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MG MGF Technical - My MGF isnt working at all PLEASE HELP!!!!

I have an MGF 1998 R reg. I started it up the other day. It fired up for a few seconds and completely died. After that it just clicked every time i tried to turn the engine over. Tried bump starting it, pushing it,jump starting it. Everything. Has anybody else had this problem? The timing belt has been checked & its still in tact and the starter motor is fine. If anyone can help, please email me my address is jane.delves@oyezstraker.co.uk. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards
Jane
jane

maybe the fuel pump, can you hear a buzz for a second or so when you switch on the ignition as the pump primes. Try the simple stuff first - has it actually got any fuel in it as the gauge sender unit in the tank can stick giving a false reading!
Tony

http://www.apttony.co.uk/ and scroll leftahnd side to "fuel pump fault" maybe?
Tony


After a $while, turn on the ignition, you should hear a buzzzzzzzzt noise for about 2 seconds, if not then you have a fuel pump problem:

First check the fuses,
Next on the far LHS of the engine bay on the bulkhead is a black box with a rubber button, push the button. This is the inertia switch and it can be knocked to the off position, the button resets the switch.

After this the next recorse is to take the cover off the fuel pump and check the contacts. The fuel pump is under the round cover on the parcel shelf. Fuel pumps have been known to burn out their connectors, MGR will state a _whole loom_ needs replacing, but you should be able to get a new plug from the MGFCentre and splice it in (or get an autoelectrictian to do it _do not_ use a garage!)

Next to replace is the fuel pump itself.


If you do get a buzz then the fuel pump is working, next thing to check is if you get a spark, to test this you will have to remove the engine cover under the parcel shelf - are you handy with a spanner?

Will Munns

Sounds to me as if Jane is saying that the engine is not turning on the starter. If so then forget the fuel pump for a while.

Battery connections?
Brian

if it fired then died then it doesn't sound like a starter issue to me, same for bump starting.

If the battery is flat then you get a machine gun noise from the starter, it could be _so_ flat that it doesn't do this, but I wouldn't have expected it to start the first time if so.
Will Munns

Jane,

Sorry to hear this, if you have AA call them, but assume you don't, so I think we all need a wee bit more detail.

You say it fired and ran, so generally an immediate cut out tends to be electrical, and a splutter and cough cough tends to be fuel.

However, you have tried bump with no joy, but what happend with jump leads ? If it was your battery and you just got click, but when on jump leads the engine turned over but didn;t start its batter, as on the jump leads it turned over. So what happened on jump leads ? did it turn over which is why you say starter motor ok ? So on your batter does it turn over simarily or just click again ?

If you could get a spark plug out after a few turns of the engine you could sniff it and if you smell petrol it shows petrol is coming through. Try this

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/carclub/technical-3.htm

then get back to us with results
brian

A thought not yet covered above:

Running for a (very) few seconds is also what hapens when the security link between the engine ECU and the alarm ECU is lost. It usually occurs only when changing the ECU (and the engine ECU doesn't recognise the different alarm unit) or if there is some sort of ECU failure (either alarm or engine).
Haven't struck it that often, and on late Saturday night after a couple of beers I can't recall much more than that. As in, I can't recall whether the whole thing stayed dead, or just got no further than running 2 or 3 sec each time - the latter I think, which doesn't seem to exactly fit what Jane says but might be worth a look.

When it does cut out like this, it does so because power to the injectors is cut. This results in a sudden stop to fuel delivery to the cylinders and feels the same as an ignition failure rather than the classic tail-off/perhaps misfire of running out of fuel.

If the engine is not turning over on the starter (and noting that the starter has been checked) it could be in the immobiliser system somewhere - alarm ECU again.

Fixing/replacing the alarm ECU requires reprogremming so the two ECU's recognise each other.

Will - the easiest way to check for spark is an inductive timing light which can clip around any HT lead; accessible via the boot opening, no need to remove the main engine cover. If the light flashes, you have a spark!

Paul
Paul Walbran

Hi Jane. Had a similar problem on my wife's MGF and it transpired that part of the loom within the centre console had frayed and shorted. The car ended up at the dealers on a recovery truck. I'd suggest a really good auto-electrician if you can get someone to recommend one local to you. Good luck, John.
John Yates

i think i may have similarish problem.......but i think i may have caused it. My superlocking wasnt working - so i looked up in archives and found usually due to worn cables in the left hand side of the bonnet (covered by some plastic covering). these already had been taped up......so i re taped them and voila my superlokcing is working. i never turned over the car at this point.....just went in and left it. however 4 hours later already to go teh flicks.....tried teh ignition and car would not turn over....lights all come on fine on dash......have I screwed the electrics ?

:(
jimmy

Hi,
Just getting back with an answer for you Brian. Tried jump leads but the same happened, just clicked as before.
Thanks jane
Jane

Jane
Just a thought; have you tried taking of the battery terminal clamps and cleaning the inside with emery paper, apply some Vaseline to the terminal posts refit clamps and try starting. It sounds as if you are not supplying sufficient current for the starter solenoid to engage.
Les Lewis

Hi Jane, sorry to hear still no joy.

I'd tend to agree with Les, the clicking is systematic of not enough current from the battery. I had exactly this happen on my MGF. So I would have said replace the battery.

However, thats why I asked about the jump leads as this should supply enough current to turn the engine over at least, so could be the jump leads ween't connected correctly. You need to ensure the other car has its engine running, and that the leads are connected corrctly and are making good contact with the metal parts of the battery. Ensure all non essential elecric items, radio, lights etc are all off and try it again, with the jump leads and make sure they have a good connection, if it is the battery and the leads are connected correctly you should see the lights in the footwell get noticeably brighter, as if its your battery the ligts are a wee bit dim, but with the other car connected the lights will be a bit brighter.

You could try "borrowing" a friends good battery for an hours or 2 and trying that as a replacement just to see. What you are trying to do is get the engine to turn over, even if it won't start just to determine if its the battery. If definitely the jump leads are connected and it still doesn't turn over and just clicks then its got to be the starter or starter/ solenoid, so its a replacement.

You said that the starter motor is good, how do you know this ?

Brian
Brian

Could be damged/corroded solenoid contacts or bad connection to solenoid. Take one large fat screwdriver and short the solenoid contact to the main connection to the starter thus putting 12volts from the big cable directly on the solenoid contact. WARNING Keep a firm grip on the screwdriver handle and don't touch teh metal blade and of course check the car is in neutral.
If the engine turns the problem is most likely the connection to the solenoid, quite common and easy to fix, or the relay that supplies the current to the solenoid(not so easy to fix), located under the ECU or thereabouts.
May even be the earth connection battery to body needs some TLC.


Ken Waring

HI Every one,
Just want to say thanks for all of your help with this one. Unfortunately the garage has just come back to me and informed me that teeth have come off the timing belt and smashed everything, meaning a new engine is needed. I cant believe it........
So if anyone knows of anywhere in the north west of the country where i can get hold of a reconditioned engine id really appreciate it. Once again thanks for all your help.
Jane x
jane

That's really bad news, for a replacement engine try the MGF centre in Wolverhampton or Mike Satur in Yorks and there is another MGF breakers, Midland MGF I think - look in the advertisers bit at the top of the page. On the bright side, at least you know what to look for if you ever have starting problems again :)
Tony

Searching for something else and stumbled across this thread if it helps http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=thread&subject=2&thread=200508261050541662 - copy and paste if it doesn't work direct
Tony

This thread was discussed between 25/08/2005 and 31/08/2005

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