Auto electrician hyperthetical question

rodg.sue, Aug 16, 11:59pm
So bout 8 months ago i was on here asking for info on my 1962 mg midget, ended up taking it to 2 dif mechanics and a home handy man and have come to the conclusion tjat its not a mechanical fault its a electrical problem.The symptoms are starts ok eventually after 50 turns drives and idles ok but then as your driving along she cuts out completly and stops to a halt!Last time we broke down on the side of the road a mechanic stopped by to help and he straight away said its electrical, ive spent so much money on trying to get her going and dont want to keep adding to the bills so wondered if anybody might have suggestions where to start apart obivously from a auto.
electrican.Any suggestions would be much appreciated
thejazzpianoma, Aug 17, 12:10am
Crikey, it can't be that hard to solve. There isn't much to those at all. The hard starting may be a clue as in my experience those engines actually start really well if in good shape.

I could jump in with ideas but it might be better to fill us in on what you have tried first. Also, while it may well be electrical those old mechanical fuel pumps are known to give that sort of trouble too. Very similar issue with a friends Morris Minor that was rectified with an electric fuel pump, makes starting super quick too. Worth considering an upgrade in that department anyway.

So yip, perhaps a quick list of whats been done and we can go from there. Also. your local MG club may be happy to help, may well be a retired expert who would love to come and tinker at it with you for the fun of it.
rodg.sue, Aug 17, 12:29am
Thankyou for answering so quickly, fuel pump has been replaced as has coil by first mechanic second one thenr eplaced needle valve,new kit into carburator,adjusted idle,tested and replaced rotor, tehn mechanic after all that has stated seems to have an electrical fault! 248.00 later.Teh next one gave her a tune up and unceased the brakes and she drove fine from his place to home and then died on way back to town.
pnh4, Aug 17, 12:29am
Conventional wiring is better stripped right out & redone, I don't why guys muck around adding old loom parts & bits to such. Maybe I should re-list my simplified wiring schematics/diagrams.
jmma, Aug 17, 12:38am
Ballast resister playing up!
Is it the right coil fitted,
rodg.sue, Aug 17, 12:44am
Sorry but am merefemale what is a ballast resister! And assume its the correct coil as per guy who fitted it
mrfxit, Aug 17, 12:47am
Coil
Ballast resister needed or not & condition
Wiring condition
Points
condensor
Ignition switch
Fuel pump
coil lead
Carb partly blocked
timing
In tank fuel hose blocked
Fuel Tank breather blocked

Thats about the full list
jmma, Aug 17, 12:52am
Never assume (o:
Can you see the coil (round silver cyl thingy with wires coming out of it ) If so, what numbers etc are on it.
jmma, Aug 17, 12:54am
rodg.sue, Aug 17, 1:03am
Thats what itlooks like but its blackand old o e was orange.
rodg.sue, Aug 17, 1:03am
Sorry bout typing but on ipad
jmma, Aug 17, 1:19am
Doesn't sound like a new one, may be a good place to start then (o:
rodg.sue, Aug 17, 1:22am
Well i saw it before it was put in and it was in new box and straight off bnt shelf, cos i saw it as hubby got it prior to being fitted
jmma, Aug 17, 1:29am
Was that the coil!Up a thread or two you said it looked black and old!
Was the ballast res. replaced!
pnh4, Aug 17, 1:33am
Oil in the dizzy bearings instead of grease! as the engine revs the oil flicks up under the points plate un-earthing them.
clark20, Aug 17, 4:54am
I have a 72 Midget. I would start at the fuse box (old glass type) and make sure they are working and connected properly , I changed mine to blade fuses.
thewomble1, Aug 17, 4:59am
A lose fuse. I had a mini (long time ago now) and it would come to grinding halt every now and then. Turned out to be a fuse.ended up soldering a piece of fuse wire across the terminals.
supernova2, Aug 17, 7:35am
I'd try bypassing all the wiring by running direct from the bat to the coil.also from coil to dizzy.Have you still got the elec fuel pump if so a bypass wire for that too.If that sorts your problem then you need to get a new wiring loom made up or get a good autosparky on the job.Lucas coils were mostly silver (ali)and it sounds like your new one might be a Bosch as they are black.Make of coil makes no difference as long as its the correct unit.Bosch should be (I think) a SU12 or GT40.If it's got an R on the end of the number is a resister coil.Doubt a 62 midget had a ballest resister BUt your new coil might be a ballast coil in which case it wont work without the resister.
If your problem is still there after bypassing the existing wiring then its either inside the dizzy ( points, rotor, condenser, wires, cap etc) or its a mechanical problem like no fuel.When it stops pull the fuel line from the carb.If fuel squirts out I dont think you have a fuel problem .Do you know anyone with a mini if so borrow their dizzy - that will eliminate that problem too.
supernova2, Aug 17, 7:36am
that square box is the ballest resistor.
granada, Aug 17, 10:51pm
Just throw a new set of leads, dizzy cap, rotor, points and condenser and a set of plugs at it. Also replace the earth lead on the distributoir base plate. If it needs it or not it will more thank you with extra performance and reliability and more than likely solve your problems.
sparkyz, Aug 18, 3:12am
62 MG has a standard 12volt coil, so wont have a ballast resistor.
Take it to an auto electrician. Invercargill has a few with older tradesmen that will have worked on these in their younger days.
Some English cars had issues with the ignition connections behind the Lucas fuseboxes.
carclan, Aug 18, 3:45am
Check or substitute the ignition coil as it maybe over heating. you could also try by passing the ignition switch to see if the the fault is in that circuit.
supernova2, Aug 18, 6:43am
I just went through a similar issue with a Austin A55.Its a B seriers engine whereas yours is an A series.Anyway this thing hadn't been running for over 8 yrs.Cranked but very low spark.Stripped and cleaned dizzy.Reassembled with no new parts, gapped the very old plugs, set the timing and its running like a swiss watch on bypassed wiring as origional loom has lost its cloth insulation.I reckon your car will be pretty much the same.It just needs a bit of TLC from someone who understands a 50 year old car.BMC used exactly the same systems right through to the 80s at least so there has to be an older tradesman around who can sort it with their eyes closed and pretty quickly too I would think.In most cases the big flash workshop with all the modern electronic cars is not the place you need.