Symptom-led fault-finding
Diagnostics
Every interactive flowchart in the archive, grouped by what the car is actually doing. Start from the symptom, answer a few questions, and the tree narrows the fault down to something you can test.
It won't start
BeginnerMG T-Type Won't Start? A Step-by-Step Diagnosis
Start by reading how the engine refuses — dead silence, a slow churn, or spinning happily without firing — then split the fault between supply, spark and fuel.
- Nothing at all
- Turns slowly
- Cranks but won't fire
- Fires then dies
It misfires or runs rough
IntermediateMG T-Type Misfire & Rough Running: Finding the Cause
Misfires on the XPAG and XPEG are diagnosed by pattern. The tree asks when the misfire appears, then narrows it to ignition, mixture or a single dead cylinder.
- Rough at idle
- Stumbles under load
- Breaks up at high revs
- One dead cylinder
It's running hot
IntermediateKeeping the MG T-Series Cool: Cooling & Overheating
Overheating is almost always a system fault rather than a design one. The flowchart works from when the temperature climbs — in traffic, at speed, or always.
- Hot in traffic
- Hot at speed
- Losing coolant
- Gauge always high
The fuel pump has gone quiet
IntermediateThe SU Fuel Pump: Why It Stopped, and What to Do at the Roadside
The most famous failure in British classic motoring: the silence where the tick used to be. A roadside checklist you can work through at the kerb.
- No tick
- Continuous ticking
- Fuel starvation uphill
- Hot-weather stall
It runs, but never quite right
IntermediateMG XPAG Tuning: Stage 1, Stage 2 and Engine Specs
For a car that starts and runs but feels flat, heavy on fuel or reluctant to rev — the tuning troubleshooter works back from the symptom to the setting.
- Flat response
- Heavy on fuel
- Won't pull top gear
- Idles unevenly
Fix-it guides
Single-fault guides for the two systems that generate most of the letters: the Lucas charging circuit and the SU fuel side. No flowchart — just the ordered sequence of checks, and what each result rules out.
Transmission
The clutch judders, slips or drags
Which of the four clutch symptoms you actually have, why oil and mountings cause most judder, and the 7¼in to 8in change that decides which parts you order.
Electrics
Wiring and loom colour codes
What each loom colour carries on a TD or TF, how the TC differs, the RF95 and RB106 terminal letters, and a sequence for tracing a dead circuit.
Electrics
The dynamo isn’t charging
Ignition lamp on: belt, earths, brushes, the output test and field flashing — and how to tell a tired dynamo from a regulator fault.
Fuel system
The carburettor is flooding
Petrol dripping from a float chamber: sticking needle valve, punctured float, float level and pump pressure — in the order to check them.
These trees are a way of thinking, not a substitute for the Workshop Manual. Every setting they mention should be confirmed against the manual for your car before you adjust anything. For the full topic index, see the Technical Library.