MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB Technical - Do's and don't for a novice

The guy who I'm looking after his car for has finally rented a garage, so he'll be looking after his 'B from now on. He won't actually be able to drive before mid January at the earliest, and even then the 'B will be his first car, as a weekend driver.

I want to leave him a list of things he needs to be careful of, and to look out for, compared to the late model compact he's learning to drive in. What should be in it?

I'm already leaving him notes on

the choke

Starting (no more than five seconds on the starter at a time)

Warming up

Overdrive

missing reverse when shifting down into second :)

and that sort of thing, but is ther anything I'm missing?

Cheers,

Dave.
Dave Pothecary

Oh yeah, I used to do that reverse instead of second thing when I first got my car! Problem now is in my daily car I don't move the shifter enough resulting in a number of starts from 3rd instead fo 1st!

One thing to mention is don't ride the clutch. Take it out of gear at lights, etc, etc.

Simon
Simon Jansen

Check fluids on a regular basis. Older cars tend to have more variation then newer cars and need more TLC.

Robert Browning

Show 'em how to check the oil!! (sorry Dave, could't resist) You guys get that engine out yet?

Tell your friend to get a haynes manual. He should learn how to do a basic tune up and complete lubrication of the car. Learn when and how to torque head and set valves. How to change and set points, plugs and condenser. Learn to set timing. Learn carb adjustment--add in a grease gun and you've got 90%. Do not close doors using quarterlights!!! It will crack the door. Use the door handle. Clean fusebox and conections. Check for good earth conections. Learn to inspect and change brake components. Flush brake fluid every year or two. Storage of the car very important or rustworm or mice will eat it. Wash weekly and wax every other month to preserve paint. Change the oil, change the oil. Tell him to tune in here for help. Most important--have fun!

Good luck,

Paul
Paul Hanley

Well, if can add onto Paul's thread, show him how to change a tire - jack placement, etc.
Robert Browning

Robert,

Funny you should mention that. The car is on jackstands right now for winter undercar inspection/cleaning. Forgot to loosen the lug nuts first. S**t.

So, two things grasshopper...we all make mistakes and, more importantly, loosen the lugnuts before jacking.

Paul

Paul Hanley

Stopping distances! Worth respecting at the best of times, but especially now it's getting frosty and every car he is likely to follow will judder to a standstill in half the distance of his.
Steve Postins

I take it 'warming up' as in 'leaving it to' is a don't, leaving it idling with the choke out is a bad thing, you should drive off as long as you have full oil pressure. Don't use full power until it *has* warmed up.

Choke is always to use the minimum - it may need full choke to start but most seem to be able to be reduced to half immediately and still give smooth pick-up, then push it back in bit by bit as it warms up.

The only thing about the overdrive is to treat it like any other gear i.e. use it when appropriate. I hope you are not going to tell him to declutch or anything like that.

Stopping distances? I can stop mine in a shorter distance than those fitted with the accursed ABS *and* still steer. But I allow double what most people seem to leave especially on a motorway - enough for me and the one behind.

But the best advice I have ever seen is to get to know how your car looks, sounds, feels, smells (and tastes if you like) and investigate any departure from the norm *before* it breaks down and you start cussing it.
Paul Hunt

My additions include:

Rust. Take measures to help prevent internal rust
formation at the lower edges of the fenders, doors,
sills, and rear fender doglegs. Once rust becomes
a problem - then you're probably going up for a long and expensive recovery.

When starting the car, set the parking brake, leave the tranny in neutral - and stay off of the clutch
pedal. This saves the thrust bearings from extra
wear, and it's easier on the starter motor as well.

Carry a basic set of tools, spanners and flashlight
in the boot. At minimum -include a spare set of points, condensor, and dizzy cap & rotor.

I second Steve's caveat about being mindful of
stopping distances. It seems like even the lowliest
of econoboxes can out-stop a chrome-bumpered
MGB these days.

Be VERY picky of locations when parking the car on the street. MGB's have a low, sloping bonnet,
and driver's of other cars (especially SUV's) will
often run over and crush the nose when
manuveuring to park in front of you. Most all of
them will drive off without leaving a note.

MGB's and B/GT's are very small cars. When
in traffic, drive as though nobody can see you
...because on 8 times out of 10 - they can't.
Don't be afraid to give a friendly toot of the horn or
flash the headlamps - it'll save you from a trip to the body shop as well as raised insurance rates.
Be especially careful of other drivers spotted
talking on cell phones.
Daniel Wong

Daniel - On you second to last recommendation "be picky about parking locations", perhaps you can answer a question that I have regarding parking spaces. We always park the MGB (or the TD if it is being driven) out in the south 40 of any parking lot, where the others without hiking boots don't like to park. We try to pick a spot by an end curb so we can get the car over close to the curb, leaving plenty of space between the car and the next space. This is usually an area completely devoid of cars, but upon returning to the car, there is invariably some huge SUV or pickup parked in our lap. Do they have some kind of homing device that find MGs to park next to? Is it an attempt to improve their image by parking next to higher class vehicles? We have seriously considered carrying trafic cones to set int he next parking space when we leave the car unattended to keep the rif-raf away. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Using an impact gun you can remove the lugs when the car is on jack stands.
Mike MaGee

When driving the car, use the clutch pedal only when actually shifting gears. When stopped at a traffic light, or waiting in traffic, slip the transmission into neutral and release the clutch pedal. MGB's have a friction-type release bearing. On modern cars, it is okay to sit a light with the car in gear and your foot on the clutch. Doing this in an MGB just wears out the release bearing.

I've never had a problem accidentally selecting reverse when shifting from 1st to 2nd. I don't really grip the knob when making this shift. I just put three or four fingers on the front of the shift knob and push it straight back. I do not close my thumb around it. Since the reverse gate is spring loaded, the shifter should not go in, unless you push it in. When shifting from 2nd to 3rd, I cup my hand over the back of the knob (again, I don't grip it) and push it diagonally forward and over. It will find its own way. The shift from 3rd to 4th is much like the 1st to 2nd one.

Any 30 year old car demands more attention than a new drive-it-and-forget-it econobox. Check the oil frequently. At least twice a year, check the gearbox and differential oil.

The rear brakes on an MGB are not self-adjusting. As the shoes and drums wear, they must be periodically adjusted.
Paul Noble

Paul, I think they're talking about watching the shift from 3rd to 2nd when crunching into reverse accidentally.
Wade Keene

"Check the oil frequently. At least twice a year" prehpas a little optimistic i check my oil at least once a week when I am using my B
jim

Follow the Haynes manual and grease all grease nipples as regularly as poss, including the handbrake cable.
S Coulson

Have someone step on the brake pedal while you are loosening the wheel nuts.
Sandy
conrad sanders

Living in an area that gets very heavy rains and the accompanying road flooding, I've got another hint. Avoid driving through standing water...Get those brakes wet and you might as well just stick your foot out and drag it to try and stop. And, if you splash water up onto the distributor, forget it, it's going to die and stay dead until you dry out the distributor and wires.
R. L Carleen

I always ensure I tell everybody the importance of greased nipples.

Since this car will be a weekend driver principally, I think it would be fair to check the oil every trip.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Dave Pothecary

Jim,

You missed the period between those sentences. The first sentence is "Check the oil frequently". The second sentence is "At least twice a year, check the gearbox and differential oil." Perhaps I could have worded it differently, but I was not suggesting that the engine oil only be checked twice a year, nor does the sentence say that. I *change* mine twice a year, but I check it regularly.
Paul Noble

Dave,
You didn't mention if the car had wire wheels or not. If so, instruct him on the importance of proper lubrication of the splines and how to remove the wheels if they are stuck. (being careful not to strike the fenders with the hammer)
The jack is another item that comes to mind. When using the factory jack, be sure to place the jack in such a way as to not damage the car door during operation. If using an aftermarket jack, be sure to point out the safe locations for placement and operation.
I would also instruct him to check the tire pressure as often as he does the oil.
If the car is a roadster, operation of the top should be a high priority.
Make sure he knows how to operate the trunk and hood stays to prevent damage to the panels.
If the car has the horn on the turn signal stalk, make sure he knows how to operate it.
You didn't mention the age of the car. If it has the overdrive on the stalk or on the gearshift, make sure he understands the purpose and operation of the OD.
You can't lock the doors from outside without using the key, so don't slam them in an attempt to do so.
Hood release location.
Those are all the things I had to learn on my first MGB at age 18.
Rip

Dave: Why not add

join the MG Car Club
join the RAC
cherish the car but have fun


Paul,

Where do you get brakes that stop an MGB better than a 'modern' with ABS? I'd like to fit some of those.

Neil
Neil Lock

If you have jacked up a wheel and forgotten to loosen the wheel nuts I have found that positioning the wheel spanner *across* the centre of the wheel instead of sticking out past the edge of the tyre gives the same leverage on the nut but makes it harder to turn the wheel, and stamping down on the lever with your heel will usually undo the nut.
Paul Hunt

To loosen lugnuts alone on a car with wheels off of the ground:
1. Place the wrench on the lug in a comfortable position for you to "pull" on the wrench to loosen.
2. With the wrench on the lug, slowly rotate the wheel and wrench counter-clockwise about a half a revolution or more and stop.
3. Now rotate the wheel and wrench clockwise as hard and fast as you can.
4. When you reach the start point, your comfortable spot, jerk or pull hard on the wrench, AGAINST the rotation of the wheel.
5. The lug will pop loose easily, and you may even be able to continue rotating the wheel while you hold the lug wrench to spin off the lug, once you get the knack. This should around the second lug for most guys.

NOTE: these directions are for right hand threaded lugs. It's almost the same for left hand threads, but you have to turn the car upside down before you begin.
Les Delinski

Get a can of WD-40 and keep it in the trunk (boot). Then if water splashes on the distributor, pull the cap off and spray WD-40 on the inside of the cap. Let as much of the WD-40 drip off, then put the cap back on. The engine should start with normal cranking. I've done this even during heavy rain, just making sure that no new water got into the cap when I put it back onto the distributor.
Ken T
Kenneth Thompson

This thread was discussed between 15/12/2003 and 19/12/2003

MG MGB Technical index

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