Hello all,
Well, I said I'd be back when I had problems, and here I am...
On Wednesday, I went out to my car and drove it to school, to the
store, and back to my dorm room (1974 MGB). I parked the car and
went inside. Thursday morning, the car would turn over but wouldn't
start. As a matter of fact, it didn't even TRY to start. It was
cold and rainy, but I did a cursory check of connections and fuses
anyway - no problems there.
I went out today to see what was going on. I checked my electronic
ignition by pulling the plugs one by one and watching for a spark.
All were fine. I checked my rotor and cap, and they looked OK too.
Once again, the two center plugs were slightly rich, while the
cylinders 1 & 4 were normal to lean looking.
While I was cranking the engine, I noticed that a burst of air and
fuel would blow out of each spark plug hole except #1. Thinking
that this might be the problem, I checked for fuel at the carbs -
the fuel pump was still doing it's job. I beat on the body of carb
#1 to see of the needle valves were stuck, but nothing happened so I
beat on #2 for good measure, with no luck.
I thought my valves could be out of adjustment, even though I
checked them about a month ago. They all looked OK too.
So, what would cause my car to run well one day, then not start the
next morning? Could it be the temperature extreme?
My next step is to tune the carbs from square one. I haven't messed
with them in a few months, so they shouldn't be the problem. If
that won't work, I'm going to have to get my parents to rent a tow
dolly to tow my car home when they come down to watch me graduate.
trust me, I could think of nothing more insulting, although the
thought of getting a newer car has run across my mind...Talk me out
of it!
Michael S. Lishego
http://www.mgb.bc.ca/virtualgarage/
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