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Midget 1500 starts when cold; doesn't when warm

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pankeyg

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My 78 MG Midget doesn't start when warm. It starts when the engine is cold. The gas is fresh. The battery charge is fine. Plugs & wires are good. The engine sounds as if it wants to turn over. I don't believe it is a starter problem. I've had starter problems before on other makes and this current issue doesn't appear to be the same.

Has anyone encountered anything similar?

Thanks.
 
Which kind of choke mechanism is on your carb?

The condition usually indicates a too-rich mixture for some reason.
 
Re: Midget 1500 starts when cold; doesn't when war

ooof.

You may have a dribbling needle/seat. After shutdown the heat "sinks" into carb/fuel/manifold, pressure builds past what the needle can hold, gas dribbles down into the manifold and sets there until you spin it up... then it dumps raw gas into the cylinders.

Not unknown with the Weber downdraught setup.


<span style="font-style: italic">EDIT: I'd R&R the needle 'n seat with a Viton tipped set, and set the float height a millimeter lower to start with.</span>
 
Interesting. Thanks for the prompt replies. I have two further questions.

For the short term, is there something I can do to get the car running?

For the long term, what exactly requires replacing/fixing?
 
Sorry. I missed your last statement. I'm a little distracted at the moment. So replace the needle.

Thanks.
 
Re: Midget 1500 starts when cold; doesn't when war

Your bowl is either overflowing or the float level is too high.


Remove the float and check the needle and the seat first. Garbage could have gotten past your filter and fouled the seat. Clean both throughly and make sure that the the needle has not worn or rotted away.

After that, check your floats. Do they have gas swishing around in them? Do they float when you put them in a bowl of water?
 
Re: Midget 1500 starts when cold; doesn't when war

Morris (or anyone else), do you have the specs / procedure for checking float level? I didn't get a manual with my DGV, so I haven't touched the float at all, but I suppose I should check it.
 
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