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View Full Version : The MG's back.... with more problems!!


Ricky
11th September 2003, 01:12
Hi all, hasnt it been a while!!

After leaving the MG standing up for a good 5/6 months, it was the final demise of the other love of my life and the coincidental sourcing of another R series engine (from an HLS) that finally turned my attention back to the Maestro. The new engine's in, but I was just wondering if anyone can help on thses points:

1) I had a choice to use the close raton box of the MG or to use the far better condition box of the HLS, which I went for due to the need for relaxed cruising (the MG always seemed to be racing). However, the gear selection seems to have gone beserk, all shifting along to the left so that I have no reverse and first and second that I have to unlock (push down)! How do I get them all back where they should be? Will I need to get the whole linkage setup from the HLS so that everything runs smoothly? The linkages were far better in the HLS too, come to think of it....!!!

2) When we started it up today and it actually fired it was a relief, albeit very roughly. It then transpired that in my over-enthusiastic rebuild of the carbs, I had broken one of the vacuum adaptors in the carb which on the one hand allows air into the carb where it is not supposed to go, and secondly I can't set them up properly! Would this be a good reason for it not behaving quite as it should as concerns running roughly (it was blowing back up through the barrel in question quite a lot and popping on de-celeration, though we havent set the timing accurately or properly fitted the exhaust yet!!)

3) A purely cosmetic question, should I fit some Knight Rider lights to it in the airway in the front bumper? I'm undecided if this is a good idea or if it is infinitely tacky, I have a sneaking suspicion it is the latter!!

Thanks for any help, I can assure you it is needed!!

Ricky.

SimonR
11th September 2003, 07:56
Sounds like you've been having fun!

Can't be of much help except to say that if the HLS gearbox linkage is in better condition you should use it anyway and it may well sort out the gear selection problem. Maybe compare the two and see if there's any difference.

Re. the Knight Rider lights I think they fit farely and squarely into the tacky category, along with LEDs on washer jets and gold alloys. That's my opinion. It would only be permissable if you could dramatically increase the vocabulary of your voice synthesis unit and reprogram it with some sort of cognitive reasoning!

e692wtt
11th September 2003, 08:21
I think you'd find the Knight Rider lights are illegal anyway, you can't have red lights facing forward on a road-legal vehicle. Assuming you get caught using them... if you don't get caught you won't get done!:laugh:

Ricky
12th September 2003, 01:50
I know they are tacky, but I could argue that fitting them to few other cars would be more appropriate, for example the mark 2 astra I see going round here with them on the front, and they've got the LED washers too! I have no current plans to stoop that low, although my mum wants some for her CRX (!!)

Come to think of it, the linkages were far better on the HLS and it actually made the box a joy to use. The slipping clutch and the three cylinder engine however counterbalanced this and made it hard work to drive the car back from alton to my house, a good 40 mile route.....

Still it should be all said and done next week, its finding the time to do these things and having a full time job does seem to eat up a lot of time!

Thanks again for your help, i'm sure you believe me when i say its well needed!!

Ricky.