MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE May 1

The MGA With An Attitude

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MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (May 1 - May 15, 2026)

Friday, May 1, 2026:
Sitting in Rayne, Louisiana, raining all day, good to stay inside. Call to Scarborough Faire in the evening to check on the Return Authorization number from Moss Motors to return the ill-fitting radiator. Another week passed, and still no RA number.

Saturday, May 2, 2026:
Moved a few miles, still in Rayne, LA. Found the battery we want to buy. Can't find it in stock anywhere that we could drive to pick it up. Amazon has it for reasonable price, free delivery, and decent delivery time (4 to 6 days). Checking our Friends list, while heading for Austin, Texas. Called a friend in Austin where we can have it dropped. So the battery is now ordered and paid for, shipping right away, expected to arrive in 4 to 6 days, like Wednesday to Friday. -- Phone call with younger daughter in Austin, making appointment for Wednesday meeting in Austin, TX.

Sunday, May 3, 2026:
Crossed a state line at midnight. Not happy with engine fast idling at 1500 rpm, and sluggish starting, like it may have an intake air leak.We removed the PCV valve as a diagnostic move, plugging the intake manifold port, leaving crankcase vents open. That got the idle speed down, and more prompt starting. There may have been a loose hose clamp where the PCV valve connected to the intake manifold (maybe), which might account for the increasing fast idle speed. After we see how this goes, we may consider reinstalling the PCV valve later. Good opportunity for collecting experience with the PCV system, driving a while between making changes. -- Sitting in Orange, Texas today. responding to several MG tech questions.
Moved on late night to Beaumont, TX. Running rich at idle on arrival, which makes sense if there was an intake air leak before removing the PCV valve. Adjusted both carbs more than half turn more lean, readjusted idle speed, and it was running quite well (even without changing the fuel needle).

Monday, May 4, 2026:
After 10 hours over night sit, the engine fired up promptly. Shuffled on to Baytown, Texas in time for late breakfast, engine still happy on arrival. Even with the wrong needles, the carbs can always be adjusted for good idle mixture. You probably won't notice the wrong needles when cruising, except it may affect fuel economy or carbon up the combustion chambers if it is rich at speed. I keep reminding myself that we still have not been able to procure a spare rubber diaphragm for the PCV valve, so keep that on the "wish list" for future order.
Good time for laundry day, take advantage of the facilities at a Love's Travel Stop, along with WiFi and food. Laundry was interrupted and took longer than anticipated. Will stay over tonight.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026:
Up early,2-1/2 hours drive before late breakfast, in Giddings, TX. Just 1-hour from our first appointment tomorrow in Austin, TX. We may sit here for the rest of the day. Navigator was doing a little maintenance on the car mid day, gluing down a loose spot on the boot lid seal, and stapling a loose spot of fabric on the rag top front bow. He was using the hand size DC-to-AC inverter to power the electric stapler. We hadn't used that inverter for several years, because it won't consistently charge a computer when engine is not running. But it did run the motorized staple gun just fine. Still working on the tech web site pages in my spare time.
In case no one had noticed, this is Cinco de Mayo Day. We celebrate this as the 12th anniversary of this road trip.

MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (May 5, 2014)

Time allowed to do a data backup of my complete web site from my computer digital "hard drive" to a thumb drive. Surprised myself in that this is the first time in at least 10 years that I managed to finish it in less than half a day. -- Good news, our new battery was delivered in Austin today. Plan to pick it up and install it and take the old one to a recycle yard tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026:
Up early for breakfast in Giddings, Texas, then head out in mid morning rush hour traffic one hour run to and around Austin, TX. First top was a visit with Don & Jane Greer in Boerne, TX. They kindly allowed delivery of my new battery to their place, so we were here to pick it up. It is an Odyssey AGM sealed battery, Group 26R. Not long to unbolt and remove the old battery from the car, and remove the new battery from the shipping box.

The old one was model ODY-PC1200MJT. The new one is model ODS AGM42LA. Aside from the labels, they are nearly identical, except the old one had a 5-sided steel shell where the new one is not steel clad. With the new battery bolted in place, button up the battery cover and get the spare tire back in place. clean the old battery up a litle, put it into the shipping box and toss it into the trailer. then a 24 mile run around to the SE corner of Austin to drop the old battery off at a metals recycling yard. $5.92 cash for the scrap value,maybe half of what I was expecting. I thought lead was worth a lot more these days, but at least we did our civil duty to get it recycled.

In days past we have been towing the trailer at 75-MPH on the interstate highways. and poking around in city traffic. Today it is 80-dF In Austin, Texas with full sun, and we got stuck in and around the scrap yard for more than half an hour in what seemed to be sweltering heat with the engine idling. All the while the temperature gauge never passed 195dF, never any higher since we left southern Florida nearly three weeks ago. Right now I'm feeling real good about the money spent having the cell core radiator re-cored as original.
Call in to younger daughter, waiting for call back. Nearest McDonald's was supposed to be in a truck stop, but gone and replaced with something else. No problem, find another one next closest to daughter's place for WiFi and lunch stop while we wait. Other side of town to another place for late dinner with daughter. Seems like granddaughter and her family are on tight daily schedule, so may have to wait until weekend for that connection. Take I-35 south several miles at 11-pm.

Thursday, May 7, 2026:
Several miles west this morning for breakfast in Buda, Texas. Good to be out of the heart of Austin. We suppose all of Texas must have road construction, but still needs more traffic lanes, with population growing everywhere.
Added more information and photos for the Australian built 1620 engine with crankshaft and piston variations. It has crankshaft, con-rods and wrist pins like 1500/1600 engines, 3-inch bore like the UK built 1622 engines, but pistons dished on top for low compression. The shorter description is, very similar to a 1500/1600 engine expanded to 3-inch bore size for 1622cc displacement (but cast number 1620 on the block). If new pistons for this engine are hard to find, then substitute 1600 type pistons in oversize, and bore the block to match the replacement pistons.
Late night short trip to anATM to deposit the small check we got for the recycled car battery.

Friday, May 8, 2026:
A little repair this morning. The left side curtain rear stake socket lost its retaining nut and large oval flat washer. The large hex nut was found dropped inside the door liner panel. Didn't find the large flat washer, but did get it reassembled without the washer. That will do for now. The top flange of the stake socket is sinking into the wood door trim rail, soft wood from decades of use and weather exposure. Put it on the wish list to replace the door trim rail and leather wrap cover. Plan to replace the door liner panels as well.
Getting messages from granddaughter. She flew out of town on business this morning, will be back sometime Tuesday. So kill a few more days and plan meeting up Tuesday evening (maybe). "Cat's In The Cradle".

Saturday, May 9, 2026:
Amazing how quickly the engine cold starts with the new battery, like second compression stroke and it's running. The little gear reduction starter takes less current and works with lower voltage,so it wasn't too slow cranking with the old battery, but the ignition spark must have been sensitive to lower voltage when cranking.

Still in Buda,Texas, but found a different WiFi spot today. Posting a new tech page for pictures of MGA Coupe door parts after door disassembly. This one is tucked in between disassembly and reassembly pages. Thanks to Gary Lock in Gold Coast, Australia for the pictures, showing how much this web site is a world wide community cooperative effort.

Time spent updating links for Shops in North America. Abingdon Spares sold and moved from Connecticut to Main in 2023. MacGregor British Car Parts in Ontario sold inventory to Abingdon Spares in fall 2025. SNG Jaguar Parts sold to investment company with inventory moved to Moss Motors in Virginia in 2025.

Good start on a bunch of new Part Numbers tech pages for parts of the MGA Twin Cam cooling header tank and associated fittings. This is going to take a while, but I will post links to the new pages when finiished.

Sunday, May 10, 2026:
New Part Numbers tech pages uploaded for theTwin Cam cooling header tank parts:
AEC362 Screw for filler neck (6) -(header tank, cooling system, Twin Cam)
AEH482 Hose -tank to thermostat housing -(cooling system, Twin Cam)
AEH487 Filler neck -(header tank, cooling system, Twin Cam)
AEH490 Joint for filler neck -(header tank, cooling system, Twin Cam)
AEH575 Bracket for header tank -(cooling system, Twin Cam)
AEH593 Tank -header -(cooling system, Twin Cam)
ARH1022 Cap -header tank -(cooling system, Twin Cam)

More parts vendor moves. Kilmartin in Australia has sold everything toAH Spares in the UK. Inventory and tooling currently in process of shipping. It will be at least September before they decide if they will continue production of anything that is not Austin Healey parts.

Monday, May 11, 2026:
posted a new page in Faulty Replacement PartsFT-118 for a Shackle Assembly (for Leaf Springs) with soft studs and bad design that will strip the studs on both ends. The same bad part came from at least two different sources, so it may be a while before this one gets cleared up.
Posted several more new Part Numbers tech pages for parts of the MGA Twin Cam cooling pressure relief valve and associated parts.
AHH5903 Relief valve and cage assembly
AHH5906 Bracket for Relief valve
AHH5905 Hose -header tank to relief valve
AHH5907Tube -overflow -(relief valve)
PCR0607Clip for overflow tube
Jumped on a Zoom tech session this evening with John Twist and 200 friends, chatting about tune-ups.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026:
Getting a good start on a bunch of new Part Numbers tech pages for PCR-type P-clips, which are numerous in the MGA. These are the metal P-clips with rolled edges that help prevent chafing of wiring harnesses, rubber hoses, spin drive cables. and reduce abrasion on push/pull cables and metal pipes. This is a good example of BMC being concerned about the quality and durability of their cars.

Been planning and looking forward to this for months. In the evening we cruised into Raising Cane's chicken restaurant in northwest Austin, Texas for dinner with my younger daughter Honey and grand daughter Anna.

After dinner we were making our way through "hill country" around Austin, heading over to Anna's place to check out her nice apartment with the very friendly adopted cat.

We finally got to meet her significant- other Kyle, and my new great grandson Clark. He is now eight months old, and ain't he cute! Also meet Kyle's daughter Sofie (I think). Boy have we been out of touch with the world for too long.

Some things in life are too important to miss. Sorry I couldn't get four generations in one picture.

Late night, just getting out of traffic and construction of the big city of Austin, another 80 miles north to a Love's Travel stop near Troy, Texas for late dinner and WiFi.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026:
Sstill sitting in Troy, Texas. Posted a bunch of new Part Numbers tech pages for PCR-type P-clips (with rolled edges). Looks like 18 different part numbers between PCR0207 and PCR1411.

Posting yesterday's photos and notes (above) for the four-generation family visit in Austin, Texas. Having interesting thoughts about where we might be going in the next ten days.