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MG MGB Technical - car ran......then died

Hello

68bgt has been hibernating in the garage over the winter (last 2.5 months) which has caused batteries to flat.

Got them recharged at local battery shop. Installed them and car fired first time. ran for about 5 seconds then died. Now it won't start!!

Checked ignition leads and changed spark plugs but still no joy. turns over but will not fire. i tried talking nicely to her but she doesn't want to know.

what can i try next?
Ian Stone

Have you checked for corrosion and moisture in your distributor cap and on your points? How about the spark from the distributor? Are you sure the distributor is firing? It is just a process of elimination. You have work backwards.
Robert Browning

My offhand guesses:

Sounds like - initially, the car had fired up - then the
carbs ran dry.

Now would be a good time to peek at the fuel filter.

Maybe the carb floats are stuck shut?...or the fuel
pump is still hibernating?

Pull out the carb float needles and clean them off
and check all of the parts inside the float chamber.

As for the fuel pump - maybe the points have
become corroded (moisture), or pitted, or the
points gap have become out of spec. 90% of
the time, a sharp rap to the pump body using
the blunt end of a wooden handle and a mallet
should wake things up ...just don't bust anything!
(ie: the plastic end cap). This is where I'd place
my bet.
Daniel Wong

You have to have three things - spark, fuel and compression. to resolve the problem, divide and conquer. I would start with fuel first as previously suggested and then check electrics.
Bill Haglan

Ian. You may wish to check out my website at www.custompistols.com/ as, in the MG section, under articles, there is an article I have written on checking out the ignition system and one David Dubois has written on the SU fuel pump. With those and the information the others have posted, you should be able to determine what is the cause of your problem. If you cannot fix it then, we can focus on what the exact problem is rather than the range of possibilities we have now. Les
Les Bengtson

If you have a timing light clip it onto the coil lead and each plug lead. If you get flashing on all of them then the problem is more likely fuel than ignition. If the coil lead flashes but not the plug leads it is probably the cap or rotor arm. Did the fuel pump rattle away when you first turned on the ignition? If not try giving it a clout with the handle of a screwdriver, after 2.5 months the points may have oxydised, it is a known problem and a slip of paper with new SU pumps advises cleaning the points of new pumps before rejecting them as faulty.

If no flashing on any HT lead check you have 12v on the coil +ve with the ignition on, and switching between 12v and ground on the coil -ve as you crank. If so it looks like coil, coil lead ort distributor cap, if the coil lead sparks to ewarth when removed form the cap and held near the block then cap, else coil or coil lead. If you get a spark that will barely jump a plug lead the condenser has probably failed.

If no 12v on the coil +ve check back through the white to the fusebox and ignition switch, if no switching between 12v and 0v on the coil -ve check forward through the points.
Paul Hunt

Before you go messing with the electrics, I bet its the fuel pump. Give it a good thwack with a blunt instrument. Occurs quite naturally when a B is at rest for too long. If it starts clicking away (with the ignition on), I would dismantal the pump and clean the points as its corrosion (from condesation) that kills 'em.
Luigi

Ian,
Check to make sure you didn't accidently knock the wire loose from the fuel pump when you reinstalled the battery. When you turn the switch to the 'on' position do you hear a few clicks from the fuel pump? If not, that's where I would begin.
Paul S. Canup
Paul S. Canup

This thread was discussed between 12/02/2004 and 13/02/2004

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