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Repairs/Planning....your ideas, please!

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M

MtnMGB

Freshman Member
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Hello everyone!

I just bought a '79 B, site unseen, and drove it home from San Francisco to Idaho! Paint and body look great! 80k miles, runs good. Interior excellent. The car sat in a garage for most of the last two years, driven less than 400 miles in that time.

Yeah for the car, bad timing for me--record rainfall in SF and snow on every mountain pass!!

The car ran pretty well, with a couple of exceptions:

1) Failed to start one night (in SF) while parked at a store. Played with the wires to the fuel pump and she started and ran fine from then on. (The flow at the fuel filter still looks a little low to me...should it be full?)

2) On the way home, some accessory electrical circuits died. Found a couple loose fuse connections in the fuse block and got these back up with minor effort. Remember too, everything was VERY wet.

3) The exhause came apart just after the catalytic converter, lost all the nuts...lucky for me I brought bailing wire!

4) The windshield leaked like a sieve!! Actually, it appeared to be coming in under the windscreen bracket. Did I mention that is was VERY wet?!?

5) Noticed a nice pool of oil under the car after she parked in my garage for a couple of days.

6) Overall, the engine seems to run fine, but there isn't a ton of power and I experienced some uneasiness while cruising at constant speed. She idles smooth, albeit a tad fast and accelerates smoothly, just coughs a bit when your foot is barely on the throttle.

7) Brakes are a mess! At low speed, one front locks up easily. At higher speed, she pulls to the right when you hit 'em. And, if you haven't touched them in an hour or more, the first pump goes pretty much to the floor!

Call me crazy, but I still love this car!

Obviously I have many things to look into. This is where I'm seeking your advice and experiences! Please lend me your suggestions and think of it as, this is what I would do first, then, etc. Foremost, I want this to be a solid running car. And, if I can improve the performance some along the way, that would be great!

I'm planning on starting with the brakes so she is, at least, safer to drive. Could this be bad pads and tons of air in the lines or do you think I have a more serious problem? I'll be digging into this on Saturday...

Thanks, in advance, for all your input!!


P.S. 1979 MGB, 4 speed, w/ cat, single Zenith carb
 
if there is air in the brake line they should feal spongey. and you may need to replace the master cylinder. your carb may be set too lean or even need a rebuild(not as hard as it sounds take a weekend that your not doing much and a table somewhere and start taking your carb apart. after you get a kit!!) id replace all the sills around the windshield you may need to get someone to help you with this. and unplug the wires going into the fuse box and clean all the conections and sauder them on or just plug them back in. that should start you off.
 
check to see where the oil is comeing from(engine, tranny, etc.) and do the same to the wires to the fuel pump as you do to the fuse box. just make sure your battery is unhooked. I forgot everthing you said in your original message so I had to check back with it to answer what i could.
 
Thanks for the replies, Adam!

I am thinking about taking off the cat.

As for the brake master cylinder, how do I tell if it is bad? I'm going to check the pads and try to bleed the system this weekend. What else should I look for here?

It looks like the master cylinder can be rebuilt, and I think I saw a kit at Moss. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I've done a lot of repair work on American cars and motorcycles of all makes, but the LBC is new to me....can't wait to dive in--should be fun.
 
when you push the brake and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. that means you have a problem with your master cylinder. I'm not sure but the MC repar kit should just replace all the gaskets and some moving parts. I'm not sure if this will fix it but its alot cheeper than buying a new MC.
 
I looked in my book and this is everything it says about pulling to one side: Drive at 30mph. brake car gently to a halt. does car pull to one side?(worn pads or shoes) in second gear at about 30mph accelerate hard then decelerate hard, don't brake.if car veers left or right the rear axle is loose or the springs are faulty.(new axle u bolts or new rear springs) you may need some new discs or drums and dont forget to check the bearings and see if they need replace mnt and pack them.
 
On the brakes, if the pedal ONLY goes down after driving some distance, as opposed to stoplight to stoplight I would look at disc run-out. If the discs are not true, the excentricity could be moving the pads back over distance requiring that extra pump. On my B a similar occurance proved to be the MC, except my pedal required an extra pump EVERY time. As far as the lack of power- get used to it. Late model MG's were smogged out of performance. Easiest solution is to find a spare motor and build it to 1969 specifications! Bob

[ 04-16-2003: Message edited by: Bob Claffie ]</p>
 
MTNMGB,
when you go to bleed your system if you open a bleed screw and pump your brakes you should get a steady stream of fluid.If this is not the case you may have a bad master cylinder.They can be rebuilt fairly easily if it is in good shape. If the bore is badly pitted or rusted then a new one is the way to go.
Good Luck with your car,
Warren
canpatriot.gif
 
Aloha MtnMGB,

Regarding the brakes, if the car has been sitting for several years, I would bet the brake fluid is older than the 4 years it was laid up. Brake fluid is hydroscopic and collects water over time, therefore it should be periodically changed (about every 3 years) if it is DOT 3 or 4. Check the brake pads and shoes to see if they need to be replaced. The rubber flex hoses in the brake hydraulic lines should be replaced for peace of mind. Check to see if the pistons in disc calipers and the pistons in the rear wheel cylinders are not frozen.

Adams advice in cleaning all electrical connections is a good one. Do all of them throughout the car.

Clean or replace all filters in the fuel system. You probably got a tank of antique gas with the car. A thorough cleaning of the carbs or a rebuild, new spark plug, points and condensor should improve the engine.

Find out where the oil leak is and repair. I would also recommend changing the oil in the engine, gearbox and rear end and oil filter.

Good luck with the car, if you got from San Francisco to Idaho it sound like a basically sound car.

Safety Fast,
Dave
 
Dear Sun Valley, It is truly a pleasure to hear a new guy excited about his/her LBC. The truth is; If it made it the distance and through that terrain... You have a good vehicle to start with. There are few MGs that I would take where you went.
Brake master cylinders: often you will not only have to pump them up when they have not been used even within a few minutes but, they will go down slowly when depressed and held. Rebuilding is not a tough project...just must be done correctly( follow the book &/or the instructions with the kit).
 
It sounds like a typical MGB to me...welcome, congrats and good luck!!! I think you have enought to do this weekend based on the prior replies...so dig in and have fun!
cheers.gif

I would definately get on that brake problem first though...it ain't no fun at all when they go out completly and you use the 3 ton SUV in front of you to stop yourself.
blush.gif


Bruce

[ 04-17-2003: Message edited by: Bruce74B ]</p>
 
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