>Okay,
>my dad's mechanic finally got to look at the little B:
>verdict:
>they don't know how to work on MGs.
>The car does not start.
>Starter motor goes, but the engine does not.
>I AM AFRAID!!!!!
>I have never had massive engine failures on my cars before, so I am
>about to enter the club... any advice from those of you who have?
>
>What I need now is either the name for a reputable mechanic in Phoenix,
>or some pointers on diagnosis.
>Please tell me what to look for.
>I will begin to pray..
>Well, everyone has always said "get an MG with a good body, running gear
>is secondary"
>The body is in wonderful shape......
>
>Thanks,
>Mike Jose
Mike,
If it won't even turn over by hand (or wrench), after the symptoms and
events you described, you probably should tear it all apart and rebuild it,
perhaps not a valve job but at least new bearings and rings. Most engines
do not recover from being run hot until they quit on their own. Very hard
on bearings, especially.
If the idea of a rebuild is hard to take right now, you can always get a
used engine, swap it in, and rebuild the other one at leisure (or not, as
some people end up doing). Of course this all has a cost, and you have my
sympathy, and my hope that it is not what I think it might be. Let the list
know if it will turn over by hand. (And your dad's mechanic should be at
least able to tell you if the engine is seized or not, even if he -or she-
has never seen a B before).
Nevin
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