John..........
The compression sounds OK for a 90K-mile engine. The leak on the left of the
engine is almost certainly from the side covers. The heat from the catalytic
converter bakes the gaskets and the rubber O-rings under the bolt heads,
making for leaks at both places. Replacing them is best done with the
manifold off and out of the way.
Hard starting? Almost certainly a problem with the automatic choke in the
Z-S. Fix or replace with a Weber? Depends how rich you are. Rebuilding the
Z-S costs about $275, a Weber kit plus an exhaust manifold (or header) and
installation will set you back about $600 (new parts) or $350 (used).
Opinions are mixed on the real benefits of the Weber DGV - some folks love
them, others find them to be less satisfactory.
Lawrie
British Sportscar Center
-----Original Message-----
From: John R. Boehmke <mtbills@mcn.net>
To: mgs@autox.team.net <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Saturday, October 02, 1999 6:17 PM
>I recently purchased my first MG, a 1977 MGB. The body is good, but the
>engine may need a little work. It starts hard when it's cold (choke?), has
>a pretty good oil leak on the left side, has 120-130psi compression, and
>has 92,000 miles on it. Does it sound like a rebuild is in order? Could the
>oil leak be from the side covers, or the head gasket? (It's not from the
>valve cover) Would a Weber downdraft be a preferable carb to the stock Z-S?
>As you can tell, I'm full of questions about my MG, so any help would be
>appreciated. I love the way it drives and I'm looking forward to many fun
>miles.
>
>John
>
>77MGB
>
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