MG Sports Cars

engine swaps and other performance upgrades, plus "factory" and Costello V8s

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Jahdave
David Cousins
Campbell, California
(13 posts)

Registered:
09/13/2008 02:15AM

Main British Car:
1977 MGB Rover 3.5 V8

77 MGB V8 Hybrid 215/Rover FI not starting.
Posted by: Jahdave
Date: September 05, 2015 06:34PM

Hi all. My conversion which as been converted for many years now has suddenly been hard to start and stay running. My specs are Buick 215 with Rover flapper valve and dedicated fuel ECU. The engine turns over but will not stay running. The car is getting fuel, and spark but has not started today.I'm attaching a picture of the engine bay so that all components that could be problematic are shown. I feel as though the problem is electrical though. The car does not get used regularly. The distributor has an Crane electronic ignition module.The car actually started yesterday after much fiddling, but I could not say what resulted in it starting yesterday.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2015 06:36PM by Jahdave.


Jahdave
David Cousins
Campbell, California
(13 posts)

Registered:
09/13/2008 02:15AM

Main British Car:
1977 MGB Rover 3.5 V8

Re: 77 MGB V8 Hybrid 215/Rover FI not starting.
Posted by: Jahdave
Date: September 05, 2015 06:41PM

I'm having trouble uploading the pictures.


88v8
Ivor Duarte
Gloucestershire UK
(1041 posts)

Registered:
02/11/2010 04:29AM

Main British Car:
1974 Land Rover Lightweight V8

Re: 77 MGB V8 Hybrid 215/Rover FI not starting.
Posted by: 88v8
Date: September 06, 2015 04:48AM

Try Photobucket. Copy/paste the img code.

I always ran away from injection because of the difficulty of diagnosing when it goes wrong. However there are others on here who are fans and can probably help you.
In the meantime............ So, you have the Bosch L-Jetronic system with the flapper, rather than the later hot-wire discussed here?
[www.britishv8.org]

Here is some info on the L-Jetronic, describes how it's supposed to work, so you can start investigating.
[www.gomog.com]

and here
[www.carelect.demon.co.uk] where the photos will help identify your precise system.

Couple of random thoughts;
Don't know how your car is stored, but one possible problem in older systems is damp/corrosion in the loom plugs. Before you start in on this, may be worth pulling them all and spraying an electrical cleaner then a corrosion inhibitor.

Another thing to look at: if the engine breather is blocked, this can cause a problem The 3.5EFi usually breathes via the trap on top of the right side rocker cover. The hose from this goes onto a metal pipe on the front of the plenum chamber. This pipe has a hole drilled in one side which faces to the left & corresponds with a drilled passageway in the plenum body. After a short distance this passageway turns 90deg towards the rear of the car & emerges into the plenum body. If you prop the throttle butterfly open you can see the hole.
It is possible for this passageway to become blocked solid. If you pull the metal pipe off the front (its an interference fit in the plenum body) you can then see a hole which allows access into the passageway. You can use a drill bit in your fingers to clear out the rubbish after which, with the butterfly propped open and clean rags pushed in to soak up the cleaner, you can give the passageway a good blasting with carb cleaner.

Also be worth checking the butterfly in the plenum inlet. A build up of gunge around it will block the small gap that is required. Set the gap with a feeler gauge 0.002inch or 0.05mm measured at the bottom of the butterfly.

Good luck.

Ivor


Jahdave
David Cousins
Campbell, California
(13 posts)

Registered:
09/13/2008 02:15AM

Main British Car:
1977 MGB Rover 3.5 V8

Re: 77 MGB V8 Hybrid 215/Rover FI not starting.
Posted by: Jahdave
Date: September 06, 2015 03:09PM

Thank you Ivor for these links and likely things to check. Currently the car is stored outside under a cover. It seems dry whenever I remove the cover, but of course we have not had rain in California for a long time.


Jahdave
David Cousins
Campbell, California
(13 posts)

Registered:
09/13/2008 02:15AM

Main British Car:
1977 MGB Rover 3.5 V8

Re: 77 MGB V8 Hybrid 215/Rover FI not starting.
Posted by: Jahdave
Date: September 07, 2015 03:12PM

Update. I fiddled with the car again yesterday. After several attempts to start, it finally started and stayed idling. I repeated starting it several times and it fired up. There is no rhyme or reason why it now seems to be cooperating. Maybe, I've become an MG whisperer. I'll keep you all updated on the progress to reliable starting and running soon. Thanks for the suggestions.


Justinb
Justin Broome

(26 posts)

Registered:
06/10/2009 12:33PM

Main British Car:


Re: 77 MGB V8 Hybrid 215/Rover FI not starting.
Posted by: Justinb
Date: September 10, 2015 05:40PM

Check your fuel pressure at the rail and voltage at the fuel pump. Also check your fuel pickup and make sure it's not clogged/gummed up.

The presence of fuel in a fuel injection system isn't adequate. You need enough of it at a high enough pressure.


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