QuestionI have recently acquired a 79 midget and when I'm driving the car whenever I apply the brakes the car sputters and dies. Any advice on how to fix this?
AnswerHi Chris. This is a strange fault. It sounds electrical to me, rather than fuel related. Somehow, your ignition circuit is being drained of power when you apply the brakes. If electrics are not your strong point, you may prefer to pass this problem on to a qualified motor electrician.
If I remember correctly, by 1979 the Midget had an electronic distributor with 3 wires going into it. One of those wires is White with a Blue stripe, and this is connected to an inline resistor. If this resistor fails or gets disconnected, then any drain on the power supply could leave the distributor with insufficient power to produce a good spark. When you apply the brakes, the brake lights come on, and that is enough to do the damage.
Another possibility is that the fusebox has corroded and has loose terminals. It will be more than 30 years old by now, and this could be a sign that it is causing problems and needs to be replaced. You could check by turning on the wiper motor and the heater motor to see if these also cause the engine to die.
The following link will provide you with a circuit diagram for a 79 Midget to California Specification:
http://www.1978mgmidget.com/78-80_Calif_spec_wiring_diagram.pdf
