The MGF Register Forums

daz wrote:

talkingcars wrote:A 10mm ratchet spanner is useful for undoing the 3 bolts under the t bar.

Don't forget to throw these 3 bolts away & never refit them again.

Funnily enough the 3 bolts under the T-bar were missing in mine!

Took off the engine cover yesterday to check out that top end oil leak and it seems to be coming from around the cam cover gasket sort of area. I took some pictures and will upload later.

Been a bit of a busy week and a bit so apologies for not getting back sooner.

Daz thanks for offering to help with locating the oil leaks may still take you up on that if you're still up for it although I think I'm close to having sussed the top end one seems to just need a cam cover gasket. Bottom end one is under the driveshaft so not too sure about that one maybe the sump gasket.

Will get some quotes from places for the main stuff to be done and get the tyres sorted soon.

No problem, just give me a shout

Does this look like a rocker cover gasket oil leak?


More pics here https://imgur.com/a/a6LRX

More of a weep than a leak.

To remove the 3 bolts, remove all the others, slacken the 3 about 3 turns, apply some oil and by shuffling the panel the bolts will hand wind out.
To refit them, loosley fit 3 bolts along the rear and then take a wooden clothes peg, remove the legs and you have 2 wedges to use to lift the front edge about 5mm. Drop the bolts thru the panel so they are held vertically aligned and hand turn them to locate. Remove the wedges and bolt up.
Geoff.F

That sounds like a lot of work, I just used a ratchet spanner.

I gave mobile mechanics an email the other week and they reckon around £650 to resolve all my major issues based on what I've listed in this thread earlier on.

Fast forward to today my other car Suzuki Swift is in the garage for a new clutch and I'd not driven the TF for about a week. It refused to start instead emitting a clicking noise from starter motor which, following some google-fu, appears to mean there is not enough power in the battery or there is an earth fault (or maybe alternator...). Going to try disconnecting the battery and charging it up overnight later.

Battery charging should do it.

Cheers

Mike.

The battery read 9.9v so currently got it on charge.

The bolt for the clamp is rusted to hell so I'm charging it in the car on the drive using an extension lead

It charged back up fine but would drain if not used for a week or so back down to 9v-ish

Went away for Xmas and the car was standing for like 2 weeks and the battery has drained completely won't even charge. Does that indicate that perhaps the battery needs replacing anyway?

Yes

It could also be the type of charger you are using. If you have one of the modern ones which are supposed to adjust the charge to suit, it probably won't work. If you have an older model it probably will.

Like you, I had a completely discharged battery and I tried my modern charger, just over a year old, and nothing. I then searched for my 1962 charger, connected it and it started charging immediately. In the morning the battery was fully charged and I've had no trouble since. Still don't know what caused the battery to discharge.

I've got one of the modern ones that are meant to adjust charge but it just says error on the LCD which according to the manual indicates battery is faulty. Does anywhere sell older style ones that you mentioned?

To be honest, you're asking for trouble if you keep charging the battery as it only lasts a week before needing to be charged again, just replace it. The last thing you want is to be stuck somewhere when the battery finally gives up altogether.

You want the car to be as reliable as possible, not have a nagging doubt in the back of your mind wondering if the car will start after a sunny roof down drive to a nice beach front pub

For the sake of £45 ish it's not worth the worry. Or go & pay £20 for an older type charger & not know if the car will start when you go out to it. The choice is yours.

Fix the problem, don't keep putting it off.

Yeah I'd rather not have that uncertainty to be honest!
Where would you recommend buying a battery from?

I normally just go to euro car parts as the usually have some sort of discount code going. It's more about the convenience than the cost for me though.

So it got through it's MOT last week with a few suspension bits needing doing which came to only £200 at the usual garage I use. The guy reckoned the rocker cover gasket oil leak is so minor that I may as well just keep an eye on the oil level rather than pay the labour to resolve it. The driveshaft/gearbox leak needs looking at but wasn't an MOT fail thankfully (would have been if I'd taken it for MOT with the new rules that came in yesterday).

Yesterday I opened up the engine bay and swapped the blue/black vvc solenoids around as I noticed it was idling high and rev limiter was kicking in at 6750rpm-ish and wow! The noise it makes past 4000rpm now is pleasing to me and I can definitely feel those extra 25 or so horses. The garage that did the HG before I bought it must have put the cables the wrong way around...

So now all I need is to get that oil leak looked at (quoted around 200ish with parts and labour at same garage as aforementioned) and a new set of Falkens (if I can find them anywhere, seem to be a bit low in stock atm everywhere!). Then maybe I'll start looking at some mods i.e. boot release and possibly a remap.

Good result!

daz wrote:I normally just go to euro car parts as the usually have some sort of discount code going. It's more about the convenience than the cost for me though.

I've just had to source a new battery for my Alfa - £115 from Halfords, £95 from EuroCarParts and £46 from my local independent.

I just bought a new battery from EBay for my other car for £35 delivered. It's the right spec for the F as well. Whatever spec and quality i looked at seemed to be at least 10-20% cheaper on Ebay.