New MGF enquiries

Hello,
I recently bought (three weeks ago) a 1.8L 2001 MGF and there are some things that I am having issues with, I have not posted yet but have been following everyone's amazing stories and help from afar.

Alarm System and Interior Lighting issues.
The first two nights of ownership I experienced the car alarm going off multiple times in the night when locking with the remote fob, I have since been using the key but am stil trying to troubleshoot. 
In the meantime the interior lights have not always been turning on when openign the door. I have tried some things that others have suggested but to me these seem contradicting. Courtesey lights not turning on means car thinks doors are shut, alarm going off means car thinks doors are open?

Coolant Usage
I checked coolant and oil before purchase and am aware of the issues around this. Coolant showed no signs of any mayo but I did not make note of its level. I checked today and the coolant is below the first step, so I have refilled. Oil level is fine and they both show no signs of "mayo". However, the coolant seems to have a lot of debris/rust in. The engine has never overheated and I have done ~200miles in this time, the temperature gauge stays 1 below middle once the temperature has been reached. I am aware of rusted coolant lines on my MGF - would this be the cause of debris? Coolant lines are soemthing I want to sort out soon.

Wiper Issues
Pushing down the right stalk for the wipers takes a while to work, either trying for 10+ seconds or using different wiper mode first. Is this an issue with the motor?

I want to try my best to sort as much out myself as possile to gain the experience, but if required I am near to MGOC workshop in Swavesey else MG Brown and Gammons is not too far. 
I appreciate all the help in advance and apologies for any naivety with the issues 

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the-t-bar. The first thing I would check in relation to the alarm issues is the wiring loom around the left boot hinge - they wires often break close to where they exit the main loom bundle, because of the repeated flexing as the boot is opened and closed - there's a guide to their repair in the how to section.

The rust in the coolant is very likely to be from the under floor coolant pipes, they tend to rust from inside out, especially if the coolant mix is too diluted, or left too long between changes. I would recommend replacing these with stainless steel as soon as you can, as the last thing you want is a catastrophic leak which can lead to rapid overheating and head gasket failure. Fitting a low coolant alarm is also highly recommended for the same reason.

Should you join the MGOC they will give your car a once over free check, anytime within the first year of membership
Useful if you are close to Swavesey as you suggested.
The other temperature gauge for the oil is useful and should read around 110 to 115 degrees when the engine is fully warm, it will take a lot longer to reach temp than the water gauge.
It is at this point the engine can be worked a little harder if required.
As suggested above, SS pipes are a must, you could get the MGOC to do that if you wished to, as replacement is easy, but bleeding is finicky.
My alarm is over sensitive in heavy rain, like you I simply leave it off, trusting when away from home to a Disc-lock.
There is a weird issue sometimes (not always) with the intermittent wipe sending the drivers side window down, a capacitor can be wired in to cure, but I chose to fit Ferrite clips around the window motor wires, surmising the issue to be RF interference, 
So far it seems to have worked.
I think your other wiper issue may be dirty contacts, but others here will have more idea than I.



 

Thank you very much. The coolant lines are something I will get done asap.

I was unaware of the free inspection from MGOC, I will definitely take them up on this. Would be good to see a list of required fixes before I start making the car my own!

I think you'd find this very useful - new owner & member checklist   https://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/54-how-tos/99326-a-check-list-for-new-owners  Compiled by senior forum member Cobber