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MG MG Y Type - twin carb air filters

My YB is fitted with 1.25" twin carbs (as per the TD?). As a former racing car it has ram pipes on the carbs. I wanted to fit air filters and bought a pair of after market pancake filters for a TD from NTG. The front one won't fit given the restictions of the bonnet. Does anyone know where I can get pancake filters that will fit? Or do I need to revert to an inlet manifold with an oil bath filter on top? Many thanks. PS - the car seems to be running a bit rich at 12 mpg. Struggles up hills too. Presume the carbs need tuning up?
Marc Hanson

Hi Marc

Check the jet needles in the carburettors against the note in HINTS AND TIPS on www.mgytypes.org first.

Then check your spark plug color.

Certainly sounds as if you are running very rich indeed - especially at UK gas prices
:-)

Paul
Paul Barrow

Hi Marc
I see our Photo ended up in the report on Silverstone. Sounds like you need to get the carbs and timing right before you worry about the air filters. My YT with twin carbs will tackle any hill the Cotswolds has to offer with 4 heavy blokes up and you should be getting 28 - 30 mpg. An EXPAG with twin carbs should have a slightly different camshaft but I don't know how you could check that! I found that worn parts in my carbs made adjustment very difficult and I finished up having them rebuilt.
Peter
P W Vielvoye

Hi Marc

Umm 12 mpg is desperate!

It would be worthwhile following up the points raised by both Paul and Peter and you certainly need to get the carbs reset, possibly rebuilt or replaced. Burlen offer a re-conditioning kit for SU's but they are not cheap. They also provide an ecellent book on SU carbs which is very good. You might also see if someone will lend you a Gunson Colourtune kit. This enables you to confirm the correct mixture by showing the air/fuel ratio in a coloured form which can be seen through a glass in a special spark plug.I bought one a few years ago but a mechanic I know was very dissmissive! The answer is to get a specialist to check them over as if you haven't rebult a set before it's not that easy and I did not do a particular clever job on mine.

One of the problems is that of course the moving parts wear - which makes re-building them and then retuning them a tricky business.

Are you using the existing plugs? It might be handy to purchase a new set. Is the car fitted with 12mm or 14mm plugs - many late YB's were fitted with 14mm plugs.

I have a late XPAG engine fitted to my TA and use NGK BP6E 14mm plugs (you can get them from Halfords).

Once you have the fuel problems resolved then ideally fit a pair of K and N filters though you probably wont have the room as I found with the TA.I did fit a pair of pancake filters from Octagon and had to bend and reshape the engine support link.Though on a Y this is straight. There are several Y owners who have indeed fitted pancake filters and I suggest that you have a word offline with David Hague who owns a YB with twin SU's and pancakes fitted. You can find his contact details on the Y website.

I am acquiring a YT very soon, which is of course fitted with twin SU's a la TC. I will need to fit pancakes rather than the pretty useless filter that is cirrently in place.

So if thst's of any use to you great - but at the outset get an experienced mechanic to check over your carbs before you go down the road of greater expense!

Sincerely

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

A good way of testing for wear is to run the car up to normal operating temperature and then with the car idling, spray carburettor cleaner around the outside of the carburettor body, especially around the throttle shafts. If you get an increase in idle speed, you have worn shafts!

Paul
Paul Barrow

Thanks gents. Am taking the car to Southern Carbs in Wimbledon next week. They did a good job of setting up the carbs on my MGB a while ago. Tinkering with carbs is way beyond my ability! I will get in touch with David re the air filters - Jery, when you get your YT let me know what filters you get and from where.
Marc Hanson

Seems a good idea Marc.I recall using Southern Carburettors in 1973 and when in there noticed a brand new carb marked MG 1. 25Litre... not very often that happened even then,let alone now!

I'll certainly let you know how I tackle the air filters on the YT.Though it's not being shpped in from the US until the end of the month. I then have to get an MOT and get the car registered.

I am hoping that I have not too many jobs to do for an MOT but I know that I'll need to provide some external rear direction flashers. The existing work through the D Lamps but they only flash red (which thougn it is legal in the UK is nor very obvious). I have a pair of chrome m/cycle flashers which I used on the TA before fitting high level flashers. So if anyone has any ideas that would be useful.The front indicators are through a double filament bulb in the sidelight though I'll change this for the conversion that Stafford Vehicle Components use.

Apols for the diversion Marc - but yes I will get back to you about the filters.Though do have a word with David Hague.

Sincerely

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Jerry

Of course there is the very excellent Data Sheet Fitting Flashers available via REGALIA at www.mgytypes.org that will cover that in detail. I used this to fit a very nice set to my Y and will also do the same to the YT I am now restoring.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Car just back from Southern Carbs. Needed to replace the needles and jets, cork seals in jet bearings, needle valves and dampers (!)Car now runs much better - pulls well and flys up hills. Also no longer asphyxiating from petrol fumes in the cabin! No luck in finding appropriate pancake filters that will fit with the radiator stay in place. Always thought the front of a Y was the same as a TD and that the radiator stays would be in the same place. Clearly not!
Marc Hanson

Good job Marc on the carburettors.

Keep looking on the cleaners - if I could help you I would. I understand your need for better air flow for the proposed mild compeetition use that you want to use the car for. For the rest of the time though, and until you get there, the standard one will get you from A to B.

Good luck,

Paul
Paul Barrow

Hi Marc

There is a good link from this site which you may find worthwhile looking at. Go to Y's on Parade, click on YT's and scroll down to YT 3706. It's a red Australian model and there is a report (again through a link) which not only outlines improvements to the XPAG engine but also refers to adding a pair of K and N Filters. It looks quite good and when I get my YT (hopefully docking in Southampton early next month)I'll follow the same route.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Hi Marc,

I've seen these filters fitted to a German twin carburettored YB, so they should fit your car, too:
http://www.sucarb.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Id=24839

Is it possible to post a picture of the fitted carburettors and inlet manifold? Maybe your engine was fitted with a special (longer) inlet manifold?
W. van der Veer

Have looked at the TF air filters, the bonnet side is very close to the carbs so they fitted angled filters which only just fit in. The only trouble is that in the TF you can't get them off!
B Mellem

Thanks for the tips. Jerry, I think the soluton might well be the curved bespoke radiator stay the Ozzy YT has. Will try and work out how to fabricate!
Marc Hanson

There you have it Marc I bet that they dont come closer than that. Can anyone tell me how to get those damn filters off without dismantling the front of the car?

B Mellem

Marc, I don't know if you ever found air filters that fit. I bought a pair from CHASE MG chasemg@bwalklate.freeserve.co.uk and have just finished fitting them to my YT. The picture shows the bent Rad stay and the breather pipe linkage which is a bit tricky to fix. Runs well but still subject to a good road test.

P W Vielvoye

This thread was discussed between 04/10/2009 and 03/02/2010

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