Is there an MG expert in the house?| Grassroots Motorsports forum |

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/3/13 2:06 p.m.

I have a 79 MG Midget that is driving me to drink.

I rebuilt the engine last summer, installed it last fall and turned the key at that time to turn the engine over to see if anything would explode- it turned over no problem.

Last week I went out to set the timing and it wouldn't turn over by hand or starter. I pulled the starter today to see if it was bound up, not the case. I tried to turn it over by hand and it wouldn't budge.

Anyone have any idea what's going on? I started to pull the sump but ran out of time. Maybe the thrust washers slipped and are binding on the crank?

Any ideas?

Kenny_McCormic Dork
6/3/13 2:20 p.m.

Its in neutral, right?

nocones GRM+ Memberand Dork
6/3/13 2:24 p.m.

Sell it to me?

I had a hell of a time re-building and re-rebuilding the 1500 in my MG. You would think the general lawn tractoryness of the motor would make it easy to service/rebuild but it is in some ways more complicated due to numerous small british strange ways to deal with things

oldtin UltraDork
6/3/13 2:25 p.m.

Has it run at all or just turned over - If running: seized rod/main bearing perhaps. Not running maybe a crushed/stuck pilot bushing or could be a seized wrist pin, maybe even the distributor drive isn't seated.

44Dwarf SuperDork
6/3/13 2:27 p.m.

when you turned it over was gas flowing to the carb? flooded and liquid locked?

Ian F PowerDork
6/3/13 2:32 p.m.

Maybe something crawled up the tailpipe and made a home in one of the cylinders?

I have heard of the clutch & flywheel sticking together and being a real bitch to break loose.

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/3/13 2:34 p.m.

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

Yes it is.

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/3/13 2:50 p.m.

The engine or the whole car? Let me know and I'll PM you the deets.

I'm glad to hear you say that though- I think the Brits have a sick sense of humor when it comes to cars.

nocones wrote: Sell it to me? I had a hell of a time re-building and re-rebuilding the 1500 in my MG. You would think the general lawn tractoryness of the motor would make it easy to service/rebuild but it is in some ways more complicated due to numerous small british strange ways to deal with things

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/3/13 2:53 p.m.

It only turned over- I never connected the fuel line.

Those are good ideas to check! I will check what can get to...

oldtin wrote: Has it run at all or just turned over - If running: seized rod/main bearing perhaps. Not running maybe a crushed/stuck pilot bushing or could be a seized wrist pin, maybe even the distributor drive isn't seated.

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/3/13 2:54 p.m.

I turned it over without fuel or spark as I hadn't static timed the engine yet. Call it an "interference fit" test :)

44Dwarf wrote: when you turned it over was gas flowing to the carb? flooded and liquid locked?

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/3/13 2:56 p.m.

Man I hope not!

I guess pulling the head isn't as bad as the whole engine though. I will see if I can peek in the plug holes.

Ian F wrote: Maybe something crawled up the tailpipe and made a home in one of the cylinders? I have heard of the clutch & flywheel sticking together and being a real bitch to break loose.

tr8todd HalfDork
6/3/13 3:20 p.m.

Pull the plugs and squirt some mystery oil in there and try it in the morning. My guess is either rings are stuck in the bore or as previously mentioned liquid locked above a piston. Put a socket on the crank and turn it that way a few times before you try and fire it off. Seen many an old MGBs with seized engines that only ended up being the rings. Nothing a little mystery oil and a breaker bar won't fix.

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/3/13 3:33 p.m.

The plugs are in the head, but just started not tightened down.

When I rebuilt the engine I put CRC assembly lube on pretty much everything to keep this from happening. But it just occurred to me my turning the engine over that would have scraped the RP off. D'oh!

I'll give it the mystery oil treatment and see what happens. I can't get a socket on the pulley nut due to a cross member being in the way.

Oh, I bench tested the starter too- it's DOA.

blockquote>tr8todd wrote:

Pull the plugs and squirt some mystery oil in there and try it in the morning. My guess is either rings are stuck in the bore or as previously mentioned liquid locked above a piston. Put a socket on the crank and turn it that way a few times before you try and fire it off. Seen many an old MGBs with seized engines that only ended up being the rings. Nothing a little mystery oil and a breaker bar won't fix.

paranoid_android74 Reader
6/8/13 2:19 p.m.

I finally got my engine unstuck today- Marvels Mystery Oil in the spark plug holes over night, put it in fourth and rocked it back and forth. It did the trick!

paranoid_android74 wrote:

The plugs are in the head, but just started not tightened down.

When I rebuilt the engine I put CRC assembly lube on pretty much everything to keep this from happening. But it just occurred to me my turning the engine over that would have scraped the RP off. D'oh!

I'll give it the mystery oil treatment and see what happens. I can't get a socket on the pulley nut due to a cross member being in the way.

Oh, I bench tested the starter too- it's DOA.

blockquote>tr8todd wrote:

Pull the plugs and squirt some mystery oil in there and try it in the morning. My guess is either rings are stuck in the bore or as previously mentioned liquid locked above a piston. Put a socket on the crank and turn it that way a few times before you try and fire it off. Seen many an old MGBs with seized engines that only ended up being the rings. Nothing a little mystery oil and a breaker bar won't fix.