At last! My free time and good weather coincided. So I went out and started the MGB for the first time this year. It started nicely. I let it run while I washed it, about 15 minutes. Then I decided to take it for a spin. I made it 2/3 mile, when it died at the stop sign. After trying to restart it, I let it sit for five minutes. It restarted and I headed home. I almost made it into the driveway. It started to not fire on all cylinders about 40 feet from the top of the hill, clawed itself to the top with one cylinder firing, and then died as I turned into the driveway. I pushed it to its parking place.
When I got out, a neighbour stopped by to say hello. We’d met a few months ago, and it turns out he used to be a British car mechanic. I told him the symptoms and he said, ‘Bad gas.’ We chatted a while about this’n’that, and then I restarted the car. It was idling slowly. He told me to hit the gas to see if it popped. I revved it, and it did indeed backfire and gave a puff of black smoke. I repeated the experiment a few times, and then shut it down. ‘Yep. Bad gas.’ It happens when a car’s been sitting too long.’
He said I should put a can of gas stabilizer in the tank. He mentioned a name, but I can’t remember it. The only brand I can think of at the moment is STA-BIL. The tank is full (I refueled before I parked it) so he told me to pour the stuff in, let it run for about 15 minutes, and drive back and forth in the driveway while it’s running to help mix it. He said that should clear it right up.
Modern gasoline just does not last like the stuff from when your car was new. I have never tried Sta-bil on gas that already has issues, but I do know it will help keep gas from going funky.
At this point I consider it like chicken soup for a cold. It can’t hurt, and might help.
Thanks, Rick. I’ll try the stuff. I’d hate to have to siphon out ten gallons of Premium it I don’t have to. Next year I’ll use the additive before I park it for the Winter.
In case anyone is wondering, the fuel tank was thoroughly cleaned and then coated inside and out with some sort of fuel tank dope that will keep the tank ‘new’ for longer than I’ll ever last.
Siphon? What is this siphon you speak of?
dude, you have an electric fuel pump. go buy about 6 feet of rubber hose, and connect it to the fuel line in the engine compartment. Turn on the key and watch the fuel tank empty.
Who needs a stinkin’ neighbor when you have Rick? Rick is the one person on the board who I listen to with total confidence when he’s talking about his subject.
For the non-car people (like me) here’s an MGB. Purdy. I somehow imagine seeing you driving that wearing an ascot and smoking a pipe.
It sounds like bad gas to me. Same thing happens to me with the lawnmower every year if I don’t run it dry the previous year. Fuel stabilizer should work.
put some stablizer (amount for 5 gal.) into a 5 gal. can fill the can with the bad gas, it will mix as it fills. add stabilzer to the gas tank (amount for remainder), agitate the auto. top off tank with good gas. when tank is empty fill 3/4 with good gas and top off with bad gas. alternately give or sell the bad gas to someone with an old beater.
I never use my '63 Triumph Herald 1200 convertible anymore, since the MG is faster, mechanically better (it’s virtually new), better looking, and more fun. (I dig the tail fins on the Triumph, though.) I’m hoping that my neighbour will help me get it started. I’ve told him that if he finds a buyer for it I’ll split anything over $3,500 with him.
Careful doing it. I know some electric fuel-pumps will be ruined if/when they are run without fuel (ie fuel acts as a ‘coolant’ for pump). I have no idea if this particular car would be affected, or length of time it takes for pump to be ruined. Just wanting to alert as to the possibility, not the probability, of such happening in this case. Seems just as easy to pop hose off and let gravity do the work to remove that possible risk - ymmv
That more applies for in-tank pumps that are running a fuel injected engine. This car’s got an external electric fuel pump that just runs gas to the carburetor. It’s probably not a good idea to run it dry all day, but just running it 'till you’ve drained most of the gas out of the tank shouldn’t be a problem.
just some info… gasoline (petrol) goes “sour” when it sits “idle” for a long time. I do not know the chemical process, but i do know that if I use “old” gasoline in my motorsaw it will not spark to life. the smell is the indicator, you can learn to notice the smell of new gasoline and old gasoline.
Since you are in Washington you should be aware that the tank of gas that you last filled up with almost certainly had 10% added ethanol. This dramatically decreases the shelf life of the gas and the ethanol will scavenge moisture.
You may have sucked up some ethanol/water blend from the bottom of the tank. Might need to change the fuel filter and it wouldn’t hurt to pump some gas into a clear container to see if it has water in it.
You don’t drive or start your MG during the winter?
Cretin.
I am afflicted with over a dozen such vehicles and manage to start them at least once a week, even if I don’t take one out.
Sta-Bil is your friend, but it’s not retro-active. Keep an eye/ear on the fuel pump as it may be the source of your intermittent problem. It’s an easy replacement should it be the culprit.
