MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

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 - Major Electrical Problems

Need some big help from you guys as my worst nightmare has cropped up with electrical gremlins in a country with no known F specialists. I will try to discribe it.


-Clock has been dodgy recently and randomly works, and then doesn't.
-Slight electrical burning smell from dash.
-Car wont event tick over but interior/boot/bonnet lights work.
-only a rapid ticking from dash when i turn on hazard lights.
-could not jump start.
-jump leads got me going again and I could drive home, but someimes there was a power drop related to electrics, and my stereo would reboot.
-if the car stops at any point i cant restart at all.


Help im desperate with this one, and my windows are left rolled down without power to wind them up while I wait.


Thanks much
Paddy

HI, could a standard auto elecrician not sort it out?
They would do a series of checks to eliminate the obviuos .
I would take this route.
For the mechanical side a specialist yes...but i,m sure any good auto electrian should be able to sort it out.
Hope this may help
Mel.
m e johnson

It sounds like an ignition relay even a dying battery, maybe a cell or two( something fallen off since having the A/C done ? )BUT an auto elec should be able to sort this out.
Andrew W Regens

sounds like could be an earth fault ....around the dash ...have that checked out with auto electrician
RP Armitage

whenever there are multiple faults in any system starting at around the same time ......it is always down to one common component.....and usually a simple one to rectify ....a bit harder to find though ...:o( the burning smell is likely to be loose connection "arcing" ....you could check out the Engine earth as this can be a pain its the strap fastened to engine by starter motor ...(i think)....I have had a car find its own earth through accellerator cable ...that was scary as the inside plastic guide melted ....and throttle stayed open and i had a runaway ......not funny ok good luck ....enough to be going on with
RP Armitage

Have any fuses gone as well as the other symptoms? The faint smell suggests the old favourite of trapped/chafed wiring loom behind the central console near the back of the radio. Mel is right about the 'general' auto electrician though - and being where you are they will probably do it faster and cheaper! Good luck!
Charles

Thanks guys. Everyone! Cans of San Migs all round...

Andrew- Haha, no I have not yet done anything about the a/c so I cant blame that.

So is the conclusion that I should be safe with the recommended 'general' garage nearby instead of searching out a specialist in MG matters?

I wondered if it had something to do with the F being started with a starter pack (the yellow battery packs you can buy in argos type thing) when it arrived in HK, because the MGF centre once told me that you should never use those on an F. Although I cant really say I know why.
Paddy

Oh also.......



-Charles, Im going to check all the fuses tonight.

-Andrew, new battery. 3 months old!

Thanks
Paddy

Yes I agree with M E Johnson , Andrew , Charles and RP Armitage.....try a good Auto Electrician- anyone else want to recommend the same just incase Paddy missed the recommendation the first 4 times ! ? ! ? how many times does an auto spark need to be recommended ?does no-one read the previous posts ?
dicken puller

This sounds suspiciously as though there is an area of cabling shorting against the chassis of the car. There is an area of the main run of cabling that is at jeopardy of rubbing against the dash upright-support - there was a recall on this issue for early MY2000 cars - http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/common_problems/recalls/MGF_recalls.htm#r3

I would get this looked into quickly, as this is a potentially very serious safety problem Paddy.

BTW if you're getting the aircon retrofitted, much of the dash has to come out - so an ideal time to investigate. Where are you on this project?
Rob Bell

don't take it to a garage, grease monkeys are fine for greasy bits, but they fear the electronic and electrical. This is true for most garages and especially true for 'modern' garages who depend on their computers to tell them what is wrong.

Will Munns

Hey puller!
I work on the principle of the more people that support a similar opinion in a BBS the safer it is to take that advice. Most tradies do not reveal their expertise for fear of being snowed under with requests for free advise.

I keep my profession very quite and any advise on these BBS's that repeat or support a statement are given a lot of credence. I would not be surprised that others on this list do the same.

Next, there is a delay on request and response, if you check the times of the original request and the times of the response you will notice that all 3 were only minutes apart.

Paddy, I suggest an auto electrician too.
Peter Andrews

The more advice I can get the better. It usually shows up my incredible lack of personal knowledge. On this occasion I have learnt of the 'auto-electrician', whereas I have only ever been using a local garage in the UK for all of my needs.

This is not the first trouble i have had with the wiring loom as it failed during one winter near the boot lid. I think I snapped some wires in the cold.

Rob- The temp in HK has dropped to 24c and everyone is preparing for the worst. Scarves are coming out, puffa jackets are sure to follow, and maybe even a few hello kitty ear warmers by tomorrow. Im back in the UK at xmas and plan to speak to B&G about bringing back a kit with me if its the MY2000 spec. If not im going the hard route with adapting this scrap unit in HK. However priority now lies with preventing my car from going up in flames!


Rob- Your link above does not show any wiring recalls?


Thanks again guys..
Paddy

It amuses me when I go to HK in the winter months, to find the locals wrapped up in woolies despite the ambient temperature being 20+C! LOL

The wiring recall was very specifically about the pre-tensioner wiring loom - but would/could effect much of the main wiring loom. An autoelectrician would be a good place to go for further advice and fault tracking.
Rob Bell

UPDATE




I had my friend round to help me start the car using jump leads from his Alfa and I only got a rapid ticking noise. The engine did not turn over. Does this give anyone a better idea what it could be?

The electrics in the car were otherwise functioning while connected to the alfa.

Looks like I need a tow!
Paddy

Ticking noise and failing to start indicates that the battery is getting insufficient juice to turn the starter motor. Usually its the first sign of a failing/failed battery.
Rob Bell

As Rob says a sure sign of a dud battery.
Mine did the same and i posted on here and got the reply of a dud battery.
No i thought..i drove 30 miles with loads of stop starts and called home for 5 minutes went out to start the f and got the rapid ticking noise.
Got a new battery and all was back to normal. The battery was less than 18 months old. If your battery is totally dead it won,t start from another car battery unless the donner car has the engine running and revved up .(my diesel van would not start the f unless the engine is running).
The only other thing i can think of if your battery is only three months old is that the alternater is not re charging the battery ie needs replaceing.
What i would do is this

a...charge the battery up and take it back to where you got it from. They will be able to tell you if it is holding it,s charge. It is not unheard of for a 3 month old battery to fail.If the battery is ok (confirmed by the retailer)..........
b..When fully charged get it back on the f and see if it starts....if all is ok you then need to get the alternater checked out at your local motor factor or garage.
If it is the alternater you won,t get more than 5 miles out of a fully charged battery before you break down due to the battery running down.
Might be worth a try before the auto electrian
Hope you get it sorted
Mel
m e johnson

paddy
just read your list of seven faults on the original posting....the first two ..don,t know..but the other five all would indicate again to me that your alternater is not chargeing your battery or the battery has died.
Let us know the outcome :o)))
m e johnson

This thread was discussed between 06/11/2006 and 09/11/2006

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGF Technical BBS now