Hi.
My wife's mini is a 1984 Mayfair automatic. I have always done my own servicing and repairs. It has a Mini Sport stage 2 kit fitted and a "mild road" cam. It was also fitted with a Luminition electronic ignition system many years ago. Just before Easter it started to run a bit "ragged" and I could not find the cause. Having had problems in the past with another car's Luminition system I removed it - and the original distributor - and fitted a new Lucas electronic distributor and coil and serviced the carb. After some issues I got everything running and my wife used it very happily for a few weeks with no incident. Then last week she brought it back from a shopping trip with what I can only describe as a very loud "tick". As I drove it around this got worse until I convinced myself that a big end had gone! A friend said that it was pinking. In the hope of avoiding removing the engine I followed his advice and went back to basics. I re-set the timing using a timing light to 8 degrees BTDC with the vacuum removed, fitted new spark plugs, set the carb to continue to run with the piston lifter pushed up slightly. She runs very happily. But if I move it out of neutral the revs drop right down and it stalls. If I rev it quite hard I can get it to run and she drives OK (but with the loud "clang" every revolution) and when I stop she stalls again. Another symptom is that, even though the battery is healthy - and is on charge often as I have been starting her often - the engine seems to "stick" sometimes on starting, like a flat battery, but then spins OK.
Any ideas????
Thanks,
Bill
