Wriute ta & MGB by Knowies, David MBI Terry Peters Contributing Writer SHORTLY after the first MGA made its debut in-1955, thoughts were turned towards its successor. . It took another seven” years before the first MGB ° was unveiled to the public at the Earls Court Motor Show. The initial enthusi- asm by auto — reviewers helped catapult the car into . fe’s carly success with the > public. ~The affordable two-seater sportscar had arrived. . David Knowles chronicles the development « “from its conception through to the trtory ck S computer needs tc ‘remember’ Ca | eo The ert Wwent dead after the lights were left on. Because of the age ‘of ‘the battery. I. replace it. After replacing the battery, the car started, but: would” not stay’. . The car. Kept stalling. ‘The cat ran fine, before the r pau: know which : No," I said. “Tj just means the battery is OK.”. “Oh,” aid: - “So what's ee your” shorts:‘on.” Patiencé ti a virtue, but Beefus “Rube: lef school before: they. ‘talked -abour-, such” things. o ‘Now try starting it, and tell e if you hear. any clicking “sounds.” : heavy - breathing. ‘Nope; don’t hear a thing.” Bur I could. “Turn the radio ‘down, Bcefus,. before ic; Nelson busts a lung.” The. ‘radio went dead and Beefus tried it once more, “Yeah, she’s clickin’.” he said. “Starter fried?” - “No, just worn solenoid “gonracts, Come dow: rand Vil > throw ina new set.” “How am I> gonna do us snorted. “lush it ‘the. thought of working up a good honest © sweat, but instead T let him in on. a litte secret. “Give the : pletely dead in the: vehicle. ‘che MGB ewe ut 1981. battery went dead. What ‘caused this tro happen? Any advice would be appreciated. - ‘West Vancouver Dear Mark Most of today’s. cars are computer controlied. The computer keeps memory of the values that are needed to keep the car running to its optimum efficiency. If the battery goes com- the computer will need to relearn how to keep the vehicle idling Propcrly. On your Ford T-Bird doing the following can reset this as : follow - 1. Depressing, the accelerator : pedal about one-quarter down. ~ 2, Start and run the engine for : five to 10 seconds. : 3. Turn the ignition OFF for ‘10 seconds. problems starter a light tap with a ham- mer, and it will probably work.” As I hung up, I remem- bered that the smallest ham- mer Beefus owned was 2 ten- . Pound sledge. No doubt Ma’s van would nced more than just ‘contacts by the time it got towed in. ~ [resisted the urge to call him back. Anyone with com- mion sense would know to go easy on the starter. Although, | + Beefus skipped that F Slim's Tip: Try to pay atten- tion to the details “when describing a problem to your mechanic. It will speed things up and help prevent a misdiag- nosis. Rick Goghill is from Summerland, B.C. Along with being a bumozr columnist in various magasines and newspa- bers, he alsa owns Rick's Automotive Services. Ltd. Dealing with enstomers and their cars for over 20 years gives Dim lats to write about. He can be conineted via e-mail at . opened ris classic | one rolled out of the factory, His extensive ch and interviews make this more than the typical car book. This is 3 detailed history of ar that was a hit worldwide and is still lov- ingly maintained by thou- sands of proud owne his is also an overview of much of British car manufaccur- ing, as the MG story is interwoven with so many other companies, A wide selection of images iflustrate every part of the story. from assembly line to advertising photos to racing performances. The many derailed pictures also pro- vide an excellent reference for current owners on origi- nal conditions. The love affair with this peppy British import has gone on long after the last — for many people, their MG was that truly special car that will never be forgotten. David Knowles has produced a tribute to those memories. 4. Restart the engine and check for proper idle If the vehicle continues to stall, further diagnostic testing would need to be performed by a qualified technician. Charles Taylor Taylormotive Service Ltd 4 Got a question for Mr. Fix-it? Send it c/o Martin Millerchip, North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Aye. North Vanconver, B.C. V7M 2H4. Fax to 985-2204 on, best of all, e- mail — . Please do not plone in. NORTH SHORE PARTS py Aulo Parts Plus “YOUR AUTO PARTS SUPERSTOR sd . . : . . mn “ {JAY LORMOTIVE <8 WZRYEORMOTIVE 7, PEMZOM) | SUMMER SPECIALS = ALL SERVICE 8Y GOVT. 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