Spring is coming - trying to sort the Midget

[JPSmit]

So,
here at Chez Smit the weather is finally approaching bearable. it is -5 today and double digits later this week. Not exactly driving weather but at least I can get in the garage.

Yesterday I took the drivers seat out so that I can replace the dash lights with LED - will let you know how it goes. Interestingly, I could not get the drivers seat to go far enough forward to expose the bolts. Finally realized that there was a fold of the seat upholstry that was binding on the runner - sheesh.

Anyways, none of that has to do with my questions so, here goes:

1. The car is a 1976 MG Midget California Car. This means it has (had) all the pollution gubbins (now removed)

2. It is the 1500 Spitfire engine and came with electronic ignition from the factory.

3. In 2011 I was at the anniversary for the beginning of the production of square body Midgets. Here I met Jeff Schlemmer
( www.advanceddistributors.com/ ). Jeff told me that due to the pollution stuff, my car had Vacuum retard instead of Vacuum advance. As such he recommended that I disconnect and plug the vacuum hose since it wasn't doing anything anyways. I did.

4. Car runs fine and strong.

However.

5. 2-3 years ago it wasn't running right so I took it to my (old school) mechanic. He figued out that the distributer was loose - tightened it and set the timing. Again all good.

6. Now when the car has been sitting for a while (2 weeks) it is very hard to start. Part of this I know is the mechanical fuel pump and the time it takes to get to the carb. (BTW I run an HS4 MGB carb which has been rebuilt properly) BUT, when the car starts to fire - and even when it catches for the first few minutes I have to feather the gas pedal as the car coughs and sputters. Regularly it will quit with a bit of a wheeze in the intake. It also doesn't always sound like it is catching on all cylinders. Once it catches all is good and it starts instantly every time. Likewise if I go use it any time in the following week, all is good.

7. So, I feel like there is a timing issue where the plugs are firing a bit early. would this make sense? To this mind if the car is cold and the plugs fire early they would hinder the rotation of the engine. Once the car is warm and all is turning, momentum makes this a none issue. Does that make sense?

8. I haven't put a timing light on the car because I want to understand before I start changing things. Also, with the engine turning clockwise I presume turning the dizzy clockwise advances the timing?

9. Oh and wild card the vacuum 'bell' on the distributer is loose - would this impact anything?

thanks all for your wisdom.

 

[Bayless]

Sorry I can't help you a lot J.P. my Sprite has a 1275 with twin HS2s. That said, your "cough and sputter" does not sound like timing to me. General experience suggests lean mixture. Have you checked that the choke is functioning properly? If you had a points distributor, I might also think about adjusting them. It could be a weak electronic but I don't know much about that either. As for rotation direction, I don't think you can determine it from the crank rotation. Check the plug wires against the firing order. That should tell you which way it goes. If that is confusing, take the cap off and watch while Mrs JP cranks the starter for you.

 

[JPSmit]

Thanks - hadn't thought so much about mixture - but, easy to pull the plugs and chack - thanks for this!

 

[JPSmit]

So,
here at Chez Smit the weather is finally approaching bearable. it is -5 today and double digits later this week. Not exactly driving weather but at least I can get in the garage.

Well the bad news is that the car has clearly shrunk. It can't have anything at all to do with being old stiff and fat.

Got the seat out, realized I had to take the steering wheel off as well (didn't have to do that the last time) - didn't help that my shoulder is out of sorts. At any rate, got my head under the dash - and noted that I didn't have the tools. I needed - and then couldn't figure out how to get out. All I could think was that if I had brought my phone I could have texted Mrs JP to come and help me. Then I realized that I would probably be better off dying than living with the merciless mocking that I would have to endure at her hands. . Then of course I started to giggle so it got even worse.

Finally figured it out - got a method (put the moving blanket over the door sill as well as on the floor) Got the bulbs replaced and everything seems to work. Ironically the reason I was changing to LED was to see the dash better - because I'm old! sheesh. Old enough to need it (almost) too old to do it.

On to the rest of the list - which includes plugging various bolt & screw holes that I never really noticed before.

 

[NutmegCT]

Gotta enjoy the Golden Years!

 

[Jim_Gruber]

So,
here at Chez Smit the weather is finally approaching bearable. it is -5 today and double digits later this week. Not exactly driving weather but at least I can get in the garage.

Yesterday I took the drivers seat out so that I can replace the dash lights with LED - will let you know how it goes. Interestingly, I could not get the drivers seat to go far enough forward to expose the bolts. Finally realized that there was a fold of the seat upholstry that was binding on the runner - sheesh.

Anyways, none of that has to do with my questions so, here goes:

1. The car is a 1976 MG Midget California Car. This means it has (had) all the pollution gubbins (now removed)

2. It is the 1500 Spitfire engine and came with electronic ignition from the factory.

3. In 2011 I was at the anniversary for the beginning of the production of square body Midgets. Here I met Jeff Schlemmer
( www.advanceddistributors.com/ ). Jeff told me that due to the pollution stuff, my car had Vacuum retard instead of Vacuum advance. As such he recommended that I disconnect and plug the vacuum hose since it wasn't doing anything anyways. I did.

4. Car runs fine and strong.

However.

5. 2-3 years ago it wasn't running right so I took it to my (old school) mechanic. He figued out that the distributer was loose - tightened it and set the timing. Again all good.

6. Now when the car has been sitting for a while (2 weeks) it is very hard to start. Part of this I know is the mechanical fuel pump and the time it takes to get to the carb. (BTW I run an HS4 MGB carb which has been rebuilt properly) BUT, when the car starts to fire - and even when it catches for the first few minutes I have to feather the gas pedal as the car coughs and sputters. Regularly it will quit with a bit of a wheeze in the intake. It also doesn't always sound like it is catching on all cylinders. Once it catches all is good and it starts instantly every time. Likewise if I go use it any time in the following week, all is good.

7. So, I feel like there is a timing issue where the plugs are firing a bit early. would this make sense? To this mind if the car is cold and the plugs fire early they would hinder the rotation of the engine. Once the car is warm and all is turning, momentum makes this a none issue. Does that make sense?

8. I haven't put a timing light on the car because I want to understand before I start changing things. Also, with the engine turning clockwise I presume turning the dizzy clockwise advances the timing?

9. Oh and wild card the vacuum 'bell' on the distributer is loose - would this impact anything?

thanks all for your wisdom.

JP, haven't been on here in a while and I hope all is still well with you. Bugsy still in my garage but not getting hardly any drive time with Summer Temps from May to October in the 90's+ Daily. That and I've become addicted to that habit that begins with M. No not that vice, the MX-5 habit. I'm on my second MX-5, an '08 Copper Red, 6 Speed. A fabulous car that keeps up with traffic and most importantly has a fabulous Air Conditioner for those 6 Months Plus of Summer.


RE. the hard to get started issue I was having with Bugsy for years and years if not driven on a regular basis. I've had regular replacements of Condensers as they seem to fail or not even work. Finally after condenser failed out of the box for the 3rd time I gave up and switched to a Pertronix Electronic Ignition. Now after sitting for weeks. turn the key, hear SU Pump click, click, click for a few seconds, pull choke on, pull starter and Bugsy starts instantly. I thought issue was carb related but now more than ever convinced it was weak spark all along. Try it, might make driving easier. Take Care!!!