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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 MG Y Type - Are spare parts now poor quality?

On Thurs I travelled from East Yorkshire to Redditch, approx. 160 miles, to use her for a family wedding. It started to misfire a little when pulling up hills but was fine otherwise. It decided to completely cut out on the M42, just on the junction where the the M6 joins. I was stuck right at the apex of the chevrons with traffic from 2 busy motorways inches from each side with nowhere to go. When I got a gap I put it in gear and wound it across 2 lanes onto the hard shoulder on the starter motor. I then found that the heel of the points had broken off and would not allow them to open. I had an old set in my toolbox that got me to my destination, but thought I had no chance of obtaining a new set before Fridays wedding. However I discovered David Manners Ltd, only 20 minutes away who specialise in Jag Daimler MG and others to save the day. Needless to say I bought 2 sets!! But the point to this is that the points in question were Lucas points which were only fitted a year ago, and I never had this happen back in the day before electronic ignition. Have we put all good quality manufacturers out of business by buying cheap poor quality imports at low prices? I did try to upload a photo with her dolled up for the wedding but clicking upload didn't work, so will try later.
J Foster

Don't know what I did wrong, but here she is.

J Foster

I am sure Neil Cairns won't mind me copying this off our Y Reg Facebook page. Sound like he had the same problem.
Just for your amusement....last week I took a drive down South and passed through Wallingford. I was stationed a RAF Benson in the early 1970s so stopped off for a cup of tea in the town centre. The YB has performed faultlessly...u until then. After about 90 minutes we returned to the MG and it started quite normally. I drove out of the Pay & Display car park, but did not make it. The car just died about 15ft from the exit (the car park was ful!!) It took me about 15 minutes to find the XPAG had a massive 360 degrees of dwell on the ignition points. (Dwell angle is the degrees between closing and opening of the points, it has to be a certain amout for the coil to disipate its charge ready for the next.) 360 degrees dwell simply means he ruddy points WERE NOT OPENING AT ALL. The red plastic heel that bears on the cam had worn (even though I have a tiny felt pad the 'oils' the cam. I once had electronic ignition but if failed, so I've gone back to points ignition, but one has to remember the fraility of these points and that they need checking and cleaning every now and then. Or is it that I'm getting lazy in ln age?
Peter Vielvoye

Very similar Peter, but the heel on mine had actually bent back and snapped off. I wish mine had happened in a car park as well - the underwear might have been a different colour !!
J Foster

YES. This is common theme to all classics.

I had head gasket recently purchased and the fold of copper from one side to the other was nothing like the old gasket. Having tried to get old Payen replacement, which I failed to find I got in contact with Austin club who said they had head gaskets go after 50 miles due to inferior parts where the swage around the water holes were uneven and impossible to get good seal.

Parts or lack of quality will destroy classic car ownership unless clubs pull together for common shared parts to be reproduced to correct spec. Maintaining cars is getting harder and harder, recent experience is rubbish ignition light for YT, I
ended up fixing the original part binning the new bit purchase at auto show from well known vendor of electrical parts. New plug leads from a different but well known supplier also had poor fit, again no better than the original.
R E Knight

Are modern spares not fit for purpose? Back in the sixties when I first bought a car, money being a perennial problem, I did my own repairs. I do remember new parts, like for example, spark plugs, not lasting more than a few thousand miles. More recently, last September to be precise, returning from the Goodwood Revival, the engine coughed a few times. The next day it wouldn't start. Nowadays, not being so cash strapped, I use a garage to service and repair the car.
We towed it into the workshop, first thing that was checked was the coil, replaced that, the car started, but ran 'rough.' Next the distributor cap, along with the points and condenser, all replaced. Still it ran rough. The plugs were new, but remembering the above reminisce, each one was checked in turn. Still it ran rough. Next to be replaced was all the internal parts of the carburettor, I didn't realise how expensive a needle could be. Still it wouldn't run smoothly. Finally, after stripping the fuel pump, it was discovered that a small membrane, about the size of the end of a feeler gauge, which rotates in an oval arc, was sticking, an exchange fuel pump was fitted. The engine ran a lot better, but soon began to run rough, yet again.
Back in the workshop, just leaning on the car wing, looking for inspiration, the fellow who looks after the car, had a eureka moment. He felt heat near his right hand, turned out to be the new coil, it was getting seriously hot, despite being 'brand new.' Had it worked as it should have when fitted, the rest of the investigative work might not have been necessary.
There again, the fuel pump problem would have come to light, sooner or later.
It was an expensive exercise, but the car runs a treat now, so all in all, I think it was worth it. But I do take the point about new/old. I've seen wire wheels on an MGB look decades old after just a couple of years.
R Taylor

i was asked by a friend with a daimler v250 to have a look at his indicators that stopped flashing when the engine was idling, he had fitted a new flasher unit during the rebuild and suspected that so bought another flasher only to find exact same problem, i refitted his old flasher unit and bingo ,indicators working fine at idle so then i refitted one of the new units and the fault returned.
Another friend with a cadallac could not get the alternator to charge although a new regulator was fitted, after three hours of making tests with a meter i took the new reg apart and made an ajustment inside it and bingo, now charging.
another friend with a split screen morris minor had intermittant lights even though a new light switch had been fitted, its similar to y type switch, the newly manufactured light switch was of very poor construction and it was obvious to me it was doomed to fail after a short time, his old switch was dismantled cleaned and contacts adjusted then refitted to the car and now works perfect.
Many owners of minors on the MMOC forum have fitted new coils only to find they have failed a few months later.
My cars run all the old parts just dismantled /cleaned and adjusted, bench tested and refitted back to the car.
I do realize i am fortunate to have a good understanding in auto electrical components and not everyone has these skills and the only way to go is to buy new parts.My conclusion is some new parts are not very good.
Graham Sharpe

Unfortunately, many spares which one might regard of as disposables (especially around the ignition) are too often cheap imports from Taiwan with a short life span. It's very much a case of where they are being sourced from which a decent supplier will of course advise you.

It may be worthwhile attending a show and getting hold of original boxed Lucas spares if it is ignition parts that you are fitting. Or seeking them on e-bay. I had problems with the ignition on the YT when I acquired it over six years ago. On advice in 2012 I had the distributor rebuilt bt H and H Ignition in Birmingham (UK)and an electronic ignition installed. It has made life so much easier and of course the original points can be re-fitted straightforwardly. I also has the engine set up by Peter Burgess in Alfreton who was excellent. However, the engine has been rebuilt since and I ought to take it to him again. The system is set up on a rolling road with full electonic analysis to ensure that everything is spot on.

If you are seeking an upgrade on your dynamo the MG Octagon CC are supplying alternators fitted inside a replica dynamo
SEL045D Stealth Dynamator [45 amp Alternator] with Tacho Drive Positive Earth Late TD/TF/YB £135.00 for Members
Can also be fitted to TA/ TB/ TC YA & YT using TD dynamo pulley & Fan; SEL052 Dynamo pulley-steel TD/TF/YB £32.40
SEL052A Dynamo fan for use with steel pulley TD/TF/YB £9.60
Have a word with Pete Moore at the Octagon (01455 611746 0r info@mgoctagoncarclub.com)

All the best

Jerry
Jerry Birkbeck

At the risk of being a kill-joy, may I remind all owners that by fitting something like a Dynamator, you should consider the safety and insurance implications.
An output of 45 amps is way over the original dynamos output of approx. 28amps and may be unsafe for the wiring harness on your car. If this higher output were to cause a fire, it is probable that your insurance company will not pay out as you have fitted a non-standard item and endangered the safety of your vehicle and not told them in the first instance.
Has anybody who has fitted one of these units, actually contacted their insurance company and what was the outcome.
Your experience may be vitally helpful to other owners.
Better safe than sorry!!
Keith
Keith D Herkes

Casting my mind back to the past, I would say spares were then of poor quality, there was amongst manufacturers the idea that if the part failed then a new one would be purchased so improving company profits, cars generally only lasted 8 years and some seriously rusted within one year like Vauxhall and Roots. It was the Japanese who changed everything their cars needed no pre delivery checks and always started in the morning, television sets worked for years, transistor radios became available. I purchased a set of Japanese spark plugs and straight away the car fired reliably on all 4 cylinders. We are now accustomed to reliable cars so what these dodgy parts are now giving is a real taste of period motoring. Bryan
B Mellem

I have fitted a dynamator, and I must admit that I have not thought about the insurance aspect. However, as regards the extra load on original wiring, I have fitted an additional cable from the alternator to the starter switch which takes approx. 2/3rds of the load. This does have the effect of the ammeter not being accurate, but this is a small price to pay,
John
J Foster

This thread was discussed between 03/04/2016 and 05/04/2016

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