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MG MGB Technical - Help Me Engine Won't Start

I have recently purchased a 1974 MGB GT. The batteries were dead so I replaced them. When I try to start it up you can hear the engine turn but won't start. I took out the spark plugs and they looked great. Does anybody have any ideas on what to try to get this beauty running. It has just been sitting in a garage for 2 years so if that makes a difference. Please post a thread or E-mail me at Danythemany@hotmail.com

Thanks
Daniel
DMP Daniel Pupko

Daniel, Was it running with the old batteries?
Ken Knize

Daniel. You need both fuel and fire to allow the car to run. Generally, with a car that has been sitting for a while, you want to empty the old gas out of the tank, then refill it. Old stuff does not start as easily and, depending on age, you may have built up a varnish or shellac in your fuel system as the old gas evaporated. So, the first thing to do is disconnect the line going to the carbs from the hard line running into the engine compartment. Install a long piece of fuel line--three to four feet, and clamp one end to the hard line and insert the other end into a five gallon jerry can. Turn on the ignition and use the fuel pump to pump the tank dry. Keep an eye on the level in the jerry can. You may have more than five gallons left in the tank. If the fuel does not pump out, you have a bad fuel pump (you should hear it clicking) or a block somewhere in the system. Best thing to do is to remove the fuel tank, after it is empty and either have it hot tanked so it is throughly clean or replace it. When you have known good fuel going to the carbs, it is time to check out the ignition system. You should have a strong spark, capable of jumping a 1/2" gap, from the coil lead going to the distributor cap. If not, check out the low tension ignitions system, coil and coil lead. If good, check for strong spark at the plug leads. Check each lead to make sure all are good. If the car does not fire with a known good ignition system and with known good fuel going to the carbs, the carbs are the only unknown left. They will have to be stripped, cleaned and re-assembled. At that point, the car should be capable of being started. Right now, we do not know if any system is working except the starter. So, you could have a wide variety of problems which are not allowing the car to start. Let us know what you have done and how the various systems check out and we can give you some useful information. There is a lot of information in the archives on bringing a car that has been sitting back into service. Does not cost anything to join the MG Enthusiast's Club and it gets you access to the archives. Les
Les Bengtson

This thread was discussed on 04/08/2002

MG MGB Technical index

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