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Here's a slightly worrying thought. Imagine running into the back of another Midget at night. BANG! crumple his fuel tank and it splashes fuel all over the front of your car. Since the halogen lenses are smashed, there is great potential for sparks. WHOOOOOF!! The point is that Midget wiring looms (on UK cars, at least) do not have any form of fuse on them for the headlights. The sidelights are fused (red wires on the fusebox) but the main(blue+white)/dipped(blue+red) are unfused. Pre 77(-ish) looms also run thinner wiring to the headlamps which are less capable of handling the... MORE
Flat plate like a fuel pump blanking plate but a large bore stub comes off it at 90 degrees. This connects to a large bore rubbery pipe that acts to collect and drain the oil that runs through the turbo bearings. It is a downwards drain that catches the hot oil from the bearings and dumps it straight into the sump. Uses a standard fuel pump gasket. I used one of these vented to the air via a nasty cheap filter. Changed it later for a breather canister from a Rover 2300 which looks identical to the ones used... MORE
I agree. Alternatively the 1300 BL Marina or 1300 BL Ital uses effectively the same engine as the Spridget. There are a number of issues with these engines - you have to 'rob' the Spridget engine of the front and back plates and use a Spridget flywheel (which needs to be modified to fit the Marina/Ital crank). Also some of the oil plumbing is slightly different... Regards James Bilsland Charing UK "James Bilsland" 1320... MORE
Mike Sounds like your piston rings are shot... 2 breathers should be sufficient assuming that the pipes are of a sufficiently large diameter (say over 3/4"). If you are using smaller pipe then you might require 3 breathers Don't plumb breathers in to the inlet if your CR is significantly higher than standard as the oil mist can be detremental to the octane rating of the fuel and detonation can result. You can plumb into the exhaust if you like (there is an illustration in the Vizard book) but you should be alright just using a catch tank (although... MORE
Turbo drain is a nice sized bolt-on-to-the-fuel-pump-hole kinda fitting. Mini gearbox and Rover 2300 (O-series?) have breathers that come out at 90 degrees. Rover one will fit directly to the fuel blank hole (but seals badly - make/weld an adapter plate?) but might interfere with the underside of the manifolds. Wanna JPEG? Can't see any justification for limiting the breather sizes/numbers at all. More, the merrier? Have seen some nice conversions on Keith Briggs' Minis with the top cut off a canister breather, the insides scooped out (oily and rusty) and replaced with plasticy wool. The top is then... MORE
Hi listers Need a bit of CADCAM ref oil breathers etc. Running hot 1380 with a front timing cover breather and Rocker cover breather. Neither are vacuumed via the inlet. I an effort to control the pint a mile oil loss from the rear main we are also fitting a PETER MAY new modern oil seal to the rear main. So the trick fix is the breather from the old Petrol Pump blank on the block. This will give me three breathers. While none of them are plumed in we are thinking of a catch tank. SO a couple... MORE
Paul Remove all the hubs (front and rear) and clean the grease/oil out of the bearings with degreaser. When they are spotless try spinning the hubs on the bearings - you will be able to tell if any of them are damaged because the bearing will make a racket and it will not spin as freely as the undamaged ones. You will also probably be able to see any damage to the bearing... Regards James B "James Bilsland" 1150... MORE
Stop an A series leaking oil? Are you on drugs? Seriously, assuming you are using a new cork gasket and it is correctly positioned, if you are still getting leakage from the rocker (valve) cover then it may be because some one has over- enthusiastically tightened down the cover in the past and bent it. This means that when you tighten the cover down the nuts 'bottom out' on the rocker post nuts and you can't get the proper clamping effect on the rocker cover gasket. You could try bending the rocker cover back although its probably better to... MORE
Anybody have any suggestions on what kind of valve cover gasket to use on a 1275 engine that actually keeps the oil where it belongs instead of leaking in several spots? DSutteiii@... 1069... MORE
Rob Carrier assy ATA 7032 fitted to AH Sprite 1 & 2 to H-AN7-24731 MG to G-AN2-16183. These have the oil filler plug. Cars after these IDs use Carrier Assy BTA 549 for fitting in axle case with filler plug. While the whole carrier assemblies are interchangeable between axle cases the individual CW&P sets are not. I have a list of suitable CW&P sets and there donor vehicles if required Graham 8robsog@... 875... MORE
Hi everyone, I was able to use advice from the list and George Merryweather at Classic Restorations to lower the idle from 4500 down to 2500. Evidently the choke linkage was to tight on the choke cable so was always pulled(the cable probably needs to be replaced or at least lubed, as is hard to actuate) so I completely disconnected it. Now I believe it to be just a synch problem, what do you think? Plus need to adjust mixture still, have experimented but I think I need to go over the manual on that still. It was not... MORE
When I was trying to sort out a short in my heater fan, I used jumper cables from the battery to the fan, that way I didn't have to worry about the gauge of wire that I was using. John Poynton 79 Midget "Yellow Fever" teachjp@... 808... MORE
Isn't it an OIL nipple on the later racks? Came with a bolt as standard and you added a nipple yourself? Saved a few pennies for poor ol' BMC. "rob thomas" 811... MORE
goodday everybody i have 68sprite and i can`t figer this out on level ground driver side (lhd) rear is inch/inch & half lower than other side no broken spings everything look good, car runs straight.also not sure if i have an early/late rack&pinion not sure if its in need of lube, cant seem to locate filler.one more speedo cable, just replace cable ran fine for about 50miles than started to wigle than nothing. thanks stephen tjepkema 783... MORE
I got the coil that the ignitor suggested. A friend of mine thought it might be the starter that it might of went. I turn the key and the only thing that happens is that the fuel pump turns on and the radio and lights. But nothing happens with the motor. Thanks Jason Gross 1971 Midget "Jason Gross" 747... MORE
The coil was the one that was suggested to go with the ignitor. A friend of mine thought it might have been the starter were it turn and then died and would not turn over or even do anything when you turned the key. It will turn the on the fuel pump and the light and radio. Thanks Jason Gross 1971 Midget "Jason Gross" 746... MORE
Got photos of the 8-inch rear and 9 inch front brakes for the spridget, if anyone is in an 'anorak' mood. 9-inch front JUST fits inside an early (frogeye etc) wheel rim. Need to find an A35/Frog stubaxle etc to trial fit it. Anyone near Cardiff? Rear brakes are already on a spare Midget casing, ready to swop over on my '72 when I change the axle to get a lower diff ratio. Not so messy to change the entire axle and less chance of getting oil leaks. "rob thomas" 728... MORE
Hi Guy, OK thanks for all this advice, it now seems that the concensus is coming down "in favour" of tappets / rockers being the problem. It is now interesting to note that the noise is most noticible at 2000rpm. Nothing at all above and lesser below, and on down to idle. It was suggested by James I believe that this sort of symptom was indicitive of tappets rather than Cam followers. I'll try your techniques over this week-end and see what results I get. I had the revs up to 4000rpm today, wow steady on there! and it... MORE
To narrow the source of the noise down, take the rocker cover off, fire (sorry, start) the engine up and place a LONG screwdriver (or length of copper central heating pipe - or as mentioned before, a sawn down broom handle)on the center of the rocker and the other end at your ear. (I use a screwdriver and place the handle on the bone just in front of my ear - for the pedants on line; No, I don't peel the skin and flesh back first!) You will hear all sorts of noises so listen and learn from each... MORE
James, Ok I'll change the oil then and replace with the correct grade. Cheers Paul paul@... 688... MORE
James, many thanks for your comments, they are really interesting. The oil pressure is particularly interesting, I have recently added a thickener, and now my oil pressure shows 95psi on start up but goes down to a more reasonable 65-70 psi once warm. Before the addition it used to hover around 60 - 70. I've spoken to Oselli they make the same comments as you about the rockers, so I'll try to look at that as well. Many thanks for your thoughts. I'll try to post once I've sorted it. Regards Paul paul@... 684... MORE
have just acquired a nice old correct looking fuelguage for the Sprite, It' s likely that the sender is not working. How do I know which type of sender to put in the tank, I note all sorts of comments re guages reading in reve rse. Or reading ful. This last I guess is because the voltage range coming back to the guage is way too high. There are 2 senders I'm aware of 1 is =A348 The other is =A318. Big differe nce what is it.? How do I know which goes with the guage taht I have.... MORE
Check your fuel pumps, some have filters built in. Ken "Ken O Beirne" 661... MORE
I could be wrong (particularly in respect of US cars) but I don't think that a fuel filter is a standard fitment on an A series Spridget. Best place for an in line filter is between the fuel tank and the fuel pump (which is of course 'conveniently placed' under the car next to the right hand rear shock absorber...) Regards James Bilsland Charing UK "James Bilsland" 650... MORE
Hi from Canada. Two years ago I purchased a 75 Midget (49,000 miles), someone had swapped out the original alternator along with the MG Midget pulley. It squealed loudly when the belt was correctly tightened, but to hear one self in the car, the belt was so loose that it discharged / and the car over heated.. I could buy a new Lucas alternator ... but none came with the pulley. The solution I came up with was to install an alternator from a 1976 General Motors Truck (60 Amps, typically works flawlessly for a decade, inexpensive at $50.00... MORE
