[Mgs] demurred mga start

[Eric J Russell]

> 1)      How do you dispose of drained gas from the tank?

How old is it? Does it smell like gasoline or like old turpentine or cat 
pee?

If it is not too old and smells like gas, put a gallon or two at a time into 
your other car's nearly full tank. This dilutes the old gas with the fresh 
gas and it'll burn fine. If it is really old and smells bad, try to find a 
hazard waste disposal tank.


> 2)    Assuming spark as I am an individual without a second to crank...

On the MGA it is easy to activate the starter from under the hood. The dash 
knob pulls a cable that goes to a heavy duty switch on the right side frame 
rail a few inches forward of the horizontal firewall shelf. You can manually 
pull the cable end to operate the starter motor.

I would not assume spark. Test to be sure. A car that has sat unused for a 
long while likely needs the points cleaned and the gap set. They can oxadize 
from long disuse.

> (don't know if this is a pumping carb).

It is not a 'pumping' carb. The original carbs are SU H4. If the motor has 
been replaced with an MGB unit it might have SU HS4 (very similar to the H4) 
or HIF4 (similar but the "I-F" stands for Internal Float which is built into 
the carb body). At any rate, pumping the gas pedal on any of these carbs 
does nothing. Make sure the choke cable is actually moving the jets (under 
the carbs if H4 or HS4). And also make sure the jets return to 'off' when 
the choke is released.

Lots of info on Barney Gaylord's website. www.MGAguru.com - go to the Tech 
Index and use the search box to find a page about starting a long dormant 
engine.

Eric Russell
Mebane, NC