. The proper level is one inch below the cap to allow for expansion. The pressure really builds before the engine cools down (watch your temp gage - it will climb pretty high) before cooling off. That is when you lose the coolant.

What part of Californina? I bought my MGA out there 32 years ago in Garden City when my wife and I lived in Huntington Beach.

Good luck with the car.
Don
D. R. Carlberg

Don,

Thanks for the information. I am about 20 miles north of San Francisco just shy of the Napa border. I have my mechanic coming to work on the car tomorrrow. Since he adjusted the carbs when I added different air filters, he may have not adjusted the mixture properly, and he is checking to make sure the gauge is reading correct. I have done tons of reading about the problem to where I know just enough to be dangerous.

Other than that I love to drive it. I get home from work and take a 20 minute drive up through the wine country to realx at the end of the day.

Thanks again,
Merl
MS728

You are in my old stomping grounds. I grew up in the East Bay and graduated from the California Maritime Academy (Vallejo) in 1966. It's a long story as to how I ended up in South Carolina. My wfe and I love the wine country. We made a trek up there from Southern California in 1972 looking to buy real estate. We quickly figured out that we could not afford anything ($20K for a cliff lot in Bodega Bay), so we ended up spending a week in the wine country buying wine and with the $250 we had left when we got home, we bought the 1960 MGA. Still have the MGA and two bottles of Heitz "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon and have not regreted the lack of a real estate purchase.

I don't know how long you have had your MGA, but I have found that working on it over the years was a real confidence builder, and I read everything I can get my hands on about the car and its history.

I certainly hope that there is nothing seriously wrong with your car (I doubt that there is).

Good luck and enjoy driving.
Don
D. R. Carlberg

Merl, I've just gone thru exactly the same scenario. My car was running 212F at highway speeds (55-60 mph). I had a new rad, new carbs and a rebuilt distributor. After setting the timing I found that the car was pinging badly . It seemed that the more it would ping the hotter it would get then the more it would ping .... etc etc. I backed off the timing and the pinging improved but the temp was still around 212 at speed. A fellow MG'er suggested the mixture may be too lean which would cause both the pinging and heat. I adjusted the mixture a little richer and rebalanced the carbs. No more ping, performance greatly improved and temp steady at 190F on the highway in pretty warm weather. Suggest you have your mechanic recheck your timing and mixture. The two variables are interconnected. The right combination seems to have resolved my heating problem. Good luck !!!

Mike
1960 MGA
Michael Hosier

Mike & Dan,
Thanks for the information. This has all been a learning experience. The car has been my father’s for the past 25 years, which I never really paid much attention to. Since he gave it to me a few months back, I have done tons of reading and have arranged my garage so I could start doing the work myself. Since the car had been sitting for 3 years, I took it in to get it running. In the interim, I had them replace the radiator, thermostat, master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, rear brake drums and air filters, a few hoses and tune the car. We're almost there...

My mechanic is picking up the car today to readjust the carbs and the timing. I told him the mixture was to lean and check the timing since he had fiddled with the mixture when adding new air filters. I replaced the ones on there for the original pair.

Cheers,
Merl
MS728

This thread was discussed between 23/08/2005 and 24/08/2005

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