Top 10 Tech Tips

Classic British cars have survivied—and thrive still today—only by the generosity of individuals sharing what they’ve learned. It’s the heart of the hobby. The Sales and Tech Support teams at Moss do our best to continue this rich tradition, too.

Below the first Top 10 are many more worthwhile honorable-mention tech tips. No doubt there are thousands more to add. Tell us yours in the comment area at the bottom—see if you can keep with the theme and write yours in 20 words or less.

TOP 10, 20-WORD TECH TIPS
1. If you know HOW it works you can fix it, ‘cuz you’ll know what’s broke. Al Amato

2. If you are having a problem, never assume a system has not been modified by a previous owner or mechanic. Wade Karhan

3. Problem with car: frustration, ale, research forums, purchase parts from Moss, fix car, drive car, smile, enjoy life… Eric Alley

4. Take a moment to think about the most recent things done with the car, no matter how simple. Then evaluate. Kim Wroblewski

5. Many electrical problems can be attributed to bad grounds. Clean your grounding points and protect with a corrosion inhibitor. Jack Collins

6. When removing frozen fasteners DO NOT use force. Soak it in penetrant and work back and forth with increasing torque. Tom Moors

7. Hard starting? Runs rough? No power? 80% of suspected fuel problems are electrical! Check spark then fuel delivery. Chip Krout

8. Replace the points-type ignition in your distributor with Pertronix or Crane electronic ignition. Low cost, more reliable, low maintenance. Alan Hunter

9. Installation is the reverse of removal. Sometimes. Ben Grabow

10. When installing rubber parts that tend to move around use a drop of super glue to locate them. Richard Carr

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Before doing any electrical work—disconnect the battery. Larry Newman

Zinc was removed from modern oil. Flat tappet cars need zinc additive to prevent cam failure. Learned the hard way. Stephen Benelisha

Always make sure your grounds and battery cable ends are clean and your SU dampers are filled with oil. John Perkins

Check oil gauge with tire pressure. Attach gauge line to tire using brass connectors, tubing and a tire inflator chuck. James Kopenhaver

Read manual; do simple things first; isolate if possible; seek help from fellow owners on MGE, and proceed slowly. Norm Nolde

Join a British car club and follow their tech advice. Trust me, don’t go it alone! Matt McKenzie

Read the manual first. Jim Johnson

Before you disassemble verify problem, re-verify problem, take pictures, take more pictures, take notes, take more notes, verify problem again. Jerry Woodward

Connect a relay kit and inline fuse to the headlight system and avoid electrical issues at night. William Luckenbill

When installing a new top, start by letting the vinyl relax in the sun on a warm day. Mike Eldred

Safety: Tie Rod ends with non-split pinned nuts are only for a single tightening—retention is reduced with repetition. Ray Splatt

When it starts great, but then doesn’t want to re-start, make sure you turned off the choke. Scott Hunsucker

MGTD: Jumping the two fuses activates the ignition same as the key. Consider other ways to secure the vehicle. Craig Leonardi

Use serrated washers on all threaded electrical connections, conductive grease (like Kopr-Shield) on push-in connections. Randall Carlson

Clean all threads, always start threaded items BY HAND, never use rusted or damaged bolts. Oil threads. Don’t over-torque. John Wolfe

The issues you face today are directly related to the decisions you made in the past. Stan Tucker

Start with simple things first. Something simple usually creates the biggest headache. When frustrated walk away and come back later. Peter Davies

Prior to charging a battery in a vehicle, always remove the ground cable. Melwyn Stephenson

Check thermostat and waterpump by watching the water in the radiator. The water movement shows open thermostat and pump action. Rudy Guerra

Electric fuel pump lost suction or stuck? Mityvac the steel fuel line under the bonnet to prime. George Blumb

Have your exhaust manifold or header ceramic coated to dramatically reduce heat in your engine and engine bay. Bob Canfield

Going to get your hands greasy? Put Vaseline on your hands first, makes it easer to clean up later. Bob King

Use a can of starter fluid to determine if you have an ignition or fuel problem with a “dead” engine. Russ Seto

Switching to waterless coolant is an overheating salvation. And you’ll have no more corrosion too! No more micro-boiling, cooler engine… Joel Justin

IF you have good oil pressure, add Moly Slip at every oil change and never wear out the engine. David Jessop

If coil is mounted on the wheel well facing down, and you lose power in the heat, check the cap. Carrol Anne Thompson

Battling the Prince of Darkness? Check for fuse box corrosion, bullet connectors, and bad grounds—solves 99% of Lucas gremlins! Julian Dufour

Clean, scrape or file electrical connections, especially grounds to bare shiny metal and coat with a conductive paste before reassembling. John D’Agostino

TC has a leaky fuel sending unit? Lower the gas tank so the unit clears the spare wheel carrier. Peter Roberts

THINK about the problem, the steps to fix it, what the fix will be like. Sleep then reTHINK it. James Maddox

Always check front rotor runout when experiencing a soft brake pedal. Warped MGB rotors do not always cause pulsing brakes. Mark Smith

Oil pressure sender may not be dead; detach, fill with penetrating oil, tap a few times, reinstall, get lucky. Charles Fox

Get a test light and learn how to use it. Digital meters are often confusing and slow to react. Rick Patton

Remove heating system from TR6 and plug all hot water ports (3) including manifold to stop leaks. Mike Kramer

95% of the problems with SU carbs are in the distributor. First confirm correct timing, spark, and distributor wear. Jim Dougherty

If the engine doesn’t start, check your fuel, spark, and compression. It needs all three. Matthew Hux

Confusing electrical operation, dim lights? Check/clean ground connections starting with battery, then harness to body and finally bullet connectors. Jim Mattern

For easy starting, convert to electronic ignition, and always verify that you have the proper voltage powering your ignition coil. Eric Schulte

Proper LBC’s do not misbehave unless they have been subjected to Yankee misuse; regular checkups by trusted mechanic limit misbehavior. Irene Breland

Dealing with electrical issues. Keep it simple. Check the fuses, then all grounds then check power. Can’t emphasize GROUNDS enough! Kevin McConnell

If your car is hard to start or runs badly check the level of the dashpot oil first thing. John Mangles

Use a stainless steel hose clamp to compress the rubber steering coupling on TR-6—helps you align the bolt holes. Jim Crawl

Buy a cheap set of canvas wheel covers that the painters use ($20) to protect wire and whitewall wheels. Bill Beecher

Test radiator for leaks in a kiddie pool with a cut bicycle inner tube attached to radiator hose fittings. Jim Crawl

If your car stops running without sputtering, first check the battery connections, then check the coil wire connections. Paul Sundermier

First do no harm. Don’t mix British parts with US. Save any removed originals so the next owner can restore. Sandy Watt

Running rough? Check coil and distributor wire connections, then rotor and points, plug leads then plugs. Don’t touch carburetors! Bret Dodson

To clean greasy and dirty hands squirt some dishwashing soap in latex glove and wear them while working. Richard Ksenich

Replace your serpentine belt tensioner and idler pulley periodically, if they fail, you stop. William Koss

Run an external oil line from the factory tap on the block up to the factory tap on head. Frank Hewitt

Make sure the wire from the ignition to the points is insulated from the distributor by plastic insulator. Mark Moburg

Hit a rounded off bolt with a hammer till it flattens out and you can get the wrench on it. Mark Jackwood

Don’t just check tire condition, check tire age. Old tires can fail catastrophically; replace tires over 10 years old. Tim Polidoroff

Adjust MGB brakes with any allen wrench and equivalent 1/4″ drive socket. Square end of socket goes on adjuster. Don Evans

Electrical: Clean the brass fuse holder and male wiring terminals with an eraser. Apply electrical antioxidant made for aluminum/copper. Ernie Shephard

Check all that all grounding straps are installed correctly throughout the car. Peter Labermeier

Keep MGB fresh-air vents drain tube clean by flushing with water & poking an unraveled wire coat hanger through it. Rick Jones

Whoever called Lucas “the Prince of Darkness” did not have a battery isolation switch! MGB? Put battery in plastic box! James Hipwell

Replacing starter on TR3, put the top bolt in from rear, underneath, pushed through on end of garden hose. Peter Christensen

Fuel vaporizing in float bowls from header heat? Wrap with header tape and use a hose clamp to hold on. Bob Stahlman

To start and run, an engine needs fuel, spark, and compression. When befuddled, check all related components in that order. John White

Garage smell like gas? FIRST check ALL connector hoses and clamps to the carburetor. Leaking, old or ineffective … replace. Richard Floyd

Use Never-Seize on all fasteners out side the car’s interior, you’ll see why years from now! Joe Dolan

A “hot” coil is probably not a bad coil; Check the points adjustment. Mike Dale

Remove sheered or rounded bolts/screws by MIG welding an oversized nut to the remaining portion of the offensive bolt. Peter Calabrese

Reinstall spark-plugs by using a short section of fuel-line hose to hold and start the plug into the cylinder head. Gary Sisco

Check all the oil! Motor always, transmission and differential at least every year depending on how much they leak! Gary Davis

Never run out of gas. Sludge in the bottom of your tank will clog the fuel filter. John Frost

Remember, No matter what anyone says about British car reliability…we look better fixing ours than they do driving theirs. Jeff Hartman

It’s common for British Cars to leak a little, check fluid levels often and before a trip. Charles Green

Inactivity is particularly hard on British cars. I bring my MGB to temperature twice a week during the winter. Larry Goodridge

Even though they all have personalities, your LBC is just a machine. Maintain it as such. Dennis Hale

A vehicle needs electrical, fuel and mechanical systems working properly. Check them out in that order. Get proficient in each. Richard Coon

Think your tiny British sports car is too small for additional speakers? Mount them in the cockpit/trunk separator panel! Connor Mitchell

When problems arise remember: Vintage cars are works of art and we are their curators. Use the Forum. Smile. Don Cross