New MGF Owner -A mistake??
Discussion
Spent over the odds for what seemed an excellent motor in white with performance exhaust(blame suspicious dealings on EBAY).Full history 58,000 miles on an R plate.
Drove home no probs but paranoid about water temp gauge varying a little .
Took the car to work to show the lads and on the way back lost the speedo (rev counter still works), then after 10 minutes more lost the power steering, indicated by the little red steering wheel warning light on the dash.Any ideas on both would be appreciated.
Drove home no probs but paranoid about water temp gauge varying a little .
Took the car to work to show the lads and on the way back lost the speedo (rev counter still works), then after 10 minutes more lost the power steering, indicated by the little red steering wheel warning light on the dash.Any ideas on both would be appreciated.
We have had an MGF since Xmas, nothing gone wrong apart from the engine falling out!!! When I mean fallen out, the bottom mount sheared dropping the engine onto the subframe!
Love the car, kind of agree with the Allegro comment..LOL!
Get the niggles sorted & enjoy it for the fun little car that it is, after all you should expect some issues with a car of that age, frustrating as they are.
Love the car, kind of agree with the Allegro comment..LOL!
Get the niggles sorted & enjoy it for the fun little car that it is, after all you should expect some issues with a car of that age, frustrating as they are.
Second thoughts....it might be more than just a loose fuse.
IIRC, the power steering cuts out at a given speed threshold (can't remember what it is), so it might be the speedo has failed in some way so the EPAS has cut out off the back of that on the basis it doesn't know how fast the car's going.
IIRC, the power steering cuts out at a given speed threshold (can't remember what it is), so it might be the speedo has failed in some way so the EPAS has cut out off the back of that on the basis it doesn't know how fast the car's going.
The speedo on a ‘97 will be mechanically driven via a cable from the gearbox. The cable is in 3 sections, and the most common to fail is the gearbox end section. The PAS uses a speed signal too (as its speed sensitive) which is why if the cable snaps you loose both. This normally happens pretty simultaneously though, so the 10 min gap is odd.
The PAS will also de-activate if the car is stationary and the revs are held above 3K rpm for a number of seconds. It should however re-activate as soon as the car is moved. Its not uncommon for the PAS to switch off during MOT emissions testing because of this, and you sometimes have to explain this to MOT testers so they don’t fail the car..
Its worth investing in a low coolant level alarm, as it will give a much eariler warning of impending problems then the not all that reliable temperture gauge.
The PAS will also de-activate if the car is stationary and the revs are held above 3K rpm for a number of seconds. It should however re-activate as soon as the car is moved. Its not uncommon for the PAS to switch off during MOT emissions testing because of this, and you sometimes have to explain this to MOT testers so they don’t fail the car..
Its worth investing in a low coolant level alarm, as it will give a much eariler warning of impending problems then the not all that reliable temperture gauge.
Ditto, bored so my under £1k search on trader turned up a decent MGF VVC. Seems spot on, head gasket done. No rust apart from a tiny patch on drivers door. Wishbones replaced, Aircon works, which is rare it seems to have even fitted. Nice touch is the electrically opening boot, most seem battered around the boot lock.
Cracked cowl over the clocks and badly fitted console sides otherwise appears good.
Still for under £1k with 10 months MOT, 3 months tax and a set of near new Proxi's and geo, seems good.
After driving quite a few this one feels good. '97 so cheaper insurance, we'll see over next few days before the wife claims it! BRG too. Leather and suede door cards.
Seems to go well but sub 7 sec to 60? Nah, at least it doesn't feel like it.
(Plastic throttle body though some more to come and allegedly respond very well to a remap).
Cracked cowl over the clocks and badly fitted console sides otherwise appears good.
Still for under £1k with 10 months MOT, 3 months tax and a set of near new Proxi's and geo, seems good.
After driving quite a few this one feels good. '97 so cheaper insurance, we'll see over next few days before the wife claims it! BRG too. Leather and suede door cards.
Seems to go well but sub 7 sec to 60? Nah, at least it doesn't feel like it.
(Plastic throttle body though some more to come and allegedly respond very well to a remap).
The_Burg said:
Ditto, bored so my under £1k search on trader turned up a decent MGF VVC. Seems spot on, head gasket done. No rust apart from a tiny patch on drivers door. Wishbones replaced, Aircon works, which is rare it seems to have even fitted. Nice touch is the electrically opening boot, most seem battered around the boot lock.
Cracked cowl over the clocks and badly fitted console sides otherwise appears good.
Still for under £1k with 10 months MOT, 3 months tax and a set of near new Proxi's and geo, seems good.
After driving quite a few this one feels good. '97 so cheaper insurance, we'll see over next few days before the wife claims it! BRG too. Leather and suede door cards.
Seems to go well but sub 7 sec to 60? Nah, at least it doesn't feel like it.
(Plastic throttle body though some more to come and allegedly respond very well to a remap).
Enjoy ~ exceptional value. Plastic throttle body on a VVC? New one on me. Cracked cowl over the clocks and badly fitted console sides otherwise appears good.
Still for under £1k with 10 months MOT, 3 months tax and a set of near new Proxi's and geo, seems good.
After driving quite a few this one feels good. '97 so cheaper insurance, we'll see over next few days before the wife claims it! BRG too. Leather and suede door cards.
Seems to go well but sub 7 sec to 60? Nah, at least it doesn't feel like it.
(Plastic throttle body though some more to come and allegedly respond very well to a remap).
Before considering any remap mullarkey, make sure all that basics are in good shape. Tracking, tyres ( correct for car ), oil and filter etc ... that sort of thing. Get all that right and it will feel a much better car from all aspects. TLC makes all the difference with any car.
The_Burg said:
Well the wife loves it.
Sorted the console and fitted a CD.
Has good tyres, geometry has been set and regassed.
Anybody know of anything that can clean the transparent ish screen in the hood?
PS after hammering down with rain i can confirm it doesn't leak!
http://www.mgfcar.de/softtop/index.htmSorted the console and fitted a CD.
Has good tyres, geometry has been set and regassed.
Anybody know of anything that can clean the transparent ish screen in the hood?
PS after hammering down with rain i can confirm it doesn't leak!
Its only MEMS3 (post 2001) cars that can be re-maped easily. A '97 VVC will be MEMS2.
Early cars do respond well to a good enclosed induction kit and the 52mm thorttle body.
You cabn get special products for cleaning plastic rear screens but they are not really neede.
Try cleaning it with car polish. Autoglym super resin works well at removing clouding.
Early cars do respond well to a good enclosed induction kit and the 52mm thorttle body.
You cabn get special products for cleaning plastic rear screens but they are not really neede.
Try cleaning it with car polish. Autoglym super resin works well at removing clouding.
Edited by MGSteve on Friday 3rd August 12:46
c'mon Steve you're not a kid you know you need to drive the car regularly for a good while before considering any "improvements"
regular servicing and regular driving is what's required to make it go as well as it could or should
engines aren't that important it's and brakes, (tyres see below), steering, suspension, lights and windows (if you have any AutoGlym Paint restorer that might work on the rear plastic window if you're careful I'm pretty sure I used it before for that)
Fs and Tfs are very tyre dependant so I've seen so good tyres for them mean the correct ones - good tyres generally doesn't just mean loads of tread if they not been used a lot and are over 6 years old regardless of tread depth they'll not preform as well as they should
'water' coolant is important as you know - oil is the secondary coolant remember
don't be worrying about engine 'improvements' that cut into the reliability and durability of the engine and components for the same of pub willy waving figures
but your car you enjoy it (or bust it) as you see fit it's only cost you a £1,000
regular servicing and regular driving is what's required to make it go as well as it could or should
engines aren't that important it's and brakes, (tyres see below), steering, suspension, lights and windows (if you have any AutoGlym Paint restorer that might work on the rear plastic window if you're careful I'm pretty sure I used it before for that)
Fs and Tfs are very tyre dependant so I've seen so good tyres for them mean the correct ones - good tyres generally doesn't just mean loads of tread if they not been used a lot and are over 6 years old regardless of tread depth they'll not preform as well as they should
'water' coolant is important as you know - oil is the secondary coolant remember
don't be worrying about engine 'improvements' that cut into the reliability and durability of the engine and components for the same of pub willy waving figures
but your car you enjoy it (or bust it) as you see fit it's only cost you a £1,000
Yes, agreed. As already stated, tyre choice and sizes are critical on the MGF and MGTFs. There are lengthy discussions about this over on the MG-Rover.org and MG BBS if you care to search the archives and old threads.
Ten years ago I bought a set of MGF alloy wheels with fairly new Bridgestones from a guy who bought some tasty aftermarket Alloy Wheels for his little MG..
The PCD of MGF/TF wheels are the same as Montegos, Maestros and some Rover Metros. I fitted this set of four wheels to my MG Montego Turbo and by pure chance, I discovered the perfect wheel and tyre sizes for my car. The handling which was never less than good was vastly improved. Transformed even and the car became even more enjoyable to drive. This is the car. Bridgestones have since been replaced :~
By the way, the MGF owner did not select correct tyres for his aftermarket alloys and found that although he believed the cosmetics of his car had been improved, I didn't ...
... the handling had not. Quite the opposite. Correct tyre choice, pressures and sizes both front and rear are critical for the little MG two seater, particularly for those that like to press on a bit ... shall we say ... 
Ten years ago I bought a set of MGF alloy wheels with fairly new Bridgestones from a guy who bought some tasty aftermarket Alloy Wheels for his little MG..
The PCD of MGF/TF wheels are the same as Montegos, Maestros and some Rover Metros. I fitted this set of four wheels to my MG Montego Turbo and by pure chance, I discovered the perfect wheel and tyre sizes for my car. The handling which was never less than good was vastly improved. Transformed even and the car became even more enjoyable to drive. This is the car. Bridgestones have since been replaced :~
By the way, the MGF owner did not select correct tyres for his aftermarket alloys and found that although he believed the cosmetics of his car had been improved, I didn't ...
... the handling had not. Quite the opposite. Correct tyre choice, pressures and sizes both front and rear are critical for the little MG two seater, particularly for those that like to press on a bit ... shall we say ... Congratulations on your purchace. I've had 3 MGF's and intend to buy my 4th next spring. My experiance of these little cars are fantastic fun, cheap to run, reliable, reasonibly built and pretty fast on the twisty roads. A couple of weeks ago I sold my TVR Cerbera 4.5 (my dream car) which I feel was a bit of a let down and bought my MG ZT 190 2.5 V6 with the intention of getting another MGF/TF too.
I've had:
2005-2009 1999 VVC 145bhp modded to approx 180bhp
2005-2011 1998 MPi 120bhp
2011-2012 1997 MPi 120bhp daily runaround while I had the TVR
I'm unsure if I'm going to get a TF160 or a TF135 and add 52mm TB, enclosed filter, exhaust and cam etc to take it up to around 220bhp. From my experiance 1800bhp in such a light car is plenty.
I've had:
2005-2009 1999 VVC 145bhp modded to approx 180bhp
2005-2011 1998 MPi 120bhp
2011-2012 1997 MPi 120bhp daily runaround while I had the TVR
I'm unsure if I'm going to get a TF160 or a TF135 and add 52mm TB, enclosed filter, exhaust and cam etc to take it up to around 220bhp. From my experiance 1800bhp in such a light car is plenty.
The_Burg said:
Seems to go well but sub 7 sec to 60? Nah, at least it doesn't feel like it.
Only the Trophy160 and possibly TF160 are sub 7 seconds, a good VVC145 will do 0-60 in just over 7 seconds. That said I don't think these cars feel like they are accelerating as fast as they are.MGJohn said:
Plastic throttle body on a VVC? New one on me.
Yep, all early cars had plastic TB's, later cars had alloy TB's all 48mm except the Trophy160 and TF160 which had the alloy 52mm TB.Gassing Station | MG | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff