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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Winterize?

Is there anything that i need to do to my 1974 MG midget before winter sets in?
SB Brecklin

check the fluids and make sure ther is enough antifreeze in the cooling system

if you have a 1275 with an oil cooler you might want to wrap it in cardbord to keep the oil from getting to cold

if eventualy you don't get to normal engine working temp you can also cover part of the radiator

the rest of the car should be fine
Onno Könemann

If you plumbed the heater core out of the
circuit (as I do in summer), be sure to
reconnect the core.

chuck
chuckc

thank you. will do.
SB Brecklin

be sure to take the time to check the operation of all the lights and switches (especially the heater switch). Lube all the suspension points. check tire pressures and inflate as necesscary. if the car is going into storage for the winter, ether empty the tank of gasoline and run the engine until it uses up all the fuel in the line or add a fuel stabilizer of somekind. Get a trickle charger for the battery too.
S.A. Jones

I've heard that it's best to top up the fuel tank to reduce the air volume, and thusly the potential for condensation.

I try to follow that procedure, but when we get the rare spell of decent weather during the winter, I usually get the Midget out for a blat. So the tank usually doesn't stay full all winter, but I try to keep it near the top.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

well the problem I guess is one of the length of storage. Over time gas does go bad. It can form a varnish that can make carb float valves stick open, leave red sediment in the float bowls etc. It would actually be better (IMO to go long term without any gas in the fuel system than with a full tank. If you do fill the tank, be sure to use a stabilizer.
S.A. Jones

Hmmm. I thought he was after hints for winter
DRIVING, not winter storage. Sorry bout that.
chuckc

I can already hear the gasp's of horror. I drive my car into it's winter parking spot, turn off the key, and walk away. When the weather turns in the spring I walk back in the shed, turn the key, and drive off. After the car warms up I change oil and do the annual maintenance then enjoy the summer.
Been doing this for many years and have never had any problem.
tomshobby

tomshobby,
I'm with you. the only thing i do is put a trickle charger on the battery. been doing it for about 9 years.
don g

how do i check if there is enough anti-freeze in the radiator?
SB Brecklin

Best is to keep driving it through the winter. Enjoy the great heater!
Glenn Mallory

Glenn, you haven't lived through an upper midwest winter have you?
I suppose many of these were driven all winter even here (Michigan) back in the day but I can't imagine doing that today, not if you want the car around for a while anyway. There's a 2 month stretch where the temps never get above 20 and often hang around single digits, roads are ice packed for weeks straight. I can't imagine trying to survive that with my soft top side curtained Midget. Maybe with a hardtop on one with actual windows.
I park mine, tank full, Stabil in the gas, but I also will take it out any time we get a day or two of relative warmth. I have a float charger on it too. Last year I had it out 2 or 3 times in the dead of winter, top down of course. People rightly assumed I was completely insane.
J Van Dyke

J Van Dyke -
Wuss! and I will admit to moving that way with age - I now grumble because my current Mazda has a wimpish Alabama heater and I can't figure out why.

But I lived through several winters in Pittsburgh with the following as successive only vehicles: 750 Royal Enfield MC; Jaguar XK120M rdst, no top, sidecurtains or heater; 57 AC Bristol Rdst, gettin' decadent, had a hardtop but no sidescreens or heater. Then I fell into moral decay with a ZB Magnette, then a bunch of Rovers.
Best rides of my life were the bike and the Jag in subzero weather on snow, and all three of them at dawn in winter going through Schenley Park (current site of the Pittsburgh Gran Prix), laughing out load, saying "they really should have roadraces here!"

Simple fact is you dress for it - same stuff worn on the bike including helmet, and for long trips fill the cockpit with down sleeping bags - toasty! And driving a sports car in the snow is near to the most legal fun you can have - Monte Carlo here we come!

FRM
FR Millmore

Well you're probably ok with a 74 but I'm having a bit of trouble at present as the snow chains won't fit 165tyres with square arches. Although to be honest the snow is about twice as deep as my ground clearance any how.
Paul MkIMkIV

Actually, I have lived through a couple of Ohio winters with the Midget in the late 1970's. The car always started and the heater was always better than the one in my Volvo 144. I didn't drive the on days when roads were salty or slick (out of respect for the car) but found it to be an exceptional cold weather solution.
Glenn Mallory

This thread was discussed between 04/12/2009 and 25/12/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.