MGB Fixed a miss!

Our '74 MGB GT had an intermittent miss on a 2+ hour drive to The Gathering in Dobson, NC. It missed all weekend, and still had the miss on the 1 & 1/2 hour drive home. Figured I would have to either do a tune-up or have an expert do it for me. Did replace the NGK plugs with a new set, still missing. Took off the distributor cap to check the points - they looked okay and seemed to be gapped about right. Put the cap back on but didn't drive it for a couple of days. Got a friend to agree to check it out. Drove it the day before and it ran like a fine watch. Next day drove it 40+ miles to friend's house, not a miss all the way there. He thinks the gap may be a couple of thousandths too wide, but 40+ miles back home with not a miss. Apparently all I had to do was threaten the car with an expert! D'oh! layful:

:lol:

Just as the ache goes away mysteriously, the day of the doctor's appointment.

Yep, we have had a bunch of cars that cured themselves on the way to the mechanic!

I have to tell you my story, although it's not automotive.

Waaaaaay back around 1970, when I was in college, I built a color TV from a kit for my parents. When I first turned it on, the screen wouldn't light up. I checked everything as well as I could, and all seemed in order, but still the %#$@!! thing wouldn't work.

Finally, I figured that I needed an oscilloscope to go further with it. I checked one out from the electronics labs at school, took it home, set it up on the workbench, turned on the TV to warm it up (vacuum tubes in those days!), and the screen lit up! The thing worked perfectly from then on.

Rational technogeek that I am, I still think the thing saw me coming with the oscilloscope, recognized that the game was up, and just gave in and started doing its job. Probably cars do the same thing.

I'll agree, Steve. Grew up with that stuff. One incident, Mother had a Walkman that suddenly konked out. The Ol' Fella and I did a vivisection on it on the kitchen table but found nothing suspicious. Ohm'd out the off/on pot, checked that the drive belt and mechanicals were all in place, all good. Reassembled it and turned it on to find it worked fine... Mom asks: "What did you do to fix it?" "No clue. It just decided it shouldn't go on strike any more."

Lots of other parallel tales with similar mysterious "spontaneous healing" from coffee makers to cars. Weirdness. I've blamed much of it on neutrino bombardment. :smirk:

My (late) mothers cure for fixing the TV - a flat palm smack against he side of the set. Worked every time.

pdplot said:

My (late) mothers cure for fixing the TV - a flat palm smack against he side of the set. Worked every time.

Click to expand...

Funnily enough that was my mother's cure for fixing me too - worked every time.

Dang! I thought my mother was unusual - guess not.