Thanks to the suggestions of several helpful listers, at least some of my
problems have been solved.
Now, the car is getting juice at the points, as evidenced by the sparking
when I open and close them with a screwdriver. I took pains to make sure
they are gapped at a nice, middle of the road .015". However, I'm still not
getting the car to fire up.
It cranks just fine and the dizzy cap is clean with neither cracks nor
blemishes. The coil is also new. The spark plugs are new Autolites gapped at
.025, and I replaced the wires with the premium Autolite wires from Advance
Auto parts.
Since I was solo tonite, I have to assume that the plugs are getting juice.
That means the problem is probably that of fuel delivery, but the engine
smells like its getting fuel.
When all this started happening, I was tuning the carbs. They are still in a
tuning state, with the jet and throttle interconnects loosened and the choke
disconnected. The SU tuning book instructs to have the throttles opened to 1
and a half turns from when the screws first make contact and the jets
lowered about 1 and 1 half turns from the jets being level with the bridge
of the carbs. My experience shows that this produces a very rich mixture and
3000 rpm idle.
Since the book instructs that all this be done at normal operating
temperature, is it possible that the carbs are giving more gas than the
engine can use right now? What sort of carb adjustments should I try now? If
lack of spark at the plugs is the issue, what's the next step there?
Thanks for your time, patience, and help. You all have been a wonderful
resource for me during a trying time.
-William Killeffer
1974 MGB that may see a hint of light at the end of the tunnel
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