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MG MGA - timing

Got the carbs sounding better, went on to timing. Loosened the distributor, adjusted the timing to the best sound, went to rev the engine, sudden sound and the engeine shut down. The distributor vibrated up slightly and the dog seems to have disengaged.

Tried to fit it back in place, not sure its right, the distributor sits slightly proud of its past position. I have spark, but it won't start. Won't even come close.

I screwed am I

Russell
R Egge

Russell. Not very much. The distributor will only fit into the distributor drive one way. The slot for the drive dog, located on the bottom of the distributor, is offset. Thus, it will only properly engage one way, but, can catch a little bit, 180 out. Loosen the clamp and rotate the distributor shaft until the distributor sinks fully into the engine block. Then, reset the timing to take into account that the distributor body has been moved--either by you or when it came out of the block slightly.

There is some information on timing, which may be of use to you, on my website, www.custompistols.com/ on the MG section.

I had this happen one time myself, on my BGT. I was able to loosen the clamp, push the distributor down into full engagement, and restart the engine without problem. It sounds like your distributor body rotate more than mine had and your timing is slightly off. The tech article should allow you to have a better idea of what the problem may be.

Les
Les Bengtson

Russell, I experienced the same problem of the distributor jumping up and loosing position. It turned out that someone in the past had over tightened the clamp that grips the distributor housing and holds it in position, crushing the distributor housing under the clamp. It crushes more at the bottom than at the top creating a tapered surface. Thus the more you tighten, the more apt it is to slip upwards. I had to replace the distributor housing with another one, and also rework the clamp to square it up again.
Ed Bell

This thread was discussed on 09/10/2007

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.