Introduction #
Zenith Stromberg Maintenance is needed. If you have this much unloved and maligned carburetor on your US Spec 1975 or later MGB there are some maintenance items. The O-Ring stops the damper oil from leaking. The diaphragm is critical to the car running. A hole or a split in the diaphragm will render the car inoperable. If the car even starts it will have no power.
Given the criticality of the diaphragm to the Zenith Stromberg, you must always carry a spare with you! I can personally vouch for this as I had a diaphragm split when I was in Colorado Springs, CO. Likely the failure was a combination of age and stress on it from adjusting the mixture to account for the altitude. It’s a fairly simple item to change but the orientation of the diaphgram on the piston is critical and there’s a tab to account for also.
Video How To #
The following video from John Twist of University Motors will guide you through both pieces of maintenance. Also see my supplemental video focused on the diaphragm alignment. This was from first hand experience of not aligning the piston correctly. John mentions this but I thought end users may find the additional detail helpful, especially if this is first time DIY.
John Twist of University Motors Ltd. is a great resource and supporter of the MG community. His website has a great deal of information available for free. Also, John has created hundreds of videos shared on the University Motors channel on YouTube. some of which are embedded here. Given all the contributions John makes, please consider using the donate button on his website home page if this information has helped you. Also you can use the button provided here.
John Twist Donations via PayPal
Supplemental Detail for Diaphragm Alignment #
This video goes into a little more detail about the diaphragm alignment. It’s critical you get this right. If not, the car may not run even with a new diaphragm fixing a slit or hole in the original. Also a picture to better show the piston holes and their relative position.
Other Materials #
I’ve built this website and spent time on the knowledge base to bring together a lot of information I have collected from around the internet. The intent is making it easy to find rather than having to know about and have skills with search engine query terms to get what you were looking for. Please make use of the knowledge base.
Don’t forget Zenith Stromberg Maintenance – O-Ring/Diaphragm is needed if you have this carburetor.
