Topic

Hi

This is my first time posting here as I'm new to the MG family. I bought a 2000 MGF X-reg in March this year and have slowly been restoring her to her former glory. She has been running fine for the past few months until Sunday when she just refused to start. She is turning over but won't start. I've been doing some research and came to the conclusion it was the immobilisor and Key fob being out of sync. So, after purchasing a new battery, following the re-sync instructions and trying again, she still won't start. I've checked the spark plugs (which are brand new) and the leads (also new) as well as the fuel intake (there is fuel going through, you can smell it when ticking over) and I'm stumped. I've looked on the forums but can't see anything similar being written about this. Any ideas? Or if you know the problem and a fix?

Thanks in advance

The first thing we need to find out is what version of engine and engine management is it? Does it have a distributor, or coilpacks on top of the plugs? Is it a VVC or mpi? Does it have a timing belt at each end of the engine or just the offside?

Next question is where are you? There may be someone nearby who could assist.

It's a 1.8 mpi. I'm not sure about the distributor or coilpack over sparks, but there is only one belt on the offside.

Sorry I'm not too helpful, this is my first car, so I'm learning as I go.

I'm in the Braintree area.

Thanks

Ok.
Does it have 4 plug leads that come from the nearside of the engine and disappear under the top cover of the engine?
Or are there only two plug leads and they are completely hidden under the top engine cover?

I believe so, if memory serves , yes, four leads.

4 plug leads means it's not MEMS3 which is a shame, because mems3 means you can use a cheap OBD2 reader to identify any faults.
The earlier versions of engine management systems require either a T4Testbook or a T300 unit to fault find. There's also the new Pscan.eu unit, talked about in a thread on the forum.
So if you can't find someone with these units you'll need to go back to basics and check that you are getting a good spark at each plug and that fuel is being injected into all cylinders.
A good point to start is also to recall what was the last thing you did to the car before the starting problems?

The last work I did to her was brake disks, pads and replaced the cat and exhaust over a month ago. I'll look into getting a T4Testbook or T300 sorted out if I can find someone local, but it might be easier to go for the basics. Other than that I'm thinking electrical, so that'll be fun to find out

Thanks for all the help

Give Russell Walsh at MG Rover solutions a call, he is not far away , will come to you with his T4 testbook - I had a similar problem with my F, was the crank position sensor then found a fault with ECU, managed to set the cat on fire from pumping unburnt fuel into the CAT (turning over but not firing) Got a second hand ECU for £40 which Russell programmed to the car and all been good since. in fact i ended up with three ECUs, as won two bids on ebay one at 99p and one at £10. What plugs have you fitted i used NGK platinum and Magnecor leads.

Good advice from Bryan. Russell is happy to help with free advice too. He's not easy to get hold of, because he's so popular. Another good guy is Jon Norris of Rough luck racing.

Hi guys

Sorry for the silence, life has been a bit manic. I got the car to start. YAY. I went through all the sparks, no problem there, and she started first time during the test. Then after we put her back together, she refused to start again. So, once again, pulled her apart and went through everything step by step. Decided to replace the rotary arm and distributor cap as both were looking a little rough, put the battery on charge over night and reset all the sparks. Put everything back together, put the battery back and she's been running smooth since. I did manage to get the ECU tested at a local garage and nothing came up as to any sensor issues. So I think it must have been the distributor and arm, coupled witha weak battery charge. I'm keeping an eye on it and hopefully she'll be ok.

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions.