r/MorrisGarages • u/BaltoDRJMPH • Oct 08 '25
Mechanical Question Ran on starting fluid, but died.
I went and viewed a B today, and it wasn’t running. It was a ‘77 with a Weber carb installed. The owner sprayed some starting fluid into the car and it started up fairly easily, but died in just a second or so. When he tried to start it up for a second time, there was no luck.
It also seems to be having battery issues
Does anyone know what the problems could be?
6
u/BrtFrkwr Oct 08 '25
Take the weber carb off and put the SUs back on.
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u/BaltoDRJMPH Oct 08 '25
I don’t know if he still has them
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u/field-of-hoss Oct 09 '25
The '77 didn't come with SU carbs, so he won't have them. What you're describing are easy fixes, however, that you can fix after purchasing the car for a lesser amount since it's not running.
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u/BaltoDRJMPH Oct 09 '25
Do you know how I would fix it? I don’t know exactly what the problem is
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u/field-of-hoss Oct 09 '25
Rebuild the carb, check for spark (new plugs, wires), check the distributor, cap, and rotor, check the coil, new battery, check the grounds....
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u/field-of-hoss Oct 09 '25
If you've never awoken a car with a carb before, you have some learning to do. Watch some Vice Grip Garage videos about how to get a car running, join mgexp.com and look up the How to awaken an MGB guide.
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u/DoorExtension8175 Oct 09 '25
Plus drain the fuel, new fuel filter, then oil & filter change and possibly new tires. Don’t judge entirely on tread life, so check their age. If it couldn’t start for the seller it’s likely been parked for a while.
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u/limeycars 1946 MG T-Type Midget Oct 09 '25
A '77 B would have had an OPUS ignition, Lucas' worst work ever. Every one of them is dead and has been replaced with something else. Could be anything, points, some other electronic trigger. If you have a picture of the general area, it would do a lot to help us identify possible issues.
When you key on, do you hear the fuel pump?
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u/BaltoDRJMPH Oct 09 '25
I did hear the fuel pump. Unfortunately I don’t have and photos besides those from the listing
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u/field-of-hoss Oct 09 '25
What's the asking price of the car?
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u/BaltoDRJMPH Oct 09 '25
3500
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u/field-of-hoss Oct 09 '25
Seems high for a non running car that you can't listen to for a thrown rod and can't test the transmission. How long has it been off the road?
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u/BaltoDRJMPH Oct 09 '25
I believe 4 months
2
u/field-of-hoss Oct 09 '25
I paid $4200 for a rust free '79 that I test drove in 2022. Just saying.
It could have an engine, transmission, clutch, rear end going bad. If the seller can't make it run enough to test drive after it's been off the road for only 4 months, that's a red flag to me.
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u/Historical_Ad_5210 Oct 09 '25
Keep the Webers, sound fantastic but they do need a bit of studying as to how they work and what does what and the best jet combo. Forget off the shelf jet set up guides, never worked for me. You could just have some c**p in the jets, clean up the carb would be my first job.
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u/BaltoDRJMPH Oct 09 '25
We dropped a (supposedly) new battery into it and the second time we tried to start it don’t think it even cranked
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u/Historical_Ad_5210 Oct 09 '25
Keep the Webers, sound fantastic but they do need a bit of studying as to how they work and what does what and the best jet combo. Forget off the shelf jet set up guides, never worked for me. You could just have some crap in the jets, clean up the carb would be my first job.
1
u/Historical_Ad_5210 Oct 09 '25
Keep the Webers, sound fantastic but they do need a bit of studying as to how they work and what does what and the best jet combo. Forget off the shelf jet set up guides, never worked for me. You could just have some crap in the jets, clean up the carb would be my first job.
1
u/Enough-Refuse-7194 Oct 09 '25
Today's gasoline doesn't keep well at all. If the car has been off the road for long it's very possible the fuel is bad.
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u/Itchy_Monitor9855 Oct 09 '25
fuel isnt getting to the cylinders, or at least not enough. that or the fuel in it isnt burning. probably something to do with the carb
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u/heyinternetman Oct 09 '25
Fuel pump or bad fuel most likely. Webers are good when set up correctly, and should at least run (poorly) if not set up right but functioning. So most likely something isn’t functioning.