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MG MGF Technical - Hit the rev limiter

Hit the rev limiter for the 1st time this morning.

I assume when you hit it the MEMS cuts the ignition?

Do I have anything to worry about though? Never done it before and obviously it's not advisable but just worried I may have done some damage!
Bob Millar

Bob, as long as you don't do it when changing down a gear (like going from second to first rather than third) then I don't think you have anything to worry about. It's there to stop you doing damage after-all!

Can be a bit scary when you hit it though, especially when overtaking.
Leigh Reid

I on the motorway and was in second doing about 40 and pulled out and floored it to overtake a line of slow moving traffic. I got distracted by the sight of a police car at the head of the line of traffic though and it just hit the limiter once and I put it into third.
Bob Millar

Very easy to do, Bob, done it myself 3 times! As Leigh says, the rev limiter is there to stop you doing any damage. As long as you don't go bouncing off it every day and you don't change down and force the engine to overrev I don't think you have a problem.

Tim.
Tim Jenner

My rev limiter cuts in at 6200 revs when i third - why is this when the rest of the gears do it at 7000?
John

I hit it once whilst overtaking on a country road. Luckily had given myself enough room to roll past the final car and pull in safely! Gave me a bit of a shock though.
Holster

Does the car cut out on you ?? i' ve hit the red line a few times but it has never cut out.
MW

I am not sure if my rev limiter works. I am sure that I have taken my 1.8i past 7k rpm.
Steve Ratledge

I'm often hitting the rev limiter on track when slightly distracted by my poor choice of line or some traffic :-) No problem with this, as long as it's not on change down, as others have said, as this can over-rev the engine. Hitting it when accelerating simply damages your street-cred!
Dave Livingstone

It cuts out for a second, then kicks back in. Quite a strange feeling really. Especially when you're on the wrong side of the road :->
Holster

Feels like a high-speed misfire, followed by a feeling of extreme embarresment! :)
Tim Jenner

<<I am not sure if my rev limiter works. I am sure that I have taken my 1.8i past 7k rpm.>>

Allowing for instrument inaccuracy - did the valves embed themselves in the crown of the pistons? If not then either you didn't rev high enough or the cutout was too soft for you to notice.

I can feel it quite hard in 2nd, noticeable in 3rd and only once in 4th.

One day in 5th?
JohnP

as you say it cuts out for a bit but you get massive engine braking at the same time, always when you need it the least! John, we had a company Carlton estate that was full of video kit and 3 people - managed to hit the rev limiter in 5th downhill on the Autobahn near Frankfurt, I have a great photo of the speedo/rev counter somewhere as a momento!
tony

<<managed to hit the rev limiter in 5th downhill on the Autobahn near Frankfurt>>

Disgraceful behaviour ;-)

paul weatherill

I suspect it cuts the fuel rather than ignition. If it cut the ignition it would leave unburnt fuel in the engine/exhaust.

Brian

nope it cuts the ignition rather than the fuel, unburnt fuel in the exaust is much safer than a highly lean mixture (as far as engine life is concerned!)

I've hit it a few times in the midget, on this engine it just feels like a sudden lack of acceleration, rather than huge decceleration, I was quite worried about it destabalizing the car, but fears were unfounded.
Will Munns

This thread was discussed between 13/06/2004 and 19/06/2004

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