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MG MGF Technical - Very rough running!!!

My girlfriend's MGF (1996 VVCi) has started to run really rough. The engine sounds like a bag of spanners and if you try to start the engine again within 20 mins of the last run out in it, it will stall unless you give it high revs constantly. It has only recently started doing this (the noise and the stalling started at the same time), has anybody got any ideas what this could be?

Also the car has started to sway from side to side when driving at speed (over 60mph). Could this be down to the bushes? If so where is the best place (cheapest!!) to buy some new ones?

Thanks in advance,

David
David

David, don't drive the car again until after it is sorted. There is a chance that the problem here is with the cam bolt coming loose. If driven in this state, you risk piston valve contact!

Doesn't necessarily explain the stalling though - but you need some expert help.
Rob Bell

Hi David,

I second Rob's caution, something is definitely amiss. Needs inspection by someone who understands the VVC unit.

As for the swaying, is it a regular oscillation or seemingly random? Fitted new tyres recently? Does it happen when the car is running straight, or turning slightly, or both?
Mike Hankin

The car sways from side to side from around 60mph up. It's when the car is going straight that it starts to happen, the tyres are not new so I don't think it's them as it never used to do it.

It also seems to have lost power, it's not as fast as it used to be by far. This all started at the same time, (loss of power, very noisy and stalling).

The stalling seems like it's heat soak, not sure if this can happen but it only does it after been out and the engine is hot.

The only problem is there doesn't seem to be anybody round here who knows about these cars!!!
David

Whereabouts in Cumbria are you? Mike Satur is across the boarder in Yorkshire (http://www.mikesatur.co.uk) which could be one option for you to investigate?
Rob Bell

Rob, we live in Whithaven which is about 2.5 hours away from Yorkshire. Might have to take it to Mike if we can't find a good enough garage around here.

Is there anything I could try first though?
David

If you are a confident DIYer then remove the cam cover and inspect the cam belt and cam bolts. Also inspect the condition of the tensioner for good measure. It may be a good idea to check the torque on the cam bolts - but you'll need a cam-locking tool to do this (a suitable 'wedge' is available from the Draper tools catalogue).

In any case, it would be helpful to determine where the noise is coming from. Perhaps have a chat with Mike by phone and seek further advice.

Are you able to tell us what kind of noise this is? Metallic clunking, low pitched phtt noise etc etc? Where it comes from? Is it related to engine speed? Is there anything that makes it worse or better?
Rob Bell

Hi,
I'd underline the advise to no longer drive this car until the problem with the noise got analysed properly.
Cam bolts failure is very common with early MGF (VVC) and at last it ends up in a huge invoice.

>As for the swaying,
This is almost related to the rear suspension.
Loose or worn rear track control arm or to much play in the tie bar bushes at the lower arm.

The right ride height is another term to look for.

HTH
Dieter
Dieter

David,
I'm in Whitehaven, my wifes MGF was bought from 'Edgars' at Rowrah, some 5 years ago.
They've been absolutely great as far as servicing & maintenance is concerned.
I would highly recommend them.
O.K. you will pay main dealer rates, but these people know their stuff.
Cheers,
Mike.
M Atkinson

Thanks Mike, we will have to take it to Edgars, are they still open as a Rover garage?

The noise is like a loose belt only more metalic (pretty hard to describe on the net). It sounds like loose metal, sort of a rasping sound. Could this be linked to the loss of power?

Thanks for all the suggestions, help and ideas.

Cheers,

David
David

David, ***get the car towed to the garage*** - just don't drive it or even start it again until in the hands of a mechanic. From Mike's recommendation, perhaps Edgars are the way forward here.

Good luck and let us know what is found - I fear the cam bolt has become loose... hopefully the valve train hasn't already been damaged.
Rob Bell

Possible stuck or jammed VVC mechanism. I beieve they can sometimes be cleaned.
Russell Parslow

Well it's going in the garage tonight so hopefully they will be able to tell us what's with it. I asked them about the cam bolt and they said this should be changed after 5 years, is this right?

Thanks,

David
David

Yes, it is.
Or 60k miles.
I think the 5 years are an estimation for the belt live time before the rubber component gets hard and creaky.
The 60k miles is IMO more related to the belt tensioner live time. It consists of a _simple_ ball (barrel?) bearing.
Changed mine and 58k miles and found the tensioner bearing running _rough with some play_ already. The belt looked like new, nearly.
The engine noise got silent after the change and it doesn't have a whistling noise any more.

Good luck with it and don't forget the cam wheel screw torque check, or better the change to the mentioned stronger screws.

Regards
Dieter
Dieter

This thread was discussed between 13/06/2005 and 16/06/2005

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