[Mgs] MGB Ignition Idle

Tue Oct 8 04:18:44 MDT 2019

 I am the original owner of a 1973 MGB with 227,000 miles on the odometer.

A couple of years ago with the last rebuild, I\we installed a Petronix's ignition and had Mr. Johnson rebuild the HIF4 carbs replacing the throttle body shafts. I had rebuilt the carbs a couple of times in the past but never had the throttle body shafts replaced. This was the best things I\we had done and wish I\we had done this 5 years ago. The car starts on the first turn of the key and idles and runs great. Any starting or idle issues , I would highly recommend doing these 2 things. Cost about $400. What a difference! Of course always carry a new set of points, condenser and rotor in the boot in case any issue with Petronix. The look is stock above the distributor cap with one extra wire and the way it starts, runs and idles, these 2 items, in my opinion, are well worth the cost.

To determine if your throttle shafts are leaking, start car and at operating temp, spray some carb cleaner around shafts. Any change in idle RPM'S indicate shafts are leaking air.

Regards

Joel Martin

     On Monday, October 7, 2019, 2:00:10 PM EDT, <mgs-request at autox.team.net> wrote:  

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Today's Topics:

  1. Re: Sunday morning, a bit OT (Rick)
  2. Re: Sunday morning, a bit OT (Craig Brownlee)
  3. Re: Sunday morning, a bit OT (PaulHunt73)
  4. Re: Sunday morning, a bit OT (Robert's New iPad)
  5. Re: Sunday morning, a bit OT (PaulHunt73)
  6. Re: Sunday morning, a bit OT (PaulHunt73)
> Best drive with Dave was in 2011 to the GT’s home grounds, United> Kingdom, where he pictured  Paul Hunt and me with our MG’s in front> of the Heritage Museum England.
   I'd love to meet you both face-to-face. I may join my friend Rui Gigante and attend the MGB-GT event. It would be great to be all together. Think I could smuggle a moped into my carry-on luggage?
Rick Hi Rick,

I love what you do with your grandson. 

My Sunday afternoon is being spent researching  the MGB ignition process. My B hasn’t been driven much over the past few years because of a problem that I’m assuming is probably points related. It was running great after my mechanic did a tune up and then it started sputtering and now can’t pull itself around the driveway.  At the last service my mechanic convinced me to replace the Petronix electronic ignition for points. I’m hoping that reinstalling  the electronic ignition will cure my problem. 

Watching YouTube videos to make sure I will know how to do it. Finally cooling off here in Tulsa so it is perfect MG weather. 

Craig

Craig Brownlee, PE LLC
918.728.5950
Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 6, 2019, at 6:40 AM, Richard Lindsay via Mgs <mgs at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hello Friends, and good morning from South Texas!
> 
> Another hot day is forecast for today so I plan to get my car work (play?) done early. Two jobs are in the queue, neither of which involves the Maserati, strangely enough! :-P The first is filling two petrol jugs with fuel and heading to my shop. The Triumph TR6 ran out of gas while moving it about yesterday. My grandson and I ended up pushing it into position, ready for tomorrow's transport.
> 
> Once the TR6 is fueled, its back to the house to spend an hour or so on the MG TD. That car is to get the other half of its tune up. Specifically, the timing will be checked, and adjusted as required,  valves adjusted, and the SU carburetors will get cleaned and the linkage lubricated. The car will get a new brake master cylinder, but not today. Rather, a garage cleanup is needed first so the master cylinder job can happen cleanly and efficiently.
> 
> As much as I have enjoyed working on the Biturbo, it's nice that I now don't have to do so! It's running great. Yesterday, the car started at the first turn of the key and ran great as I moved cars around. After completing a few more competing projects, the car will get regular use.
> 
> You? How are you spending your Sunday? Any LBC projects in the queue. I know some of you are contemplating winter storage and maintenance projects for your cars, but for us on America's south coast, its driving season!
> 
> Rick
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
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 Fortunately the UK still has 5% max ethanol in both standard and high octanes.  There is 'moral' pressure from some quarters on the Government to increase it to 10% max but suppliers can meet their legal requirements purely with bio diesel, and don't want to be the first to go to 10% and get bad publicity from complaints.  If the move against diesel gathers pace that may force their hands. The main problem with fuel hoses and everything else rubber here is the quality of the rubber itself.  I've always (30 years) run the roadster on high octane but the V8 (24 years) always on standard which has had ethanol at 5% max for 20 years now.  While 98 octane may not have contained ethanol originally, suppliers tended to be cagey when asked directly, and others indicated that it varied according to where in the UK you bought it.  Four years ago I decided to replace the V8 pump hoses as the braiding was crumbling when it came to me so they were probably original - but as far as the rubber goes the old ones were in perfect condition.  I even slit a piece lengthwise and opened it out but there wasn't a trace of cracking.  When I first got the V8 it didn't have any carb overflow hoses so I installed them, and they have had to be replaced since from severe cracking - and they don't even carry liquid fuel, only vapour.  I fitted non-braided so I can keep an eye on the external condition at least, but I have no doubt they won't last anywhere near as long as the originals. If standard here goes up to 10% - fortunately pumps are now required to be labelled clearly on the pump as well as the nozzle itself - I'll run the V8 on high octane as well, as that has been designated 'petrol protection grade' for older vehicles for the foreseeable future. PaulH.
 ----- Original Message -----  Last week 95 octane fuel has to be 10% bio-ethanol, which makes even post-modern cars vulnerable for this nasty fuel additive.   

So I’ll change the type of fuel for my mopeds to a special one. The BGT will get the 98 octane fuel, which contains 5% bio-ethanol.

Hi Craig,
  Give the Pertronix a go, now that you have them/it.  It should work OK.
  Don’t be reticent about using points, though, as they can always be set well enough to limp home, whereas Pertronix works or not-no in between.
  Easily overlooked is the little, very little, black earth wire between the moving plate of distributor and the distributor body.  If you are experiencing intermittent electrics, check that for continuity, or better, replace the 40 year-old thing. 
Bob

> On Oct 6, 2019, at 5:05 PM, Craig Brownlee via Mgs <mgs at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi Rick,
> 
> I love what you do with your grandson. 
> 
> My Sunday afternoon is being spent researching  the MGB ignition process. My B hasn’t been driven much over the past few years because of a problem that I’m assuming is probably points related. It was running great after my mechanic did a tune up and then it started sputtering and now can’t pull itself around the driveway.  At the last service my mechanic convinced me to replace the Petronix electronic ignition for points. I’m hoping that reinstalling  the electronic ignition will cure my problem. 
> 
> Watching YouTube videos to make sure I will know how to do it. Finally cooling off here in Tulsa so it is perfect MG weather. 
> 
> Craig
> 
> Craig Brownlee, PE LLC
> 918.728.5950
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Oct 6, 2019, at 6:40 AM, Richard Lindsay via Mgs <mgs at autox.team.net> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Hello Friends, and good morning from South Texas!
>> 
>> Another hot day is forecast for today so I plan to get my car work (play?) done early. Two jobs are in the queue, neither of which involves the Maserati, strangely enough! :-P The first is filling two petrol jugs with fuel and heading to my shop. The Triumph TR6 ran out of gas while moving it about yesterday. My grandson and I ended up pushing it into position, ready for tomorrow's transport.
>> 
>> Once the TR6 is fueled, its back to the house to spend an hour or so on the MG TD. That car is to get the other half of its tune up. Specifically, the timing will be checked, and adjusted as required,  valves adjusted, and the SU carburetors will get cleaned and the linkage lubricated. The car will get a new brake master cylinder, but not today. Rather, a garage cleanup is needed first so the master cylinder job can happen cleanly and efficiently.
>> 
>> As much as I have enjoyed working on the Biturbo, it's nice that I now don't have to do so! It's running great. Yesterday, the car started at the first turn of the key and ran great as I moved cars around. After completing a few more competing projects, the car will get regular use.
>> 
>> You? How are you spending your Sunday? Any LBC projects in the queue. I know some of you are contemplating winter storage and maintenance projects for your cars, but for us on America's south coast, its driving season!
>> 
>> Rick
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> 
>> Mgs at autox.team.net
>> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
>> Suggested annual donation  $12.75
>> 
>> Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/mgs http://autox.team.net/archive
>> 
>> Unsubscribe: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mgs/craigbrownlee@cox.net
> 
> _______________________________________________
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If the points or other trigger are iffy you normally get the tach needle 
jumping around with any misfire.  If the tach is steady it's more likely to 
be HT or fuel.  Could be the condenser with points - especially if recently 
replaced, but they usually work or they don't.

The little wire Robert refers to - which originally was brown 
cloth-insulated tinsel wire - is needed for under-cap triggers such as 
Pertronix and points.  It's not used where only the pickup is under the cap 
and the electronics are external such as Optronic or Magnetronic.  With 
vacuum advance it is continually being flexed back and fore so can fracture 
eventually.  The 25D4 points wire from the external spade is the same.  On 
45D4 distributors where the points wire passes out though a hole in the 
distributor body, that is black plastic insulated, is designed to be more 
flexible than standard wire, but can still fracture internally.

PaulH.

----- Original Message ----- 
>  Easily overlooked is the little, very little, black earth wire between 
> the moving plate of distributor and the distributor body.  If you are 
> experiencing intermittent electrics, check that for continuity, or better, 
> replace the 40 year-old thing.

 If local law insists they add ethanol to a certain proportion, which has the side-effect of increasing octane, why would they continue using some other octane-boosting constituent?  In fact surely they would have no choice but to reduce or eliminate it in order to maintain a given octane.  Unless they let the octane rise several points but market it as lower octane and sell it at that lower octane price ... PaulH.
 ----- Original Message -----  The skeptical and distrusting scientist in me wants to believe that petrol manufacturers are using the ethanol content to elevate the effective octane rating thereby saving the other octane boosting stuff, whatever it is.    
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