mark
397 posts
Joined: 18/08/2005 14:01:28
Location: Hitchin United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Help, Elecric Problems, HELP!
drop in a new set of plugs and leads.... even a new cap and rotor arm whilst your about it
Posted: May 14, 2008 10:17 AM
David
28 posts
Joined: 07/10/2004 14:28:33
Location: Inverness United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
My engine won't start
I feel defeated, I have just done a pile of work on my Mini and now the engine wont restart. It is a 998 high compression from an 86 metro. This was running before I swapped it over (2 years ago). I replaced the head gasket and ground the valves in, set the valve clearances (cold), cleaned the carb, and since the inlet manifold was warped (fuel leaked down the back of the engine), I got that skimmed. The timing has been set from static, and I am using an electronic distributor from an MG metro. It has good spark plugs, and new HT leads. I am getting 12 volts from the coil. and a good spark at all leads. The plugs are wet after attempting to start. I have checked the wires are in the right place, and it looks fine to me in that respect. Anyone got any ideas? Thanks, David
Posted: Feb 18, 2005 02:35 PM
mini90
32 posts
Joined: 30/09/2004 16:35:30
Location: Nottingham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
..
Presume you have checked replaced all the electrics, checked plug leads are in the correct order, timing set correctly.Have you checked vac advance is working correctly.Change the condensor. Float needle valve isnt sticking, jet not blocked, dashpot piston not sticking.
Posted: Jan 05, 2005 08:13 PM
SimonJ
49 posts
Joined: 31/01/2006 11:40:27
Location: South Glam United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
there
there are loads of mini suppliers and engine builders who can supply you with a lead free stage 2 or 3 head. Expect to pay £300+ for the head. Dont forget, you will need a head gasket, manifold face gasket, best to have a new thermostat, antifreeze and an oil change. You will need the car set up on a rolling road to get the engine to run properly.
Posted: Mar 21, 2006 10:33 AM
T. Perks
57 posts
Joined: 19/11/2006 09:21:16
Location: Wotton under Edge United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Engine issues
sounds like youve put the leads back on in the wrong order, firing order 1342, set engine to tdc via mark on front pully and timing cover remove dizzy cap rotor will point to either number 1 or 4 confirm this by removing the rocker cover and for cyl 1 you should have rockers 1+2 with tappet clearance and rockers 7+8 rocking and vice verca for cyl 4. Also points should just open, if not the dizzy maybe in the wrong place aswell .
Posted: Feb 06, 2007 02:23 PM
paul
21 posts
Joined: 04/11/2005 17:08:07
Location: newcastle upon tyne United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Rims2
I have aquired a set of MG Metro pepperpot alloys and I am led to believe they will fit a mini with spacers. Has anyone had experience with this and if you need spacers where do you get them from and do you need longer studs etc? the mini is `86 ie 12" wheels and presume the tyres I need are 165 60 12
Posted: Apr 30, 2007 06:49 PM
Tim
1849 posts
Joined: 18/10/2004 09:40:59
Location: Bournemouth United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
how to set the timing?
Without a timing light you can only set the timing approximately. However, if you're really desperate and you can at least get it started (and assuming you;ve got the plug leads the right way round), try advancing the timing a little bit at a time (i.e. rotate the ditributor body clockwise). The idle should increase. Keep doing this until the idle doesn't increase any more, then turn the distributor back a bit. That ought to give you a driveable engine, but get it set with a timing light as soon as you can.
Posted: Dec 31, 2008 08:32 AM
J Barrett
1 posts
Joined: 12/04/2005 16:18:31
Location: Newark United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Ignition
Hoping someone has answer. 1980 1100 Clubman with permanent 'Monday morning' feeling. Despite fitting several sets of points, condensors and rotor arms along with dizzy caps, HT leads, coils plus ensuring correct fuel supply, good compression, correct ignition timing, correct metered test readings on all ignition components vehicle refuses to run properly. To further elaborate, runs and road tests fine after points etc; cleaned or replaced. Parked overnight, no moisture etc; allowed, next morning spits, coughs, f...s, backfires and is generally a b. HELP.
Posted: Jun 14, 2007 10:19 AM
taffy1967
1783 posts
Joined: 27/09/2006 18:58:07
Location: Rhondda-Cynon-Taff United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Re:
When were the Spark Plugs last replaced? What about the ht leads, dizzy cap, rotor arm, plus the contact breaker points and condenser (unless it has electronic ignition of course?) too, just when were they replaced and set?
Posted: May 03, 2009 10:21 PM
jag_clarke
1948 posts
Joined: 28/05/2006 16:49:46
Location: cambridge United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
re
yeah iv seen led lights sold on ebay, i think if you got a good set they wouldnt be a problem in mot they arnt alowd to remove covers to cheak bulbs in the test so if it produces normal light levels will be fine i think. i was thinking more on helping to reduce load on electrics as u could save about 20watts with rear lights so about 2 amps useful on a dynamo mini with about only about 22amps at high rpm only.
Posted: May 20, 2009 12:31 AM
roach3050
2 posts
Joined: 16/07/2010 00:23:09
Location: rochford United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
...
Cheers for the help guys,
It has a new set of plugs on, the dizzy cap is fine and so are the points. Can see any problems with the HT leads.
The car does stutter under load and it seems to be at the lower end of the rev range
The car is timed up as it should be and the dash pot oil has been topped up.
Keep the ideas coming
Posted: Jul 27, 2010 12:46 AM
Big Backfires! what has gone wrong!!??
On both my minis the distributor is fitted so that the vacuum advance unit is pointing more or less directly upwards.
The no 1 lead is more or less at the 7 o'clock position on one, and 1 oc'clock on the other. so I guess one of my distributors is 180 degrees out, but it doesn't matter. You need to set the timing (and your plug lead sequence) by following the instructions in Haynes - i.e. the section about setting No 1 cylinder on the compression stroke. Then wherever the rotor arm is pointing, that's the place to put your no 1 plug lead. The rest just follow in sequence.
Posted: Jul 27, 2008 08:47 AM
Luke6040
210 posts
Joined: 17/11/2005 17:00:38
Location: Wolverhampton United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
trying to get a new (2nd hand) engine started.....help
hey
like he said get someone to crank the engine as they do move the dizzy till it fires up and sounds ok.
then you'll need a timing light. if youve got a timing light try this iv stole this post from www.theminiforum.co.uk and a guy called dklawson : I've been waiting for your post since you bought the gun. Let's start with the obvious and basics. There should be a red lead. Connect that to a source of +12V (perhaps the solenoid). The second lead will be the black one and it goes to a good, bare earthing point, preferably on the block or head. The inductive clamp lead goes around the spark plug wire for cylinder #1. Look carefully at the clamp. There MAY be an arrow on it. The arrow should point towards the spark plug. Start learning to use your gun WITHOUT the advance knob. Turn the knob until the its pointer lines up with its zero mark (turn the advance function OFF). Start the car's engine, point the gun at the timing marks (presumably on the front of your engine) and squeeze the gun's trigger. The strobe should fire each time #1 spark plug fires. This will appear to freeze the relationship of the pulley to the pointer. Read what's going on with the timing marks. If it's necessary (or you want) to adjust/change your ignition timing, stop the engine and loosen the bolt(s) securing your distributor to the block. JUST BARELY LOOSEN, you don't want the distributor to move at this point. Restart the engine and set the idle speed where your specs say it should be (disconnect and plug the vacuum advance line also). Point the timing light at the pulley and read the relationship of the pointer and the mark on the pulley. Determine if you need to advance or retard the timing. While still firing the timing light, use your other hand to gently twist the dizzy and you'll observe the timing mark on the pulley moves relative to the pointer. Stop when the marks are where you want them then tighten the distributor clamp again. That's the basics. Now let's move on to using the advance knob. Let's say you have a spec that says your distributor should be giving you an [u]increase[/u] of 20 degrees of timing at 3000 RPM. Start the engine and read where the idle advance is using the light as set above. Write it down. Now add the 20 degrees to the idle timing you observed (say you measured 8 BTDC at idle and you add 20 to that for a total of 28 degrees). Turn the advance knob to 28 and point it at the crank pulley. The mark will be NOWHERE close. Now bring the RPM up either using the throttle or the idle screws. When you hit 3000 RPM the mark on the pulley and the zero mark on the pointer should be close to alignment if the advance is working properly. Remember... I made up these numbers. Look up what's right for your engine. Now let's talk about timing your car to it's maximum advance. Most cars can stand about 32-35 degrees of TOTAL ignition advance. To set this on your engine, disconnect and plug the vacuum advance as mentioned above. Set the gun's advance dial to 32 degrees. With the dizzy clamp loosened, bring the engine RPM up to 4000 RPM using the idle screws. Fire the timing light at the crank pulley and note where the marks are. Turn the dizzy until the zero mark on the pulley lines up with the zero pointer mark, then tighten the dizzy down. Reduce the idle speed to "normal" and use the gun to see where your idle advance is after setting it at 4000 RPM. Write it down. Reconnect the vacuum advance and take the car on a test drive. During the drive put the car under heavy load. Try accelerating uphill in a gear that's higher than called for (a hill that's best taken in 3rd, put the car in 4th and floor the accelerator). If you hear pinging, pull over and use the timing light (at idle will be fine) to retard the timing 2 degrees. Repeat the load testing... retarding the timing in 2 degree steps until you no longer hear pinging. At that point, measure and record your advance at idle. You have now used your advance timing light to set the maximum ignition advance your engine can handle for its mechanical condition and accounting for the fuel that you buy. Note that in all the cases where you're using the advance knob... you're using the scale on the advance knob to measure the degrees of advance. You're lining up the zero timing marks on the engine and measuring the degrees of advance based on the knob position on the gun instead.
Posted: Mar 17, 2008 06:28 PM
beno
38 posts
Joined: 20/03/2006 23:00:31
Location: horncastle United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Rough running
My mini is a 1275 and runs twin cards. I have set the timing correctly, ballanced the carbs but it still seems to run on only 2/3 cylinders. I have done a compresion test and i get rouughly 150 across all cylinders. When removing the plug leads 2 asnd 3 it makes little difference to the way the engine runs. I have put new plugs and leads in, and all plugs have spark. One thing that doesn't seem right tho is the colour of the plugs, 3 and 4 are brown to black, number 2 is almost as put in and still looking new and number one looks black. It appears theat no fuel is gettin to number 2 but this may not be the only problem. Help please! Many thanks ben
Posted: May 27, 2008 10:22 PM
John
please help 1275 engine rattle!!!
copper core leads will help spark prob went affect overun. new dystribitor cap, buy some copper core ignition wire, buy ngk spark plug caps as sold on here these have gold contacts so dont play up, use ends from old plugs to go into dystribitor and rubber caps around wires. set plug gap to around 50 thousands (less if it doesnt run well). then you should have good stroung sparks that will improve power and mpg marginally and should be more reliable provided you dont get it covered in water of course. as for rattle its really difficalt to know without hearing it even then its gess work unless you have very knowledgable and experienced mecanic. iv seen in submarine films they put a stephachope against engine to find problems but dont know how well that works and if it will send you deff or not. id keep driving it as to fix it if its transmission will be big job. if whole lot fails you can easy to get anouther box or diff to rebuild for £50 and then fix it then if you see my logic, when it breaks fix it then as parts are so easily avalible.
Posted: Nov 17, 2007 05:26 PM
Roy
261 posts
Joined: 19/09/2005 19:34:20
Location: huntingdon United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
not Fuel ???
Unless youve changed your fuel set-up recently, sounds like an ignition problem to me. Check your dizzy, points, plugs, leads etc......
Posted: Dec 29, 2005 03:50 PM
big boy adam
10 posts
Joined: 29/01/2005 16:24:09
Location: Lincoln United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
tryed everything!
Now then mine had the same problem, all it was was the tiny condensor screw inside the disssy cap it had come loose and wasnt making a good earth with yours check and re check every thing is set up correctly. make sure all your ht leads are it top condition and you have the correct arm and cap IF IT WORKED BEFORE SUMTHING IS WRONG NOW if all else fails check you have a spark by removing no 1 plug still connected to the ht lead and earth the nut part onto the head while sum 1 turns the engine over BE CAREFUL USE THEM INSULATED PLIERS DONT GET A BELT, IT HURTS TRUST ME if there is a spart you have a fuel problem ... try that m8
Posted: Mar 13, 2006 11:23 AM
BALDYMAG
77 posts
Joined: 24/10/2004 10:49:55
Location: Uckfield United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
TEST IT
Test it on the bench. Disconnect the battery and remove the starter. With the starter out and the use of a set of jump leads and another good battery connect the leads to the battery black lead to - and red lead to + making sure the unconnected ends do not touch (big sparks) connect the black lead to the starter body and touch the red lead to the terminal of the starter, this will make a spark and make you jump but it will also hopefully if all is ok make the starter operate and show if the starter is operating. If your worried about doing this get your friendly mechanic to do it.
Posted: Feb 26, 2005 11:09 PM
Jake Holmes
172 posts
Joined: 14/02/2009 21:39:11
Location: Walton on Thames United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Before condemning the carburetter have you checked there's a spark at all HT leads? Also have you inspected the carb you bought on ebay? Maybe it hasn't got a needle! or the float chamber is not working correctly if it's second hand. It may be that the seemingly easier route of replacing the carburetter is more problematic than repairing the old one. Oh and don't forget to check all gaskets, air leaks etc; although it may be that the mixture is simply way off and needs an inital setting. Always start with the jet flush to the carb bridge (dashpot or carb removed to check). Hope this helps.
Posted: Mar 21, 2010 01:34 AM
Help!!!!
What about the electrics?
When were the Spark Plugs, HT Leads, Dizzy Cap, Rotor Arm, Contact Breaker Points (set) & Condenser last replaced?
If you're in doubt replace them all now and set the points. NGK Spark Plugs (BP6ES) are the best and Mini Spares supply red Lumenition HT Leads (part no. HV22) which are superb too.
Oh and ensure the ignition weather shield is fitted at all times, especially during the wet weather and try to avoid using WD40 unless you really have to and even then make sure you clean it all off afterwards.
Then check the battery and both main earth leads. One is the negative terminal on the battery, so make sure that's earthing to the boot floor and check the one that runs between the engine and bulkhead. It's connected via the top suspension arm.
Posted: Jan 26, 2008 12:29 AM