Tom Wagner - Program Manager wrote:
>
> To All:
>
> Is it normal for MG's to be very very difficult
> to start in the winter, after sitting in the cold
> for weeks. here in Houston it has been cold(for us)
> temps in the 30's for a week and I decided to go for
> a drive the other night.
>
> It took about 10 minutes of starting and pumping the
> pedal along with pulling of the choke.
>
> When it finally did start it toook about 5 minutes for
> all cylinders to function. After all of this, the car ran fine
> went to the store with no problems in starting after that.
> This may have been because it was finally warmed up.
>
> So are these cars not happy in the COLD????
>
> Thanks for all help.
>
> Tom Wagner
> 67 MGB
Tom,
I would say not, based on my experience running my '69 in three winters
in Montana, two in North Dakota and two in Nebraska. Admittedly, I had a
block heater installed for NoDak and Montana which was normal procedure
for all cars up there, but when in tune and with the proper lubricant, I
never had trouble starting the car. By the way, pumping the throttle
doesn't do too much with an SU - since there is no mechanical accelerator
pump. My normal procedure was to pull the choke on all the way, crank
till it fired, then immediately back off the choke a bit and drive away.
Recommendation: make sure the ignition is spot on, with plugs in good
condition, valves are adjusted properly and carbs are set correctly. 30
degrees F shouldn't be giving you a problem. One more thing - you say
"after sitting in the cold for weeks...." If you really meant weeks, as
in a long time, you may have just been experiencing some moisture from
condensation in your fuel. So the first thing I'd make sure of is that
my fuel is fresh.
Bill
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