Just got a 77 Midget and have some questions

Hi,
I just bought a 77 Midget, its my first MG, and I just started working on it today, I ordered some manuals off amazon but cant wait to get then so I just wanted to see if anybody else has had these problemd and maybe theres a easy fix, overall there really isnt much wrong with it.
1. oil drips out the dip stick holder when car is running(i cant tell if it dripping out the tip where you stick the dipstick in or where that tube meets the engine)
2.spedo pulsates between 10-20mph and is normal after 30, but i dont think its accurate, cause I think im going faster than that
3. Temp gauge cold is high, and goes higher as it warms up, is there a way to ajust the needle.
4. Fuel gauge, doesnt work

if anybody can point me in the right direction i would apppricate it, or if you had these problems how you worked it out.
Thanks
Shawn

never had the problem myself, at least not yet, but ive heard of others with the oil problem. one of the fixes was to put a felt seal around the dipstick that went missing so the oil couldn't spill out. as for the gauges I have no idea, I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Adam

shawn,

Does it have the stock Zeinth on it? If so, I would check your vent lines from the valve cover, canister, and carb. Oil pushing up the dipstick could be caused by not enough relief from the vent lines. If it has a weber on it, the one vent line from the valve cover to the air cleaner is not enough and you need to put a T in the line and vent it elsewhere.

jay

Welcome to the site and congratulations on your car.
The problems you describe are pretty common.
The Speedo fluctuation is probably caused by the cable shaft turning inside the tube it is wrapped in. If the cable sits for a period of time it gets conformed to bends in the tube. when you start to drive it "flops" so to speak making the speedo jump. It should even out in time. You can help it out by removing the cable from both ends and trying to lubricate it. If it were me, I would run with it for a while and see if it gets better or worse and deal with it accordingly.

The water temp guage needle is not very adjustable. There are 2 types in use. Mechanical and electric. The Mechanical has a long capallary tube that connects the guage to a thermacouple bulb in the engine directly above the water pump and near the thermostat on the right front side of the engine. The electric has a bulb too but there is an electrical connection and a wire that goes into the wiring harness. I have taken the mechanical guage apart but wish I hadn't, it was not easy to get back together and I wasn't satisfied with the results. Ended up replacing it.

The fuel guage could be a number of things, sending unit in the tank, a wiring problem, a ground issue at the tank, or the guage itself. It is a pretty simple system if you know anything about electricity. There is 1 wire that is connected to the sending unit on top of the tank. The sending unit is a rheostat that adjusts the resistance as the tank becomes emptier. This resistance changes the guage on the dashboard. But if the float in the tank has taken on fuel from a hole it will not float and it will show your tank empty all the time regardless how much fuel you have in it. I would start there. But that is only me.

The oil leak from the dip stick can be solved as both the previous entrys suggest. The dipstick is split to make it a friction fit. I expanded mine a little to make it fit tighter and cut a 1/4 inch piece of rubber tubing to slide over the dipstick. I beveled it so that it would make a better seal. These engines can develop chronic leaks due to internal pressure from worn rings and valve seals. That pressure must go somewhere. So venting as J76 suggest should help considerably. Mine leaks a little after I have tried everything. At this point I will just live with it until overhaul time.

I hope this is helpful. Visit this site often. I have gotten some good advice here myself.

Shawn,

Welcome to the Madness! You'll enjoy it.

I would take the gauges out and try cleaning (spraying) the inside of them with WD-40 and some electrical contact cleaner. Then gently blow the inside out with compressed air. Once you have the Temp gauge out, you can probably gently, very gently, bend the needle apparatus back toward cool, or you may be able to rotate the face/body a little.

To remove the gauges, you have to reach behind the dash and remove the finger nuts that hold the metal brackets in place. Then you pull the gauge out the front of the dash. Be careful not to pull the wires off the gauges (untill you label them), I would clean the electrical connections while you've got the gauges out and everything is accessible.

The chrome bezel rings on the fronts of the gauges rotate and then pull off. You'll probably want to replace the rubber gasket in there too.


Good luck!

Bryan

Was this the rusty $700 one on the Charlotte craigslist?

Thanks for the help, I am going to try some of that stuff today, no its not rusty at all, i got it off ebay in march, but then went on deployment and just got out of the navy this week and got to see it for the first time, runs pretty good except for that stuff, i thought there was something really wrong with it when i first got here cause there was a masive leak near the back of the car on both sides and i couldnt tell what kind of fluid it was, turns out that the guy before me had stuffed a bunch of quarts of oil in the truck on the sides and one of them broke and was spilling out so at least that was a easy fix.

Hi Shawn,

I am also ex Navy and bought my 79 Midget not long after getting out several years back.

I am by no means an expert mechanic, but have puttered around with my car and tried to fix minor problems as they arise. The oil leaking out of the dipstick is beyound me, but the suggestions above sound logical. The gauges may actually be a simple fix, I had simular problems at one point, most of my gauges are of the electronic variety and were not working correctly, I ended up replacing the instrument voltage stabalizer which fixed most of my problems. In the 79 it is located under the dash above the glove box, or in the glove box in my case. The part is cheap and can be found at either Moss or VB or some of the smaller distributors.

Good Luck,
Todd

I'm not an expert mechanic, but had a simular problem with the gauges in my 79 Midget not long after I bought it, several years ago.

My gauges were not working correctly, most of my gauges are electronic, I ended up replacing the instrument voltage stabalizer, and they all worked much better. In my 79 the voltage stabalizer is located under the dash in/above the glove box. The part is cheap and can be found at Moss or VB or some of the smaller distributors.

Good Luck,
Todd