At 11:03 PM 8/29/97 -0400, RatiganJ@aol.com wrote:
>Fellow listers...
>
> Over the last year and a half I have been rebuildig the mechanicals on
>my 58 MGA. The 1500 engine has been completely rebuilt (bored,crank ground,
>new cam and lifters, rebuilt head, etc.). I finally got everything hooked up
>tonight, turned the key, pulled the starter knob.....and.....the starter
>would barely turn the engine over. (it did not start!) Now, I did not do
>anything with the starter during the rebuild. It sat in a field, as did the
>car, for the last fifteen years. Now, my question is this...Is this a
>typical situation? Is the engine so tight that the starter is barely able to
>turn it over at all. Should I pull the car and pop the clutch to start it?
> Or should I get the starter rebuilt? I know I need to be careful when I
>first start the engine to run it at 2500 RPM for 20 minutes to break in the
>cam and lifters. So, the starting proceedure is important for me. Any
>thoughts? Also, should I choke the engine, pump the gas pedal, or what? Any
>thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>
>Joe Ratigan
>58 Roadster
>
> Barney Gaylord's post was on the money re your tight motor. Assuming you
do not have a starter-battery proplem, and that you would have noticed any
thghtness in the crank-rods-pistons during assembly, the binding could be
the cam in the bearings. Did you attempt to turn the engine after
installing the timeing chain?
Sam Haynes
59 MGA
TR3 Original owner
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