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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 TD TF 1500 - Short reach spark plugs for XPAG

Have you tried going to your local garden centre lawnmower desk for your M.Gs plugs yet? The modern equivalent to the old Champion L10S as a KLG is often sold for garden machinery, using the Briggs & Stratton engine; often at a much cheaper price than specialists. Some motorist centres also stock short-reach KLG type.

Neil.
Neil Cairns

Neil,
Your right! While you are there check for points condenser, dizzy cap, rotor, and wires as well.
Maybe not so much from the "lawnmower desk" ...but I found out years ago that the local tractor supply store here sells all of this cheaper and many items are better quality than the reproductions sold for our cars. We discovered quite by accident that my friends old tractor has the same lucas dizzy ect. The plug wires they sell are of far better quality than the "Tiwan" crap one's ...maybe because they know they will be sitting out in the weather on an exposed engine? The center conductor looks more like the "Lucas Bumble Bee" wire I run on my TF and is about 1/3 the cost of the repro stuff!
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

David, what about some more details please?
Like what make of tractor does your friend have and what might the available spark plug numbers be? Any info appreciated.
Jim Merz

Thanks Neil. Do you have the Briggs & Stratton plug number that you have used, as I will give them a try in my TD

Richard 1952 TD PSK 726
Richard Hyde

Jim,
I will have to check with my friend on the tractor...I think it's an old late 50's or early 60's MF.
Like I said...it was quite by accident we learned this.
We were moving some things around the garage one night and ran into an engine block on a stand....cracked his dizzy.....we were looking at it and I said that looks just like the dizzy on the TF, (TF @ that time was an engine in a frame)....popped the dizzy off the TF and it fit on his tractor...fired right up! Later i just took mine down to the dealer and he just looked at it and sold me dizzy, rotor & points that were a perfect fit. There are lot's of item's that seem to be priced by what you purchase them for:
Sonic ear valves (music store $25.00 / gun store $5.00.)
Shrink tubing heat gun (electronics store $97.00 / same "gun" sold as a "paint striper" in hardware store..$29.00)
Expandable nylon wire harness cover...(from "classic car parts" supplier..$5.00 a foot...from electronics supply house...$.50 a foot).
Since then I have switched to pertronix Ign. & bosh platinum plugs (plugs have been in for about 4k miles and still look great...not sure if it's the plugs or the Pertronix but the combinnation seem's to work very well together). Best advise would be to pop yours off and take to local tractor shop to see if they have a match....or better yet, drive your MG there while the weather is still nice!
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

Almost forgot one of my "favorites" MG "interior finisishing nails" sold for $12.00 / $14.00 sure look a lot like a $1.49 box of "panneling nails" to me!
me again

The new number for the Champion L10S is L82C, which were available here until a year ago. I have been using instead NGK B6HS, which are listed as equivalent, with the same resulst. Other number instead of the "6" indicate another plug temperature, e.g. B5HS being hotter, so you can accomodate the "needs" of your engine.

Denis
Denis L. Baggi

David, I am almost afraid to ask this question but not being familiar with tractors, what's an MF? In the St Louis area, we dont have many tractor shops so a nice drive outstate in the TD would be very nice at this time of year.
I agree with you about the price of a given item seemingly being dictated by its application.
Jim Merz

Jim, MF= Massey Fuergason....scarred you didn't I!
Not sure but think some of the old International's and /or Gravely tractors used Lucas electrics as well. Was going to check for you today as I was going to attend a Antique Auto,Truck & Tractor Show near here...not sure what the deal was, we had bunches of rain early this am so either I was the only one to show up ...show was cancled...or info from website was wrong...but I was the only one there....so went for a nice long drive instead!
Cheers,
David
David Sheward

RE: TF XPAG 36351
This engine was originally equipped with Champion (Made In Eng.) NA-8 plugs. I still have the original set of these plugs, burned down to about 24,000 miles of use, which is the mileage on the car when I bought it. they are replaced with the Champion RN5C which work without problems. It does appear the the inner electrode on the NA-8 is about .050" shorter than the RN5C, making it a little hotter plug.
Hey guys......plugs are cheap and last for several years of T-type driving. Take advice from the plug makers and stay away from those farmers.
Reference tha article in the NEMGTR magazine some yars ago.
colin stafford

Several notes about XPAG spark plugs:

In the world of Champion, a "J" reach plug is 3/8", an "L" reach plug is 1/2", and an "N" reach plug is 3/4". All carry the standard 14 x 1.5 metric thread.
The number following the letter is the heat range -- the higher the number, the hotter the plug.

For the original L10S, use L86C; for the later cars, use N5C. But here is the caveat! The cylinder heads have been changed over the past 50 years -- some of the earlier engines carry a "round head" (3/4") -- some of the later engines carry a "banana head" (1/2"). Inspect the cylinder head BEFORE fitting new plugs if you are not absolutely certain of the proper length. Use a small light, a piece of wire with an "L" on the end and your thumb against the seat, or count the threads. The round heads (3/4") which have had L plugs (1/2") fitted will have a carbon build-up on the bottom three or four threads. It is sometimes very difficult to remove plugs from banana heads (1/2") with N (3/4") plugs fitted, as the bottom 3-4 threads of the plugs have carboned up. Further, an N plug in a banana head places the plug too close to the top of the piston.

I always gap the plugs at 0.035" (that's 0.89 mm to our non-Imperial friends) to ensure a hotter spark and to reduce fouling. T types still fitted with original coils will sometimes misfire with this larger gap (vs the 0.22 called for in the workshop manual) -- time for a new coil!

It is very rare, indeed, to find a T type with worn out plugs. Most are simply fouled with carbon and/or oil. There is no solvent, no brush, no trick other than sandblasting (glassbeading) which will clean old plugs satisfactorly.

One fellow in the shop the other day told me that it is now common to INCREASE the heat range of the plugs because of the composition of "modern" gasoline. I had not heard that before (nor, for that matter, since) so I hesitate to pass it on.

Last note: Champion has re-numbered all their plugs. The standard MGB plug, originally an N9Y has ended up as an RN9YC which is too difficult for the clerk at WalMart to stock -- so now it's just a "415." But the boxes still have the original alphanumeric part numbers distinctly displayed.

John H Twist - University Motors Ltd



John H Twist

This thread was discussed between 26/09/2003 and 11/10/2003

MG TD TF 1500 index

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