MG Car Repair: 76 Midget stopped running, vacuum gauge, gas piston

Question
Hi I hope you can help me with this one.The car was running great then one day it was idling a little funny spitting and sputtering then the next time I started it the car would not idle I could only keep it running with foot on gas otherwise it seemed like it was either runnig lean or a vacuum leak I did not find a vacuum leak carb is a weber. then the next time I tried starting it could not get it to run it will kick if I pump the gas like 5 times but can't keep it running it has spark and timing looks to be ok. It is getting fuel also. I had another carb so I tried that one too. I can't figure this one out I need help please..

Thanks  

Answer
Hi Larry,
All gas piston engines require only three items to run, compression, fire and fuel with conditions on each.
If your car came to me in a dealership I would run a procedure of testing that can not fail to find a problem of any engine that will not start.

First you must do a compression test. Throttle open, at least 5 or 6 revolutions of the engine for each cylinder tested. You should see from 125 PSI to 160 PSI with little difference between cylinders.

Confirm spark on all cylinders and set the timing exactly to factory specs. Clean or replace all four plugs.

Check fuel pressure to the carburetor. It should be from 1.5 to 3 PSI spinning the engine with the starter. This confirms proper fuel supply to the carburetor. If at this time it does not start with ALL of the tests up to now spray starter fluid into the intake when trying to start. If it starts but only runs as long as you keep spraying than the problem is the carburetor. If it does not start with starting fluid or will not keep running with the spray put a vacuum gauge on the intake manifold and spin the engine with the starter and read the gauge. With the throttle closed if the reading is 20+ and as you keep spinning the vacuum goes down very low or to zero as you keep spinning the engine, you need to unbolt the exhaust from the header and try it again. If you never do get 20+ on the vacuum gauge with the throttle closed you need to look for a very bad vacuum leak.

Somewhere in all this you should find the problem.
Howard