Hi all,
Just an update. Today I managed to get the A in tune and running very
nicely. However I did encounter a problem. Before I started tuning the carbs
the car would get to around 5000rpm and misfire, it had always done this..
As I said a couple of days ago, there was also an intermittant electrical
fault. You could start the car, run it forever, but once it got hot and you
switched it off, it refused to restart. Well I set about tuning the carbs,
but for the life of me I couldn't get the car to run smoothly, misfiring all
over the place and some serious flat spots. I then tried retarding the
ignition to std spec of 7 degrees, still no luck. Well, I was worried that
the coil was cactus, so I swapped it for my old one from the B which was
operating ok last time it was in that car. The one in the A, looks like it
was the original, 40 yrs old! No kidding. Orig. stickers etc. Well if it
lasted that long, it had a pretty good trot, so no flames @ Lucas! <G>.
After I installed the 'new' coil it went beautifully, what a transition! I
had the carbs in tune, plugs the right colour etc in just a few minutes. I
can't believe the difference changing the coil made. It will now rev cleanly
to 5500rpm without a hiccup and there's much more power available. I've also
been able to advance the ignition significantly, with no pinging. To around
18 degrees, I'll see how this goes anyway. No wonder the spark I had was
weak, this thing was on it's last legs. So anyway, if you experience similar
problems, flat spots, misfires etc and everything else is ok and to spec,
maybe take a look at the coil. I was getting all the right volts etc (per
Pauls email) but on the go the thing wasn't performing.
Tomorrow I will change the rocker cover gasket for these nitrile ones I
bought - heaven - so much less hassle, you contact adhesive them to the
cover and never need to change them. Also an oil & filter change, lube etc
and hopefully I'll get a couple of hundred miles of reliable motoring before
something else breaks.. <G>
Gotta love these MG's, nothing like the sound of an MGA at 5500.. <G> I had
almost forgotten why I like these things so much! :)
Ciao,
Neil.
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