Michael Macleod wrote:
> I'm puzzled by the lack of faith in the "MG's in Winter" queries.
>Although I may be looking throught the rose coloured glasses of time, I ran
>my MGA through 7 winters while at University. One winter without a rag
>top. (I'll post the srory sometime) The car let me down only on the very
>coldest days -40 (C or F, it doesn't matter). The rest of the time it was
>just fine. In those days I ran with a "rebuilt" 12 Volt rattling around in
>the trunk. Student funds being what they weren't :-), that was all I could
>afford. I did however have a new starter motor and was always setting the
>timing. (That may have been the only thing I had learned to do.)
>
I'm puzzled too. In many ways the MG is a superior car. The dual six volt
battery system gives the car enormous cranking power, necessary for temps
below zero. As mentioned earlier, handling is excellent under adverse
conditions. And when the car fails to start, its easy to troubleshoot and fix.
And if you run your battery down, push starting is a viable option. Park on
a hill pointing downhill and you've got it made (usually).
However all bets are off if temps fall below -20 F.
Of course my car is garaged waiting for clutch repairs since I now have the
luxury of owning other cars. When the car was a daily driver though, it was
never off the road more than a few days, even during the engine overhaul.
But tomorrow I wouldn't drive it anyway. When I head to work it will be
about -35F with a high expected in the -15F range.
(I think that is still in the -20 to -30C range also).
David Councill
dcouncil@imt.net
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