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MG TD TF 1500 - Long journey in the TD

On Monday I start on a trip of 1200 kilometers, from Oslo to Røst in the Lofoten Islands. If you are interested, I hope to be able to follow up on my blog on the internet:
http://osloray.wordpress.com/
Raymond Wardenaer

Looking forward to your trip blog Raymond-
Carry a spare fuel pump ;^)

dc
Dallas C Congleton

Great pictures so far...try to get the car in lots of them for us to see!
efh Haskell

Does it still have the stock 5.12:1 ring & pinion or has it been changed?

I'm bookmarking your blog.

My friends went to Australia & New Zealand. They signed up with Verizon for internet access, $199. It worked only twice and they were sent a bill for $1700 for all the failed attempts!

Have fun!
Jim Northrup

Dallas, I am postponing my start Monday to get the spare fuel pump. Thank you for your advice.
Raymond Wardenaer

Are the fuel pumps really so unreliable that one should always bring a spare one on longer trips? I am rather new to MGs ; having just recently bought a TF 1500 with a confidently ticking fuel pump - so far
JEK Kristoffersen

The deal is that on any spare part you carry, you will not need it. ;^)

Raymond I was speaking a little tongue in cheek after all the issues that Dave had with his fuel pump on a previous post, but if I were going off the beaten path, I would probably carry my spare pump, or have a spare already piped into the fuel system. Although these pumps can last for years, they do not always seem to like extended operation.

Dallas
Dallas C Congleton

Sounds like a great trip!

I would say that the fuel pumps are one of the most likely failures that can sideline a trip and also be easily fixed if you have a replacement (or spare parts and know how to install them). Conveniently, they are located on the firewall (except for the later TFs) I think an in-line emergency pump would be the best bet for a car with the rear mounted pump, unless you're stuck on originality.

That said, in 27 years I've only had two failures, and both came with warnings (sticky points, intermittent operation, etc.)

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Great blog. Keep it comming. By the way. I tried really hard to see the cruise ship in your picture, but the two ladies playing volleyball were in the way.
Bruce Cunha

Ray:
the gentlemen here have rightly noted the prime vulnabilarity is the SU fuel pump and that the usual initial cause of failure is sticky points. If you do not have experience with these infernal machines, it might be useful to know that a temporary fix is to give the pump body a light tap with the hammer. This usually frees the points for an unpredictable time (can be days), but often sufficient to get somewhere to either sort out the points or replace the pump. Not an easy thing to do on a TF for sure, but it can be a useful stop-gap (as it were).

Sound like a great trip.

Bill McGee
Bill McGee

Thank you for sharing your experience on SU fuel pumps with me! I am a novice to MGs; just recently bought mye TF after 40+ years on classic motorcycles, so fuel feed by gravitation has been my "modus operandi" until now. I will probably invest in a solid state SU pump and leave the original on the shelf

Living in Oslo - as is Raymond, now on tour to Lofoten in his TD - I would like to say that he has ventured on a trip which can be quite demanding on both pilot and machine. Chances of doing this journey without hitting heavy rain and wind is close to zero even in summertime, and there are som really tough long and winding uphill stretches along the way, f.ex up to the Saltfjellet and the Polar circle monument. It would be nice to know whether his TD is doing those hill climbs without boiling over and if he has an extra electrical fan, i.e. Kenlowe etc.

Jan Emil TF 1500
JEK Kristoffersen

Hello everybody,
I have had problems connecting to internet, but have written the blog whenever possible. See the link in the first post here.
I had no problems with the running of the car up here to the north. Quite the opposite, I was impressed with how the engine ran all the way! The only "problem" I had was with the window wipers, for more than one day in the rain they did not work. However, a car mechanic in Mo i Rana fixed it in five minutes (he had to fasten the wiper system to the rotating rod).
One day in the rain here I planned to put on the side windows. I realized that I could not, since the mirror would stop the door from opening! Any comments on this?
Beside this, people admire the car wherever I go. Driving around the island one day two elderly (like myself) got up from the chairs on their balcony when I stopped to talk with them. They said "we thought for a moment it was the King that was coming!"
Unfortunately we have a summer with a lot of rain. I bought a rainproof cover, but cannot use it here at Røst. I was afraid the whole thing would lift and take off! The tonneau cover works much better, and no water gets in the car.
Raymond Wardenaer

Raymond - you are truly an artist. The photographs are excellent. I have been to many European countries, but I have not been to Scandinavia. It is beautiful. I am looking forward to updates on your blog.
Mike Iandolo

Raymond your blog is a true work of art. Although I will never have the opportunity to travel to the Scandanavian countries, your photos are the next best thing to actually visiting there. Thank you.
Jim Merz

Raymond,

Great blog !! Brings back memories of the many years I spent driving in the north of Finland. I was CEO of the Canadian Division of a company with HO in Kajaani on the Arctic Circle. I love the Nordic countries and especially the people.

.93 l/km is terrible! - recalculate but DON'T give in miles per gallon. Most Eurpoeans when dealing in MILES, use the Brirish standard and NOT the US mile. Give in litres/100km which is a world standard, and what we use in Canada.

1,200 Kms is a nice run. In 2006, I took my TF for a 3,200 Km 'run' (Gatlinburg), but I have done several 5,000 kms trips; and recently, a contributor to this forum, circumnavigated the US = 12,000 Kms in his TD with his dog!

Good of you to run this blog. Keep it coming!

Gord Clark TF4592
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

Gordon, sorry about my gas consumption number. It should have been 0,93 l pr. 10 kilometers. In Norway we call 10 kilometers "a mil", and we always give the consumption in litres pr "mil".
Raymond Wardenaer

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. The scenary is beautiful! The shots of the car are very artistic. Wish I could do as well.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Raymond,

Great blog, reminds me of my trip in "73" to Nord Kapp in a VW camper. I went up through Sweden, worked on a farm in Ostersund for three weeks. Drove back to Bergen along the coast including the Gudbransdalen. Norway has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Have a safe trip.

Cheers,
Jim
James Neel TD28423

I have a question about the mirrors attached to the window frame. Mine are mounted with the arm pointing backwards, toward me as driver. But when I put on the front side window, I could not open the door!
Any comments on this?
Raymond Wardenaer

I use front wing mirrors mounted through the wingscreen lowering bracket slot,,, no problem with the door opening,,

SPW
Steve Wincze

Raymond, I have the same mounting position as SPW and also have a RHD TD that is driven on the right side of the road as you are doing. They are motorcycle mirrors and adjustable in several ways. Send your email address and I will supply more photos if that will help you when you are on the road in the far North. MGCarNut at SBCGLOBAL dot NET
Jim Merz

I just bought these two mirrors, and they were very expensive! I also had to drill to holes for each mirror. I want to know if someone has these mirrors and how that works with the door. I shall take a picture of them tomorrow.
Raymond Wardenaer

Here is the mirror.


Raymond Wardenaer

Raymond, You may be able to turn the angle of the mounting arm upward instead of toward the rear of the car. This could give you a little more clearance.
I am not sure how the threads are tightend, and if they are not tight at this angle, then you may have to use a washer as spacer between the arm and mirror post.
I have the identical mirror, but the arm mounts by a stud through the curved slot of the windshield bracket and is held with a nut. It can be turned at any angle.

Dallas
Dallas C Congleton

Raymond

You have the correct brackets, they're just on the wrong side.

You have Lucas 160 mirrors which are standard on a TC.

In your picture you have a left hand bracket on the right side of the car.

Switch them and your clearance problems are eliminated.

Mike Francks
TC 8332
M FRANCKS

Mike, I have been wondering about that. But I could not see that it would be correct on the other side, either, because then they will point downwards, won't they?
Raymond Wardenaer

I have now come to the second last day of my excursion to the far north with my MG TD.
You can see the blog and images here:
http://osloray.wordpress.com/
Some weeks before this trip, someone asked me how often I checked the oil level. I must admit, coming from modern cars, I had not checked it for a very long time. So I filled up.
On this trip I have been checking it regularly, and do you know what? I have not had to fill up any oil at all! That must be good, or? I guess when I arrive in Oslo Sunday, I will fill give it some more oil.
It hs been a great trip, and the car has worked perfectly. And, it has created quite a stir everywhere. On one ferry they did not even let me pay, "because with a beautiful car like this, you don't pay"!
But you can read more about the trip in the blog. And please feel welcome to comment in the blog!
Raymond Wardenaer

This thread was discussed between 11/07/2010 and 24/07/2010

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