Classic/Antique Car Repair: 52 MG TD Wont Start, light machine oil, mg td

Question
Dear Sir,

I own a '52 MG TD.  The last time it was driven was 2 years ago, and has been in our garage ever since.  It ran great.  Today I put a new battery in and it will not start.  The battery is good, I had it tested.  When the key is turned, the fuel pump clicks, but the starter will not engage and the head lights will not turn on.  I tried to bypass the solenoid by physically connecting the positive and negative terminals with a wrench to no avail.  Any ideas?

Thank You,

Craig

Answer
Sounds like a bad ground. This is a positive-ground (earth) car, BTW, so make sure you've got the battery wired in OK.

Make sure the ground strap to the frame is bolted tight and that both battery cables don't have any corrosion, and that the terminals are 100% clean. Same with the cable running to the solenoid.

These starters often jam with disuse, as does the solenoid. A sharp rap with a hammer on the starter's casing while someone pushes the button often will free it up.

Before I did any of this, though, I'd pull the spark plugs, check the gap, make sure they're clean and dry, and squirt a single squirt of light machine oil or WD-40 into each spark plug hole. Then turn the engine over a couple of turns with the hand-crank to distribute the lubricant. Re-install the plugs, check to see that the coil is getting power, and turn it over on the key.

--Paul