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MG TD TF 1500 - can't start car

I just got a 51 td,
and went to go drive it today.
Well, i didn't have the key all the way on
and started pulling the starter and killed the battery.
So, I get a new battery, and in the process of putting it back on the battery bracket hit's the fuse box. But no damage that I can tell, just some sparks. Now, the car drove great yesterday.
Finish putting battery on, and car starts up great.
Pull out of my drive way and head off. Try to go to second and the car start jerking and backfiring till i get to third then smooths out. Turn around to head home and does this the hole way home, till my drive way when it just dies. try to start it back and nothing. take battery off and it is fine. starter spins freely w/ my fingers but not on its own, the ,
lights work, but the car just won't start.
did i kill my starter? my generator? my distruibutor?
or is it something else. thanks for any help
scott
Scott

Scott,

Does the starter turn the motor over when you pull the switch? Your message is a bit confusing -- is the main problem that the engine won't turn over or that it won't run. You said you had just gotten the car. If it hasn't been driven for a while, the fuel system could be clogged somewhere. I had to clean detritus from my carbs several times during the my car's first year back on the road -- stuff from the fuel tank kept finding its way to plug the carb. A new fuel filter took care of that one.

Have you also gone through the ignition system? Parts could be worn there. Also, sometimes the bushing in the distributor fails to seal, which bathes the points/rotor/cap in oil -- could be another possible source of your poor running.

Good luck,

another Scott
Scott McCoy

hey
thanks for the ideas, but
the starter does not turn over at all when i pull the switch. No hums like it is trying to turn, just sits there. But I can spin it w/ my fingers so it isn't jamed against the flywheel like the book said.
But I did look in the dist. and there was oil on two of the points in the cap. So that could be another problem too.
thanks
scott
Scott

Have you tried putting a test light on the starter to determine whether it is getting power when you pull the switch?
David

Scott,

Sounds like you may have a number of issues. First, it does sound like your starter is toast. All it takes is one burned coil in the starter, and it won't work (may spin when out of the car on the bench with power to it, but dies under load - happened to me). Try using the crank to start it. Yes, it works. And, yes, it takes some work. But you should be able to start the car if the starter is a problem.

You should check to see whether power is getting to the starter at all also. Have a friend pull the starter switch while you use a tester between the post from the starter switch to the starter and the body. You should have juice. If not, the switch may be burned (ps. make sure the starter switch is connected to the NEGATIVE post of the battery).

As far as running rough, sputtering and dying. Could be a number of problems - carb trouble, fuel pump, electrical (distributor, timing, coil, points, etc.). This problem is not related to the starter, since, after the car starts, the starter is disengaged. The trouble sounds more electrical than fuel related.

At any rate, sounds like you have some fun ahead of you. What better way to learn about the car than to trace these troubles?

Good luck.

Larry Thompson
'51TD
Larry Thompson

A likely scenario:

The battery was put in with the polarity reversed, hence the poor running. Replacing the battery and shorting it out caused one of the cable connections to go south or the battery connections were never secure. To test for the latter, turn on the headlights and see if they operate, then try the starter. If the lights go out when you hit the starter, you either have a bad connection or a bad battery.
George B.

Scott- the above are all dead on great advice- gotta be one of the above. If you fly me, wife and kids out there and put us up for a few days I will gladly check it out for you! George
George Butz

hey,
well, the car won't start, lights work, fuel pump clicks, just nothing will turn over, havn't tried starting it manually. Ordered a new starter, will see how that goes. But, pretty sure I had the battery on right, positive side on drivers side, and neg on pass, going into starter.
scott
Scott

Scott,
This would be just silly but....
"So, I get a new battery"
Poss & neg termanals on same side as old battery?
I came very close to making that mistake when I newely purchased my TF...knowing these cars were poss ground...I only noticed at the last possible second mine had been changed over to a neg. ground system at some point in her life!
As the newest member of our little club here somebody has given Scott all our information and explained the rules of this BBS haven't they? Oh ...good...glad to hear that...all of us look forward to getting our plane tickets in December and meeting at your house for the winter!
Cheers,
David #A1
David Sheward

thank you all for your comments,
but I won't be needing you all to fly to hawaii.
I took the starter and starter switch off and had them tested. The cable from the starter to the starter switch was on wrong, and not getting power to the starter. Car started right up. As for the bad missing, the distributor was full of oil, so about 20 cue tips later, that problem was temporaily fixed too.
thanks again for all you comments
scott
Scott

Scott - Your next project is to replace the distributor bushings. They are worn, allowing oil to come up the drive shaft and fill the distributor bowl. This problem will not go away on it's own and will cause you problems untill it is corrected. All the bits and pieces are available from Moss or Abingdon to replace the bushings and rebuild the distributor.

You might poke around a bit, there used to be an active MG club in Honolulu. Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 08/08/2002 and 13/08/2002

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