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MGA MGA no power

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Sopwith_Camel

Sopwith_Camel

Jedi Knight
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well I got the MGA 1500, running, the engine is smooth. but it stalls as soon as its, off the drive way. I do have an up hill which might be part of it.

steve
 
it might be im not good a hill starts and brakes are not grabbing so im slideing backwards while im trying to move forward. but with the clutch all the way out it dies. I bought the car last november not running. so this is my first attempt to drive it
 
Are you experienced at driving a manual shift? It sounds as if maybe you're just not giving it enough throttle and/or letting the clutch out too quick. These cars don't exactly have gobs of torque so, on an uphill start you'll need to give it a bit more gas and slip the clutch a little more to get going.

If you aren't a newbie at a manual shift, please ignore me ;)
 
ive been driving manual shift since 1986.
the left rear break drum was full of brake fluid, so thats it was so hard to hold it on the hill. still going through the brakes. then i will try again.
 
ok back on track. still not making power. i reversd up the hill but im crwaling at a walking pace in the forward gears.

steve
 
does it rev freely in neutral?
 
yes, there is no slack in the cable. it running very smooth and the engine is very stedy.
I am haveing an issue of, after reving, its not returing to idle. the later carbs(mgb) have a lifter that helps me tune the carbs.
 
So when it quits, it is bogging down? or starving?

Armchair quarterback here but a couple of thoughts. First of all you have air and spark which is great.

1. Is it a fuel flow issue? I could imagine that when you start up the hill something sloshes over the hose end or a filter. Is it possible to eliminate the fuel tank completely and run it from a gas can?

2. Is it a clutch issue? This could be it grabbing or not fully releasing. I think most of us take our foot off the gas when we shift meaning the idle is at its lowest - hence it is easier to stall. Could you try a jackrabbit start and see what happens?

3. (wildcard) I had a similar issue with the Midget (working from memory here) It would start and rev but it would not run. Turns out the intake manifold was a bit lose (my fault) and while the car started, as it warmed up the manifold would expland away from the block letting in more air and it would stop running. They way I found out was I accidently covered the carb intake and it suddenly ran way better.

Keep us posted - you should be close.
 
ok good things to consider. I bought the car in November not running, so alot of trying to sort out what the previous owner did.
I will try again tomorrow if it stops raining.
 
ok best test so far.
untill it warmed up there was no response to the gas pedal.
i could slowly build up speed with it. it struggled going up hill. it did die with one back fire and i coasted and got it restarted.
it reminds me of my MGBgt when it had an obstruction in the fuel line.
 
Last edited:
Sopwith_Camel said:
ok best test so far.
untill it warmed up there was no response to the gas pedal.
i could slowly build up speed with it. it struggled going up hill. it did die with one back fire and i coasted and got it restarted.
it reminds me of my MGBgt when it had an obstruction in the fuel line.
Click to expand...
progress! Fuel feed does seem a culprit. Is there a fuel filter that is clogged? In the meantime, what happens when you cold start it - can you rev it at the carb? (thereby eliminating the throttle linkage as a possible issue)

cheers
 
new filter new gas lines from the tank to the carbs.
yes i can rev it from pulling the cable. but its not under load.
 
Sopwith_Camel said:
could it be the new fuel filter is restricting the flow?
Click to expand...
could be - easy enough to clamp in a little piece of pipe to try it without the filter. Stupid question but it is installed in the correct direction?
 
Thanks - did it also stall at 14 seconds? or just at the end of the video.

what colour are your plugs?
 
she stalled when i pulled on the choke.
i blew compressed air though the line for the vacuum advance and that is clear.
i think i need to pull the air filters off and try to balance it with the gauge
 
Sopwith_Camel said:
she stalled when i pulled on the choke.
i blew compressed air though the line for the vacuum advance and that is clear.
i think i need to pull the air filters off and try to balance it with the gauge
Click to expand...
do you know anything about the car before you got it? was it running or is it a stalled project? While it is worth checking carbs don't typically fall out of balance.

If the choke made it stall and choke makes it richer I wonder if you are running it too rich? sooty plugs would indictate this.
 
it was not running when i bought it. he was having electrical issues. and I have put in an optical dizzy and that seems to be set correctly.

im welding in seat belts today so i can safely test drive it.
 
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