Am I Nuts? Need Help!
03-20-2010, 06:09 AM
#81
Thread Starter
Big plans today - Hope to install new clutch and put engine back in and maybe get it started tomorrow!
Three weeks to race day!
Divorce and alimony payments pending!
And no Aashish, I haven't signed up for Watkins Glen yet. How about you?
Three weeks to race day!
Divorce and alimony payments pending!
And no Aashish, I haven't signed up for Watkins Glen yet. How about you?
03-20-2010, 03:15 PM
#82
Former Moderator
^ 
Jeff, I'm sure you are going to do well. Good luck with the work on the car and race day. Will you be running at Lime Rock?
I have signed up for Watkins Glen for both days (April 26 & 27). Looking forward to it. I need to get the Hankook RS-2's on to the set of wheels I bought from Levi. Dont think I can afford powder coating right now, so I'll just run the wheels the way they are.
Jeff, I'm sure you are going to do well. Good luck with the work on the car and race day. Will you be running at Lime Rock?I have signed up for Watkins Glen for both days (April 26 & 27). Looking forward to it. I need to get the Hankook RS-2's on to the set of wheels I bought from Levi. Dont think I can afford powder coating right now, so I'll just run the wheels the way they are.
03-24-2010, 12:21 PM
#83
Former Moderator
Originally Posted by blueosprey90,Mar 20 2010, 09:09 AM
Big plans today - Hope to install new clutch and put engine back in and maybe get it started tomorrow!
Three weeks to race day!
Three weeks to race day!
03-25-2010, 02:53 PM
#84
Thread Starter
Didn't get it all quite back together until Monday night and then NO START! I'm getting juice to the coil, but I think I'm not getting any spark out of the coil. I'm going to try to test it tonight.
I don't know why the coil would fail since it just sat on the shelf after I took it out.
The whole electrical is a little confusing since it is a positive rather than a negative ground. But by the same, it's not all that complicated.
I don't know why the coil would fail since it just sat on the shelf after I took it out.
The whole electrical is a little confusing since it is a positive rather than a negative ground. But by the same, it's not all that complicated.
03-25-2010, 08:36 PM
#85
This all sounds like great fun.
03-26-2010, 04:27 AM
#86
Former Moderator
Originally Posted by blueosprey90,Mar 25 2010, 05:53 PM
Didn't get it all quite back together until Monday night and then NO START! I'm getting juice to the coil, but I think I'm not getting any spark out of the coil. I'm going to try to test it tonight.
I don't know why the coil would fail since it just sat on the shelf after I took it out.
The whole electrical is a little confusing since it is a positive rather than a negative ground. But by the same, it's not all that complicated.
I don't know why the coil would fail since it just sat on the shelf after I took it out.
The whole electrical is a little confusing since it is a positive rather than a negative ground. But by the same, it's not all that complicated.
My schedule for next weekend is open as of now and I'd be willing to come help you with the car should you need me.
03-26-2010, 05:38 AM
#87
Originally Posted by blueosprey90,Mar 25 2010, 05:53 PM
Didn't get it all quite back together until Monday night and then NO START! I'm getting juice to the coil, but I think I'm not getting any spark out of the coil. I'm going to try to test it tonight.
I don't know why the coil would fail since it just sat on the shelf after I took it out.
The whole electrical is a little confusing since it is a positive rather than a negative ground. But by the same, it's not all that complicated.
I don't know why the coil would fail since it just sat on the shelf after I took it out.
The whole electrical is a little confusing since it is a positive rather than a negative ground. But by the same, it's not all that complicated.
03-26-2010, 05:38 AM
#88
Thread Starter
Legal Bill, it is great fun but I'm working under pressure. Next weekend I'm supposed to be loading it on the trailer to take to Pocono. At least I'm not wasting all my evenings looking for something good to watch on T.V.
And thanks for the offer Aashish. There is a very helpful MG website called the MG Experience, and there is a lot of technical stuff on the web concerning MG's. Only problem is that I'm not smart enough to find the answer.
Here is my post from today on the MG Experience site:
Thanks everybody. I'll be working on it (again) tonight.
I don't think the timing should be off since I just pulled the engine and didn't do anything to it other than to clean it up and paint it. I probably spun the motor a little when removing the clutch, but the distributor was still attached the whole time.
By test light, when I turn on the ignition switch, I do get power to the (-) side of the coil (it is a positive ground setup), and to the (+) side of the coil as well. If I disconnect the wire at the (+) terminal and the HT wire at the center of the distributor cap and scratch a jumper wire connected to the (+) terminal against the head, I do get a spark out of the HT wire that connects to the distributor cap. So I think my coil is ok. As part of the engine removal, my friend pulled all the ignition wires off and I labeled them a little after the fact. I might have them connected in the wrong order, I suppose, but even when I pull all of the plugs and lay them along the head while connected to the HT wires, I don't get a spark at any of them.
I think the points are set ok because I didn't touch them, but they are very hard to see.
So I think I'll try to scrape the paint away from the distributor clamp first. If that doesn't work, I may just try to figure out how to bypass that black wire attached to the distributor.
*****
I'm tempted to load the car on the trailer and haul it over to the tech session tomorrow - but it's not my trailer!
And thanks for the offer Aashish. There is a very helpful MG website called the MG Experience, and there is a lot of technical stuff on the web concerning MG's. Only problem is that I'm not smart enough to find the answer.
Here is my post from today on the MG Experience site:
Thanks everybody. I'll be working on it (again) tonight.
I don't think the timing should be off since I just pulled the engine and didn't do anything to it other than to clean it up and paint it. I probably spun the motor a little when removing the clutch, but the distributor was still attached the whole time.
By test light, when I turn on the ignition switch, I do get power to the (-) side of the coil (it is a positive ground setup), and to the (+) side of the coil as well. If I disconnect the wire at the (+) terminal and the HT wire at the center of the distributor cap and scratch a jumper wire connected to the (+) terminal against the head, I do get a spark out of the HT wire that connects to the distributor cap. So I think my coil is ok. As part of the engine removal, my friend pulled all the ignition wires off and I labeled them a little after the fact. I might have them connected in the wrong order, I suppose, but even when I pull all of the plugs and lay them along the head while connected to the HT wires, I don't get a spark at any of them.
I think the points are set ok because I didn't touch them, but they are very hard to see.
So I think I'll try to scrape the paint away from the distributor clamp first. If that doesn't work, I may just try to figure out how to bypass that black wire attached to the distributor.
*****
I'm tempted to load the car on the trailer and haul it over to the tech session tomorrow - but it's not my trailer!
03-26-2010, 05:55 AM
#89
Former Moderator
^ I just googled MG A electrical trouble shooting and the search results displayed a wealth of information. It is confusing as to where one would look.
Jeff, my best wishes are with you and the MG A. Im looking forward to your first racing experience in it and hearing all about it. Good luck and if you ever need an extra pit crew member, let me know
Jeff, my best wishes are with you and the MG A. Im looking forward to your first racing experience in it and hearing all about it. Good luck and if you ever need an extra pit crew member, let me know
03-26-2010, 08:16 PM
#90
Thread Starter
Lesson learned is that unless you know what you are doing, don't let Glen start to tear down your electrical without photographing and labeling everything first.
I think in pulling the engine we lost a wire that in ran from the (+) side of the coil (the car has a positive ground system) directly to the post on the distributor. What I had left after I put the car back together was a pair of wires that seemed to run from the (+) side of the coil to the tachometer and then another wire that ran from the tachometer to the post on the distributor. Each of those wires had a splice and after all else failed, I assumed there might be a failure of the splice. So I disconected both wires and ran a wire from the (+) side of the coil directly to the post on the distributor. Fired right up! Then I reconnected the other two wires to where I originally had them, and now I have a running engine with a functioning tachometer.
In this case DPO stands for dumb present owner. Live and learn!
The car is a little quieter since I put a very small glass pack muffler on the pipes. Two new leaks though - pretty gruesome new oil leak from the front of the car and one of the carburators is leaking gas.
I think in pulling the engine we lost a wire that in ran from the (+) side of the coil (the car has a positive ground system) directly to the post on the distributor. What I had left after I put the car back together was a pair of wires that seemed to run from the (+) side of the coil to the tachometer and then another wire that ran from the tachometer to the post on the distributor. Each of those wires had a splice and after all else failed, I assumed there might be a failure of the splice. So I disconected both wires and ran a wire from the (+) side of the coil directly to the post on the distributor. Fired right up! Then I reconnected the other two wires to where I originally had them, and now I have a running engine with a functioning tachometer.
In this case DPO stands for dumb present owner. Live and learn!
The car is a little quieter since I put a very small glass pack muffler on the pipes. Two new leaks though - pretty gruesome new oil leak from the front of the car and one of the carburators is leaking gas.