Just got a 78' MGB and I know nothing about cars.

Hello all, I am new to the site and actually I just bought my first car. Its a pretty red 78' MGB. I am having some problems, and after browsing this forum I notice the MG has some bugs here and their. But anyway....The day I was looking at it, it started up fine the guy I bought it off of said it needed some brake work and that was it everything else he replaced and fixed up already, he told me that the past 3 years its just sit out back and no one ever drove it. It has 55,000 miles on it and I am the 3rd owner it has seen. Well I still need to get tags, plate, and all that other good stuff you have to do to drive it on the road. But I went to the beach and came back a week later, and I figure it be a good time to start it back up. Well when I tried it wouldn't start. I played with the choke and flooded it acouple times probably, but it didnt give. Well a few days after that I had a buddy come over who had much more experience than I. He looked and said I should replace the wires, plugs(even though they took like they just came out of the box, he said the guy may have put them in wrong or something), I distributer cap( sorry for the spelling, but the cap is tape in place), and the rotary thing that goes with the cap. Well he fooled around with the car for a good 20 minutes and it started right up,(now the entire time he said it was missing, and after I put the new gas in it, its still missing) he left and I took it down to the gas station to put some plus in it. Sounded like at the time thats all it needed. I started it back up and parked it, well the next day I went to the car and try to start it up and I am getting nothing, it kicked once but I was to late to put some gas to it to start it up. Now everytime I am trying to start it, sounds like it slowly not wanting to start. (Now I have no knowledge of cars so I just wanted to throw it out their if it could be the starter.)

I hope this helps out,

Noah

Sounds like charging the battery fully might be a good place to start.

My guess would a bad battery or a drain on the battery while car is sitting. Could also have timing issues with distributor in described condition. I would suggest that you get one of the service manuals and start going thru the systems one at a time. There is also an excellent book available for troubleshooting known problem areas with MGB and has a section for all major systems. This is without a doubt the best book investment I have made.
I have modest mechanical ability and could only justify having this type toy if I could learn to work on it myself. The various manuals available and the experience of persons on this website have been a tremendous help when I needed it. The manual is by Roger Williams and is an AUTO*Doc publication. Can pick one up from major parts suppliers, Amazon and Ebay.
Welcome aboard. Post some pictures when you can.

C:\Documents and Settings\The Dude\My Documents\My Pictures

Couple more pics

Here in a moment Ill go take some pictures of the engine.

Noah!!
Your car looks great.
Boy!!! Are you in for the MG experience of your life. You think that you know little about cars, but you will learn exponentionally. You will have to. Go out and purchase the suggested books our members recommend, and purchase a decent set of mechanics tools. Sears, Home Depot. etc, always have great deals on good size starter sets. You will save the cost of the books and tools, in one trip to the shop.
Good luck and welcome aboard.
David

Welcome Noah! The car looks nice. As for being a complete novice, the MGB is probably about the easiest car to learn on. Most things are pretty simple, there is a ton of information out there on them, and parts are cheap and available. I got my first MG in the spring, and I have learned a massive amount in the past few months. Its been a blast.

But you should get some books. The bentley workshop manual is a good one, but there are others - do a search on books on this forum.

You also should invest in a set of pozidriv screwdrivers. Most of those cross head screws on your car are not philips, but are pozi. Using a philips on them will eat them up.

Good luck
Rich

Noah, looks like you did good. You've come to the right place to learn about these cars. Welcome.

Noah, welcome. Besides the above mentioned books, here is a dandy step-by-step checklist. This will lead you through the various systems in the B and is a great initiation. Cruise around the "Library and Search" features of this site.


http://www.theautoist.com/awakening_a_sleeping_b.htm

Looks nice. Don't panic! :)

Noah, it looks like you have a good find there. You'll pick up the ins and outs of MG ownership pretty quickly(you have too), and there a plenty of useful skills you’ll learn (some of which may make you unfit to walk alongside “normal” people ;-) ). The members of this site are a great resource, USE IT! Welcome to the club!

BTW I know how you feel, my first car was my B and I had a lot less to start with:

Hi Noah,
I just bought an MGB also and know nothing about them. The guy I bought it from said all it needed was brake work. Turns out brake work meant brake fluid. They work fine now. He also gave me a book called "The completer official MGB workshop manual". Now that i'm having other problems with the MG it has been a life saver. You can order them from Victoria British. For your year it's about $40. You can go to www.victoriabritish.com and get one their parts catalogs for free. If anything it will help you price things you need.
I was also offered a bunk in the nurse's office when i joined this website, you might want to see if they have any more. Nice car though it looks great.

Noah
Welcome to the insanity. The forementioned brake problem of no brake fluid, it had to leak somewhere and will again. The most common place is the rear wheel cylinders. Look at the backing plates of each brake assembly. If they are dry and dusty looking look elsewhere for leaks. Typically one will be wet or just darker looking than the other. The system also should be bled every couple of years to get rid of the moisture build up in the fluid that causes corrosion and thus leaks. The master cylinder is the other place to look.
The distributor is probably your other problem. It is the main cause of problems with drivablility. The best thing to do is to take it out and send it to Advanced Distributors. Jeff will fix anything that is out of spec in it very reasonably. http://www.advanceddistributors.com/ Next, adjust the valves properly and do a compression test. If that comes out good, you only will have the carburetor and fuel system to deal with. Good luck.

Noah -

Welcome aboard. Just take your time and get things sorted out. Looks like a super car, and we all want to see what lives under that hood!

I bet it is a weak battery, and may take a little time to get that stale gas burned out.

You might consider changing the fuel filter now, and after you run a few tanks of gas through it.

Super car!

You're going to learn alot about fixing cars owning a MG.

Noah, I knew nothing about cars myself when I started with my MG two years ago, but I'm learning. An engine bay picture will help.

I can tell you that you've come to the right place for help - there are a LOT of experts that REALLY know what they are talking about. This "Borg" will help you get it running!

Welcome, Noah, to the MGB brotherhood! You are in great company here among many very saavy and experienced owners who can help you get the most out of your MGB Experience. An MGB is a great introduction to classic sports cars simply because, well, it is so simple. Not a lot of weird exotic stuff to these cars and plentiful parts and parts support when you need it. For foreign sports cars, that is a huge plus.

Most all of us have learned that we are capable of working on our cars (sometimes with help from this cheering section) and that with a good set of tools and a good shop manual, you can do the work and learn a lot about auto mechanics in the process. And in today's world where so many mechanics don't even know what an MG is, that is another big plus for you.

Your car looks very roadworthy, Noah, and my best wishes for you are to keep this site bookmarked, as I think you will find that the folks here will always be willing to help you get your car running well and encouraging you to have a lot of fun with it in the future.

Noah, car looks great. Just want to encourage you to be patient. Cars need to be driven or they deteriorate if left to sit for a couple of years (esp. older ones). I've owned a couple of 25+ year old cars and usually when you get them they have been sitting for awhile. Just take your time to figure out the problem you have, research how to do the work yourself, give it a shot, and don't be afraid to fail. Then drive the car. Other issues will come up and when they do, just deal with them. This isn't an "MG" thing, it usually happens with any older car that a person has left sitting for a couple of years. I've noticed that it usually takes at least a year of driving before things really get shaken out and you feel like you have a reliable car. I find the process fun and I think a lot of people here do too.

Welcome Noah.
Great looking car. You've certainly come to the right place.
I have been working on my car since January and would probably have run into walls many times were it not for the incredible body of knowledge that resides here.

I don't think I've ever seen another place where such subject matter expertise was also accompanied by civility, comradery and good natured fun.

Step 1: When you can't be working on your car, visit the library on this site and read everything.

Greg.

Welcome, You are I are in the same boat. I have been an MGB owner now for 7 days.
http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,638731
I did change my weekend plans so I could attend the Rocks show tomarrow. I figured it will be a great chance to learn, meet, and spend. I have spent alot of time this week researching and collecting info. I have had my wife call every auto recycle place in 100 miles. Found a couple cars worthwhile. Good luck. Jim

Welcome. You're car looks great. Take all the advice the folks on this board so willingly give and you will be on the road in no time.

Russ

Hey noah is that the b that was for sale up around rt 60 close to the honda shop......looks like a nice one i hear about it but never got a chance to go look at it

Yes it is lol, in the tint shop's parking lot. Asking $4900 for it so I had to get it.

Engine

Buddy noticed this was added to the car said maybe to do with the ignition, and he didnt know what the bottom pic was, he'd never seen a british car.

Distributor cap

Top pic is an electronic ignition - bottom pic is a carb. I do beleive that carbs are not unique to british cars :)

cap and wires do look a bit old think i would replace them along with the rotor button just as a place to start

Is that water staining on the dizzy? Could the heater valve be leaking? Check inside the cap for rotor cap for ANY moisture.

Russ

hmmm I dunno, once the sun comes up Ill go check.