Hi Mike,
Like David said, sounds like you shorted between the battery wire to the
starter and the chassis, which should only hurt the battery if anything
not to mention probably melting the terminal). I would also check the
starter relay on the passenger side fender well next to the fuse box
assuming its the same on a '77). I've heard that the old 'click once and
not turn over' symptom is typical of burned contacts in the relay.
Harlan.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Lishego <mikesl@tartan.sapc.edu>
To: MG List <Mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 1998 10:28 PM
Subject: MG = Masochist's Guild? (a long cry for help)
>Howdy all,
> As you may have heard, I intended to get my 'B back here to NC this
>weekend. It didn't make it, and in the confusion, I may have caused some
>more problems. So, please share my experiences with me, (though they may
be
>long!), and try to help me figure out what else I might need to do to get
my
>baby here...
> It starts on Thursday - the MGB passed state inspection and is
>road-legal for the first time since 1984! I decide to drive out to my
>grandparents to test the tuning of the car. Top down, the whole way, and I
>love it! The car needs some slight tuning (richen the mix a bit) and I
head
>to get gas. After filling up amidst stares and smiles, I'm in line to pay
>and the attendant says to me "Hey, is that your MG leaking gas?" Yes, it
>is! The top of the tank is apparently rusted, and I overfilled the
>tank...After the attendant helps to clean up the gas and we determine that
>no more will leak out, he tells me about his '60 MGA that he's had for 20
>years - you meet MG owners in the oddest places! I drive off and he waves
>and smiles...So, after an e-mail to George at Classic Restorations, I learn
>that a gas tank will be at my door by 10:30 the next day for an install.
> Friday dawns well - the UPS person wakes me at 10 with the new tank and
>I start into the job right away. Upon dropping the old tank, I meet one of
>the famed "Cats of Abingdon" - or what is left of it! A black mass of fur
>and bones drops from the panel between the tank and the trunk floor...Who
>knows what it was! The top of the tank was thin, rusty metal, but the
trunk
>floor was surprisingly unrusted. I prepped both with black gloss paint and
>was on my way again. This time, I decided to add some cardboard to cover
>the oil cooler and part of the radiator - which helped the car's
temperament
>considerably. I also advanced the timing a touch until the car ran
>beautifully. I also found that with the top up (at night - didn't want
>frost on the INSIDE of the car) and the defrosters on, I get some pretty
>good heat. The 'B did very well at night, and was more comfortable than I
>thought possible...Even though I had to duck under the top header to see
the
>traffic lights!
> Saturday dawned as a beautiful day. Since I was to be leaving on
Sunday
>morning, I was determined to put the 'B through the paces to see how she'd
>do - after all, I wanted any problems to show up now, rather than somewhere
>on the trip where I could do nothing about them! The top went down, and I
>headed out for some fun - I had to get plenty of miles on the car so I
could
>calculate the estimated gas mileage - and I was loving it! As Jimmy
Buffett
>would say, "It's a ragtop day", as I passed a 'B on the road (top down), a
>TR-4 with the top down, and came across a 'B on the side of the road near
>the county fairgrounds. Stopping to see if he needed help (he didn't; he
>was putting the top up), I found a very, uhhh, interesting car. It was a
>'68 'B, painted in the pink raspberry metallic color of some new Chevy
>products. It had some kind of steel panasport rims from the '60s that were
>painted off-white and, worst of all, WIDE WHITEWALLS! Gross, to say the
>least. But, the owner said he fixed it up for his girlfriend and she
didn't
>like it so it was for sale. I think about $4500 or so, I was too upset at
>seeing the wide whites on racing wheels to think straight!
> As a generalization, it's amazing to watch pre-pubescent boys have an
>orgasm when your car blows away mom's SUV. I love the attention - I even
>got a wave from a guy driving a topless BMW! I have some observations of
>the car that others might or might not have - The gas and brake are so
close
>together, I found myself heel and toeing without even trying. My car
>doesn't have much juice at low RPMs, but once I get them up to about 3500
or
>so, it takes off. I wonder if it's cammed? My gears seem odd too - first
>and second are really close, but there's a noticeable drop from two to
>three. And no, it's not equipped with OD. I had the car up to about 84
mph
>('74 MGB roadster) and it still had great road manners! Might have had it
>up higher, but I was coming to a hill - anyone else with a similar top
speed
>in a stock 'B?
> So, into Thursday night, the car performed flawlessly. I had about 100
>miles on half a tank of gas, and the day was great. I couldn't help but
>thinking about how good life is and how the problems melt away when I'm in
>that car (Girlfriend? What girlfriend?) and I was simply enjoying some of
>the finest top-down motoring amidst the changing PA leaves. I was on my
way
>home when I spotted a little, mostly unused garage near my house, with two
>MGB's out front! One red roadster, and one primered GT. I stopped to
chat,
>and the one guy showed me his project - a '70 roadster that he's prepping
>for a BOP 215. The engine was just rebuilt and looked beautiful! The car
>was being chopped to fit the engine in, and was undergoing the typical rust
>repairs. Then the dream ended.
> I hopped into the car, and as it has traditionally done, didn't start
on
>the first try - the starter relay just clicked. Then, another click. And
>another. So, figuring that the starter was jammed, I put the car into gear
>and rocked it, still to no avail. After the shop boys came out and rapped
>on the starter, we still had nothing and tried a push start. No luck.
They
>pulled out a battery and tried a jump with no luck, then checked with a
>multimeter and could find nothing funny. So they jacked up the car and I
>crawled underneath to clean the connections. Still nothing, so I called my
>dad and he towed me the three miles with a tow chain and our Blazer. I was
>visibly upset, since I had to drive the sled back to school.
> As a recap, the key would turn, the battery was good, but the starter
>relay would only click once. The mechanics and I diagnosed it as a bad
>starter. And, after 24 years, that original Lucas thing deserves to
retire.
>But, a new starter is in my dad's hands - lifetime warranty, no less. I
>have to go home this weekend for a 50th wedding anniversary and will give
it
>one more shot. If there's still problems, I try again at Thanksgiving.
> I have a few questions about the car's problems at the garage though.
>1. When push starting the car, it wouldn't start. We tried to start it in
>fourth gear, in a space of about 30 feet. The speedo never got about 10
>mph. Should I be surprised it didn't start?
>2. When push starting the car, after releasing the clutch, the rear end
>made some pretty ugly clunking sounds. The rear has been flawless up until
>then, with no swarf in the fluid when I changed it and no whining at any
>speed. Is this noise the washers that Moss recommends replacing, or should
>I worry? Did I break something? Is this normal? What should I watch for?
>3. As I was removing the starter leads that are bolted on, I managed to
>touch the wrench to the body of the car, creating an arc-welder. The
wrench
>was closing the short for less than a half of a minute while I grabbed an
>insulated hammer to knock it out of there. (Then I disconnected the
>battery. After the fact, dumb@$$ that I am.) Here's my question: what
did
>I fry? The radio and lights still work. Did I fry the alternator (the
>idiot light didn't come on, but the car wasn't started either). Did I fry
>the starter relay? What about my electronic ignition module? Keep in mind
>that the key was off when this fiasco took place. Anything else I might
>have ruined that should be replaced?
> Thanks for your help. I never realized what a sled my S-10 was until
I
>climbed into it after a weekend of driving the MGB. I'll never own a truck
>again. I was trying to think up a suitable name for the MGB and have to
>decide between two that really strike me - "Little Miss Magic" after the
>Jimmy Buffett ballad, or "South City Midnight Lady" after the Doobie
>Brothers song. Hopefully, I'll have time to contemplate the whole thing on
>the long drive from PA to NC on Monday! Thanks to any and all who read
this
>long and can offer advice!
>
>Michael S. Lishego
>http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/3706/
>
>
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