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 TD TF 1500 - TF Distributor Photo

Anyone have a shot of the wires going into the top of your cap with the wire spacer in place? My plug wires are hooked up according to the proper timing, but I can not put the little spacer in place. Something is amiss, any help on this. Is the distributor in backwards on my engine? This is how it was wired when I got the car. I've tried to move the wires around, but to no prevail.PJ

Paul sr

Here are mine but the pic doesn't show the cap very well.

Jud

J K Chapin

I thnk your wires are too short to accommodate the spacer. Mike
MW Davis

This a TD but should be close.

Jim B.

JA Benjamin

Paul, the issue is in the orientation of your cap. Yours is set so that plug #1 is over at the 1:30 position with #2 at 4:30. If you change the plug wire orientation so that #1 is at 10:30 you'll find that the wires should easily go through the spacer. Remember, as long as you don't rotate the engine, you can pick the distributor up, rotate the shaft and drop it back down with screwing up the timing. You just have to swap the plug wires in the cap. Here's an image of plug wires in that orientation. You'll want to enlarge the holes in the spacer a little bit before you start so that your wires will easily slip through. Bud

Bud Krueger

Paul, my pic is for a TD - I failed to notice that you are asking about a TF although they may be about the same.
Jud
J K Chapin

Thanks guys, yeah Bud, that's the spacer that came with the wires. I got the wires from Moss and at first thought they were too short, but am I correct assuming the distributor needs rotating 180 degrees? PJ
Paul sr

Not 180, Paul. More like 90° (or 270°). Think of it this way - Remove your distributor cap. Now rotate your engine until the TDC notch on the pulley is aligned with the TDC pointer and your rotor is aimed toward where your #1 wire is now. Now loosen your distributor clamp and lift the distributor up until its driven gear is no longer meshed with the camshaft driving gear. Now (without rotating the engine) turn your rotor a bit and drop it back down until the gears mesh again. Do this until your rotor is pointing to the 10:30 position when fully seated. Now tighten down your distributor and move your plug wires so that #1 is now at 10:30, #3 is at 7:30, #4 is at 4:30 and #2 is at 1:30. Now comes the spacer. The easiest way is to remove a plug's wire from the distributor cap, slide the brass 'washer' off of the wire, remove the nut, slip the wire through its spot on the spacer, reinstall the nut and 'washer' over the wires and secure the wire into the distributor cap. Continue this for the other three wires plus the wire from the coil. That's all there is to it. Ha! Bud
Bud Krueger

Paul
Great looking steering column. Makes me want to clean up and paint mine!

Tom
'54 TF
T Norby

Paul, I installed my distibutor with the flat side toward the front, closest to the generator. Seems to me I saw that configuration in the Owners manual or maybe the shop manual. In any event, it keeps the distributor lead away from the tachometer gear box if it should rotate.

Jim Merz

Thanks Bud, I copied and pasted your post in my saves box! Thanks

Jim, I'll keep that in mind with the flat forward.

Tom, Funny, it does get a little black on it, eventually, someday. Grin.

Jud, I think TDs and TFs distributors are all wired the same.
Paul sr

Jim, I forgot to mention, I love the color of your car, in fact, the whole car! PJ
Paul sr

Thanks Paul. It is a bit different color than most TDs you see these days. I prefer this color with the black accents.
Jim Merz

This thread was discussed between 25/11/2013 and 26/11/2013

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archives. Join this live forum now