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MG TD TF 1500 - Sputtering and Heat

Ok so how do we spell sputtering?
Anyway, drove the TD the other day and it ran fine for most of the day, but on the way home it started missing and such like it was fuel starved or one of the carbs was not working. Could if be the heat causing it? I don;t have one of those heat sheilds.
THANKS!
MIKE R
Mike Razor

Mike if your temperatures are anywhere near what they are here in Missouri right now, I would not be so quick to blame the fuel system. Since it was running well before an all day journey, then I would look at the points and be suspicious of the condenser and especially the coil.
Jim Merz

Mike - Check that one or both of the carburetor pistons are not sticking as a result of a jet that is not centered properly. Vapor lock should not be a problem as long as the car is moving unless it is extremely hot and you are climbing a fairly steep hill. The problem could also be a fuel pump that is affected by heat. Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

My TF sputters after idling for only a few minutes or in start & stop traffic (which is to say whenever I go anywhere in London). It seems to run fine once I get to some open road, so I assume it is a heat problem, but if so it sure doesn't take much to heat up. Any thoughts?
Ian Watson

what does it do if you warm it up at home then try setting off?
mog

I'd be very suspicious of the coil...However, when mine went bad, It would only get me a few miles before it would crap out! Everyone thought that it was the fuel system, however! Boy were they wrong!
Steve Tobias

Mike,

I too went through a sputtering session about 2-3 yrs ago. The sputtering was not constant and came on only after driving some 15 minutes or so. I went through checking the fuel pump & filter, gas tank filter, carbs, with no relief. I was told that an air leak might be the cause. I proceeded to disconnect all my fuel lines, check them and retighen all - and it did the trick - perhaps something may have freed up in the process.

I have run without a sputter since, have driven in a parade - stop and go - less than 5 mph, in the sun at 95 degree temp, no heat shield and no sputter.

Good luck,

Paul

Paul Hinchcliffe

I do not think it's overheating of the carb bowls. I measure the temperature of mine and it's practically never more than 62 degrees C when the weather is over 30 degrees C. It's true that the fan mounted over the water pump warms up the engine bay considerably and I would get rid of that before installing any shields, which I doubt do any good (I installed a Kenlowe, even though I have no overheating problems). As someone above me stated, there may be some problems in the first seconds when starting off from warm, but they go away as soon as fuel starts circulating. I conjecture an air leak somewhere else.

Denis
Denis L. Baggi

I was puzzled by the 'air leak' cause for sputtering until I realized you are talking about a TD. The TD has the fuel pump under the bonnet, so the fuel lines are on the suction side of the pump. My TF has the pump down near the fuel tank, so the fuel lines are on the delivery side, and air should not be leaking into the lines, rather fuel leaking out through any loose fittings. I have similar problems with sputtering and have not found the cause yet. Can I eliminate air leak as a cause or am I missing something? Ron
R Coates

Ron - No you can't eliminate an air leak. there can still be an air leak side on the supply side of the pump, especially if the lines have been removed from the pump at some time or the other without using a wrench to keep the fitting itself from turning when the fuel line nut is loosened. You can also ket an air leak around the flange where the coil housing, sandwitch plate and pump body are put together. There is also the possibility thet the pump body casting might have a crack in it (I have seen this on a couple of pumps). This is one of the reasons that I test the pumps for air leaks before I put them on the test stand to test operation. The older style pumps that are used on the TDs and TFs are very prone to leaking air and I use a lot of gasket sealer when reassembling them to insure that they don't leak. Finally, there can be a leak on the output side, especially around the fitting and the casting of the fitting and the fuel line connection. A small leak there will allow air to be drawn in by the slight amount of vacuum created by the flow of fuel (the ever present venturi effect). Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

To R. Coates re, air leaks

I did not necessarily mean leaks in the fuel line. They can occur anywhere, for instance between the carburettors and the head. There is a little documented screw in the middle of the inlet manufold below,: try to get that out andl your car will start sputering and misbehaving, to the point that it's impossible to adjust the carburettors at idle. How many such sources of malfuction there are beats me.

Denis
Denis L. Baggi

This thread was discussed between 11/07/2000 and 28/07/2000

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