MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGF Technical - Brakes, Ignition Leads, and K&N

I've had the MG just about 5 years from new, and love it. Unfortunately it's an early one and had a few things wrong. Now I can't afford to buy a new one this year, but do need to sort a few things out. I am just looking for advice to decide whether they are worth doing differently from standard Rover.

1) I think the brake discs are on the way out. Had the pads replced recently, but as the disks are getting worn, I would expect the pads will be useless when I get new discs. So, are the EBC brake discs and green stuff pads worth the money. I expected them to be more expensive if they are much better, but appear to be cheaper than MG Rover parts.

2) Do I fit a K&N Induction kit. I suspect this is a rhetorical question, but worth asking. My insurance company say it is a mod, but they are not going to charge me any extra for it. Is it worth it.

3) I have had trouble starting the car in the wet - ie it doesn't. Battery seems OK. As the car is on the original leads (and plugs) I thought a set of new magnecor leads would help. At the moment I have resorted to puting a tupperware lid over the engine vent in the boot when I park to keep out the water. Suggestions.

4) I thought about taking a (longish) trip to Brown and Gammons to get the work done. Any thoughts?

I have sort of asked some of these questions on the General BB, with the intention of doing some of the work myself. But time appears short, the annual service and MOT is looming and I don't really want to be forced to fit Rover parts if for similar price there are better available.

Any help appreciated. Thanks
David

1. if you have 16" or VVC wheels you can go for a bigger disk kit for the front which makes quite a difference along with the greenstuff pads.

2.K&N is a lot of power for the money, I think you can get the 57i kit direct from kinnor for around 60 quid now. +8 BHP for a MPi or +15 BHP for a VVC so yes well worth it. This you can fit yourself because it is so easy even I could do it.

3. Have you tried spraying wd40 or something. Never had the problem (MPi) so no real solutions here.

4. Give B&G a ring and ask them, as far as I know they know what they are doing. They are not always the cheapest but they give good service.

Tony Smith

David

1) I have EBC greenstuff pads front and rear, much better than the standard pads were, I also have MikeSatur 280mm cross drilled front discs and the B&G
groved discs on the rear, braking is far better than
standard - if you need new discs i would certainly go for these over rover items..

2)Yes yes yes - need I say more.

3)I had exactly the same problem with my vvc, problem solved when I bought new spark plugs and HT leads, leads are the ones from B&G.

4) Only bought from them never visited, but they seem
preey good, I've certainly no problems with them

-matt
M66 MAT
matt

David,
Just one comment on the starting. I had the same problem and had plugs and leads replaced but to no avail. Only solved when a shield was added over the coils. It depends which year/model you have as I believe the coils may have been used.
Steve Brough

1. EBC discs will not stop your car any more efficiently than the standard ones. The advantage is in the grooves as it clears pad dust and prevents pad glazing. For this reason do consider having them fitted.

2. Definitely, K&N filter is worth it for the smiles. Power graphs are on http://go.to/mgfgallery --> Technical --> Filters.

3. Which model do you have David- VVC or 1.8i? Shorting of HT leads is a common problem on VVCs of a certain age. Also battery could be on its way out, and sometimes this can be dificult to tell. They're not too expensive, so replace if it is the original- 5 years seems to be the age at which they seem to start failing...

4. B&G are expensive (ish) but ar enthusiasts and I am sure will do a good job.

HTH

Rob
Rob Bell

Don't green stuff pads help keep the alloys clean as well?
Stuart Elliot

EBC green stuff pads are better in nearly all respects than the standard items- they do help stop the car quicker (reminds me, must get those brake tests figured out) and yes, they do help keep the alloys cleaner! Only downer is that the pads don't last quite as long as OE items, but they're not bad- probably good for 20-40k miles depending on useage.

Rob
Rob Bell

Thanks for the comments.

Rob,

>>EBC discs will not stop your car any more efficiently than the standard ones. The advantage is in the grooves as it clears pad dust and prevents pad glazing. For this reason do consider having them fitted

B&G quote £100 a pair for EBC, and my MG dealer quoted £135 for the standard equipment. So if the EBC are only as good as the original equipment it seems worth it. If they are better (cleaner wheels, unglazed pads) then it seems a must buy. Why then do you only say 'consider' having them. What's the downside?

>>. Which model do you have David- VVC or 1.8i? Shorting of HT leads is a common problem on VVCs of a certain age. Also battery could be on its way out, and sometimes this can be dificult to tell. They're not too expensive, so replace if it is the original- 5 years seems to be the age at which they seem to start failing...

I have a 96P VVC. In the first years of ownership I had a few problems with running in the damp. It started, but when you put your foot down it spluttered, seemed to miss a few beats and then carried on. I had the dealer look at it on 2 or 3 occasions and they said they could find no fault. It then seemed reasonably OK for a while until recently when it wont start in the wet, and splutters on accelerating. I presume if this is shorting, then replacing the leads should help.

>>B&G are expensive (ish) but ar enthusiasts and I am sure will do a good job.

Any suggestions for somebody else to do it then? B&G are much cheaper (£20 an hour) than my local MG dealer.


Steve

>>Only solved when a shield was added over the coils. It depends which year/model you have as I believe the coils may have been used.

So is this an MG fix, or your own? As putting a tupperware lid over the vent in the boot seems to help, it seems likely that water ingress is a contributory factor. Can you tell me a bit more.

David
David

>>B&G quote £100 a pair for EBC, and my MG dealer quoted £135 for the standard equipment. So if the EBC are only as good as the original equipment it seems worth it. If they are better (cleaner wheels, unglazed pads) then it seems a must buy. Why then do you only say 'consider' having them. What's the downside?<<

David, are all quotes inclusive of VAT? Personally I can see no reason not to fit EBC discs. I haven't got them fitted at present, so have no personal experience, but I have not heard of any downsides to fitting them. Go for it!

>>It then seemed reasonably OK for a while until recently when it wont start in the wet, and splutters on accelerating. I presume if this is shorting, then replacing the leads should help.<<

Absolutely. This was the solution by a Scottish MG dealer some time ago- apparently the leads insulation can breakdown and short onto a bolt adjacent to the leads. Anything that reduces electrical resistance- like water- only exacerbates this effect.

>>Any suggestions for somebody else to do it then? B&G are much cheaper (£20 an hour) than my local MG dealer.<<

They are certainly far cheaper than your local dealer. As to whether they are cheaper than your local friendly mechanic who'll do the job for a pint of beer is somewhat debatable! LOL

HTH

Rob
Rob Bell

Rob,

>>are all quotes inclusive of VAT?

yes, but I did have finger trouble as the MG dealer price for the disks was £145 not £135. The pads are cheaper also : B&G Greenstuff £40 a set, MG Dealer Standard equip £65 a set.

>>They are certainly far cheaper than your local dealer. As to whether they are cheaper than your local friendly mechanic who'll do the job for a pint of beer is somewhat debatable! LOL

If that's an offer I might even stretch to a pint and a half and hold the socket set. There I go, wishful thinking again.
David

David, with regard to the shield over the coils. It was actually the dealers idea. Its a '96 P plate VVC, and the coils are down at the rear of the engine and centrally positioned. The dealer told me that they thought water was coming in through the vent and dripping down onto the coils. The two coils would then effectively short meaning that ignition was then insufficient to start the car or the car ran very poorly until it dried out.
Before this they said that they had already replaced the plugs and leads to little effect and this seemed to be the solution.
Somebody might be able to confirm or deny this but I believe that on more recent models the coils have been moved.
Steve Brough


>>The dealer told me that they thought water was coming in through the vent and dripping down onto the coils. The two coils would then effectively short meaning that ignition was then insufficient to start the car or the car ran very poorly until it dried out.

this sounds very much like my car. 96P VVC trouble starting and running roughly until warmed up and dried out. Especially as it seems better (ie it starts mostly) when I cover the vent with a tupperware lid when parked. Anybody else know of this mod and where to get it done?
David Mills

This thread was discussed between 07/03/2001 and 08/03/2001

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.