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  • new MG maestro Owner

    Hi all , I'm from south wales and decided to buy a maestro for the first time.... Ive ended up with a slightly scruffy - its been out all winter and driven - silver MG maestro. its basically solid - needs a couple of lower welds and a rear wheel arch redone... and some immediate slapdash of paint to cover the rust until i get a chance to strip back and treat in a couple of months time. It will live in a car port in the meantime. The interior is good with just 2 niggles so far - a seat adjuster knob missing of drivers seat and broken clips on gear stick gaiter - i presume... mechanicals need a basic service but the cam belt is also due - its a 1996 o series so hoping the belt and tensioner are the later type as read about early ones.... Any hints and tips you can point me at or advice on repair panels for rear arches that i can get by reading the forum - i will go thru it over next few weeks. will also join the club properly next month. Thanks in advance
    my plans for the car are basically turn it from a 50ft to a 30ft car initially - do the maintenance - fluids filters belts sparks, then start the rust treatment and get a lower re-spray and tail gate done. need a new back bumper and the rear arch sporty plastic bits....(what ever they are called) Oh and get it thru its MOT.
    Silver MG Maestro - C555, needs some anti rust love

  • #2
    Welcome to the forum and the joys of Maestro ownership. I'm sure you will find lots of help and assistance from the members here, not only with advice but also in locating those hard to find spare parts.
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    1990 MG Maestro Turbo #436 (To keep me occupied in retirement)
    2023 Hyundai Tucson Ultimate Hybrid(Daily run-around)
    1974 Austin Allegro Semi-works Rally Car


    You know you are getting old when your knees buckle and your belt doesn't

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    • #3
      Welcome to the forum. I too have a silver MG Maestro, a 1985 car which may have been the one you read about with problems over the timing belt tensioner. You will probably be luckier than me as they changed to the later one quite soon after mine was built, if not then a modified Cortina Pinto item should be fine. I haven't see a rear bumper in Silver Leaf come up for sale in the four years I've had mine so it may be best to get a reasonable one in any colour and get it painted when one comes up for sale. Rear arch repair sections are quite often on eBay so have a look now and you'll probably get one soon. I think the sporty plastic bits are called 'spats' and they come up quite often too. Good luck wth bringing the car up to scratch.

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      • #4
        Welcome to the forum. Lots of good advice on here to help keep your Maestro running. Are you sure it's got a 1996 "O" series engine?

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        • #5
          Thanks for the responses. will confirm as soon as i get time to double check with montego manual i have just got for the 2.0 efi "O" series info that it definitely is the beast i think it it and not the 1.6 "R" series monster. Regarding bumpers are they all the same design with the rubbing strip? i.e any maestro bumper will do? "spats " yes that was the word i couldn't remember - thanks
          Silver MG Maestro - C555, needs some anti rust love

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          • #6
            Ah! Does the 1996 refer to the cubic capacity of the engine? I thought it was referring to the year of the car. Oops!

            All Maestro plastic bumpers are the same. The MG got the extra bits that screw on. The "coloured" thin strip near the top of the bumper can be coloured coded, eg red, black, silver and that depends on the year and colour of the car.
            Last edited by carfix; 29th April 2019, 14:48.

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            • #7
              It is a 1996 year o series engine - well having checked the pictures in the haynes - i presume the top of the 1.6 looks different and mine definitely is the injected version not carb. have to go thru the basic engine service stuff as its running a little erratically occasionally but purrs most of time - so have new sparks leads and dist cap and rotor arm. will be attempting cam belt change myself need to get a tensioner checking thingy? correct name for - spring tensioner checker? spring load checker? It doesnt look too difficult from the haynes manual - according to the "montego haynes manual" best place to look for gasket sets for the engine? ebay or elsewhere? lots of cheap timing belt kits seem to be available any ones to avoid?
              Silver MG Maestro - C555, needs some anti rust love

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              • #8
                Welcome, the tensioner isn't spring loaded but tightens using an Allen key bolt. Cam belt is very easy on an O series. Remove the powersteering belt, cam cover, front offside wheel, dust cover and then you can see all easily. Line up the crank pulley notch with the pointer and the 2 dots in the cam pulley with the hole in the rear plate. Undo the tensioner and loosen. Remove old belt and put new on, tighten tensioner and turn engine twice by hand to ensure the notch lines up with the pointer and the cam hole is in itself centre of the dots. Then reverse what you removed
                1958 Ford Consul Convertible. I love this car
                1965 Ford Zodiac Executive. Fab cruiser being restored
                1997 Jaguar Xk8 Convertible. Such a fab car
                2004 MGZT cdti. Great workhorse
                2004 MGZT V8. I love this car

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                • #9
                  Thanks Jeff All tips appreciated
                  Silver MG Maestro - C555, needs some anti rust love

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