Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Mechanical Numpty Award?

[Ian Harris]

I had a call from a mate who drives a 1980 MGB, he'd come out of work and found the engine wouldn't turn over. He asked me to drive down to Bromley to try and jump start it ,and to (ahem) bring my AA card and, if necessary, take advantage of the "you're covered, not the car "clause.


Well, the blokes done me loads of favours over the years, so I got into the ever-reliable Alfa and trundled off with my jump leads.

When I got there, I connected up, ran the Alfa for a few minutes, then asked him to try and start it. The engine was almost catching, so I told him to give it a bit of gas. Now, unbeknownst to us, the rod that connects the two carb bell-cranks had a bit of a bend in it and, as matey boots the accelerator, the rod goes beyond "dead centre" and jams wide open...cue racing engine, clouds of smoke and impending MG apocalypse. As I leant in and switched the ignition off, he leaps out of the car, jumps up and down and asks me what I think I'm doing...."You should have known your battery was the wrong voltage"

I started to try and explain the role of electrical current in the internal combustion engine, but Lifes just too short!

Is this somehow connected to BMW drivers and chavs in Peugeots, who never work out their controls, causing them to always have four spotlights on, but never use any indicators ?

....Coat's on pending replies from BMW and Peugeot driving DSCers!




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