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Re: MG Midget

To: budman@generation.net
Subject: Re: MG Midget
From: Roland Dudley <cobra@scs.agilent.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 13:05:06 -0700 (PDT)
Hmmm, sounds like you may have more than one problem.  My experience
with vacuum leaks is that they cause rough running, not missing.  Or
perhaps you mean a "dead" spot during acceleration?  If it's a miss, I'm
inclined to think it's ignition related.  I would check the plugs, the
points, the condenser, thye coil and the spark plug wires.  For the plug
wires, put the car in a dark or shaded area- like the garage, and look
for arcing between the wires and anything.  Check around the coil too.
I've had the insulator on the end of a coil break down and arc.

You could aslo have a bad distributor cap or rotor.

Have you checked you plugs to see if they look oily?  How about the
coolant.  Any oil in the radiator?  You might also have a seal that only
leaks when the car is driven.

For locating vacuum leaks have you tried the propane trick?  Spay
propane gas around the intake and listen for an increase in engine
speed.

I'll let someone else comment on the SU, since I have little experience
with them.  But it sounds like somenthing may be binding.

Roland


> Hello,
> 
>     I own a 1972 MG Midget. It has crane ignition and the dual HSU
> carburetors. The carbs were taken apart, oiled, cleaned, put back
> together and synchronized. However, the rear carb has a slow piston and
> is rising slower than the front one.
> 
>     The car also seems to have a skip (or a miss). Does anyone have an
> idea why this might be happening? It almost seems like a vacuum leak,
> but I have been unsuccessful in finding any.
> 
>     Another problem that is puzzling is I am losing a lot of oil. My car
> loses 2 quarts between fill ups. The engine compression is 140 for the
> front and rear cylinder, and 120 for the middle two. There are no oil
> spots on the ground, and the car is not burning oil (compression is
> good). Any ideas / suggestions as to what would be causing this oil loss
> would be appreciated.
> 
> 
> Thanks for the help.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Mark
> budman@generation.net

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