You're checking for spark but you also need to check for fuel. While you've
been checking the filter on the fuel pump, there's also one inside the banjo
bolt that goes to each carb, so there's two more you haven't looked at.
Despite what you've been told you're going to have to learn to take apart
and fiddle with your carbs. They're actually very simple, and they translate
well to a motorcycle carb so you shouldn't have any problems. You don't have
to do this now, but you will have to do it at some point. There's no way
around it.
Assuming you've got good steady fuel delivery with good clean gas you need
to check the plugs after running the car. If they have fuel on them you have
a weak spark.. Check the condenser, rotor, the carbon element in the cap and
lastly the coil. All could be bad and a source of your problem. Except for
the coil the shop manual will tell you what to look for. Others may suggest
how to test the coil, but in my experience if it's hot to the touch after
it's been running for a while it can be on the way out.
Lastly I've had this happen too. In one case it was the fuel pump, in the
other it was the condenser.
Hope this helps?
Scott Allen
52 TD
74 1/2 BGT
On 10/9/05, Rick LeFauve <RLEFAUVE@sram.com> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I have an over restored '48 MG TC in the garage. It belonged to my father
> and after the estate dust settled the title was mine. Last October I took
> Amtrak from Chicago to Ann Arbor and after putting a new battery in it I
> drove down US-12 to Chicago. I had to clean the varnish bits out of the
> fuel filter a couple of times on that first drive but other wise it ran
> fine.
>
> I've had it out for short drives around the city and so far I've been
> surprised how easy it starts and runs. Besides a fuel leak that only
> required me to fettle the connections at the carbs it has been pretty
> trouble free. That is until it was time to give my wife her parking space
> in the garage. Because I would always take my 7 year old son with me she
> was quite happy to park on the street and let the MG live in the garage
> with
> 9 of my vintage motorcycles. When I went to move it to the remote garage,
> it did start but it idled a rough and then it was making barely enough
> power
> to move. I got it to the end of the alley and turned around. It felt very
> much like a twin cylinder motorcycle running on one cylinder.
>
> I pulled the plugs and each one of them shows some spark. So now I have no
> idea what to do next. These SU oil pot carbs are a complete mystery to me.
> I've been instructed by several car specialists to not touch them. Besides
> putting new plugs in to see if I've to a lean or rich cylinder the only
> two
> ideas I have are to read the manual or to make this post and see what you
> 'car guys' can tell the guy with 2 garages and a basement full of
> motorcycles.
>
> I can get a '65 Ducati single motor open and re-shin the gear box and have
> it back in and running in nearly three hours but I haven't done anything
> more complex to a car than charge the battery since I had a '70 Nova in
> High
> school circa 1979. I'm picking up signs of diminishing patientce from the
> spousal unit, so HELP !
>
> -RickL
> Motorcycle fleet is here : http://tinyurl.com/4nuyb
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