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MG TD TF 1500 - TD choke cable

Can anyone confirm for me whether the current choke cable sold by Moss for the TD has a detent, or not?

331-290 Choke Cable TD $35.99

Thanks,

I tried to reactivate a thread on this but the system would not let me :(

Geoffrey M Baker

The one I bought a few years back did.
MG LaVerne

Bought on a few months ago.... nope. Just twist and lock, no clicks.
MAndrus

I refurbished mine Geoff. Try this "Choke Knob Early TD". Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Geoff while looking in the archive I came across this post which did make me smile. Not because of the owner's misfortune but because of the very direct review. As it is germane I've reproduced it here.

"The Moss knobs that I used to have on my TD were both the same. I have since gone back to the originals due to the Moss units being junk. The knobs pulled off in my hand after only a couple of uses". Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

M TDC choke cable is ready for replacement, and I am planning on buying it from Moss Motors. Is that a safe purchase, or is there a better source?

Erick
1952 MG TDC
2008 BMW 328i, the last of the inline 6
EB Blackwelder

The original is very easy to restore Erick. Apart from possible problems with the Moss unit, its operation is not the same as the original & nor is the material that the knob is made from. If you provide your email address I'll send you some notes on restoring the original which should cost you no more than $10. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

The choke cable on my TDC is not original. Dad mocked it up out of bare wire in 1964. Are either cables offered by Moss reliable?

Erick
1952 MG TDC
2008 BMW 328i, last of the inline 6
EB Blackwelder

ERICK,
You might want to check with Martin at Abington Spares, here in Ct,,(800) 225-0251 At least you will b e talking with the owner rather than one of the employees

Steve
Steve Wincze

If you have the knob the cable is available from a bicycle shop. A multi strand gear cable 2 metres in length then cut in half does the job. See pic. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

The following illustration which was originally posted by Rod Jones shows the difference between the operation of the genuine choke cable & the reproductions. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Thanks P Hehir for your illustration showing how an original TD choke cable works, and how the reproduction choke cables work.

I am still looking for someone who has experience with Moss Motors regarding the purchase of a choke cable, which of the two available choke cables they chose, and why.

It could be that nobody on this board has purchased a choke cable from Moss Motors.

Erick Blackwelder
1952 MG TDC
2008 BMW 328i, the last of the inline 6 cylinder engines.
EB Blackwelder

Erick, I purchased one several years back, it has no detent. Others confirm that the current model also has no detent. My experience is that a better choke cable is needed.
Questions remain. What is the difference between the TF and the TD choke cable, can they be exchanged? Is there a way to modify the current Moss cable to improve the detent/stop?
What I have found is that considerable force is needed to operate the cable, which is not good for the dashboard, it forces it to flex too much. I have greased the cable and did some fine polishing of the knob internals, which made it better, but still not good enough. And of course, the lack of a detent is very annoying (especially for those in cold climates, not so bad here in Tucson where just a few seconds of choke is typically all that's needed to get an idle...
This is still an area that needs improvement, and while I appreciate Peter Hehir's refurbishment advice - which only works on an original cable - those of us who have never had an original cable are going to continue to experience problems until we find a solution. Anyone with a source for NOS cables ... please let us know!
Geoffrey M Baker

I don't recall which of the cables it was for, but I know that John Twist of University Motors had a very good YouTube Video on rebuilding cables.

Kirk
Kirk Trigg

Geoff - "What I have found is that considerable force is needed to operate the cable, which is not good for the dashboard, it forces it to flex too much. I have greased the cable and did some fine polishing of the knob internals, which made it better, but still not good enough."

What kind of seals do you have around the carburetor jets? If they are viton 'O' rings or even the original cork seals, the jets are very stiff to pull down. I would suggest getting a set of the teflo seals that Tom Bryant provides (Tom's e-mail is thosbryant@gmail.com). Once you have installed those, I think that you will find that it is much easier to pull the choke cable out. Cheers - Dave
DW DuBois

This thread was discussed between 05/02/2016 and 11/02/2016

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