So its in for its MOT.
I have been having a mare with the Carbs, there were a number of small issues, and I dont want to spend time and money on sorting this HIF44 carb 100% as itll need to come off in the near future. Monday night was an pain. I needed to weld the handbrake braket up and then sort the mixture a little bit. It should have been relatively easy and straight forward. It wasnt.
Handbrake was no problem, Carb was a problem, the Needle is a BCE, it ran Ok when I got it but the choke didnt work properly and the can was mega rich and stunk of fuel. A look through the old invoices and a quick email to Tony confirmed that it was running on a K&N cone filter, it had come to me with the std airbox, so I though/hoped reverting back to a freer flowing cone would alleviate some of the richness. I have a rotten 1992 mainstream mini which has the HIF44 carb and a pipercross cone filter on it, I had taken the filter off it and stuck it on the Clubman.
It was better but it was doing weird things and not responding as it should when the dashpot was lifted and the mixture altered it was mega erractic. I took the dashpot off and jetted the carb by eye from the bridge after doing some research on the forum. But I was constantly getting big hiccups and backfiring through the carb. I wanted to check the dashpot oil and then noticed that the damper wasnt connected to the black screw in cap, I put that back together and then really had to start over. And suddenly it started to come together, then at about 10.30 the choke cable snapped!!
FFS. I had 3 options, 1 cancel the MOT which is today, sort the choke cable and then re book.
Take it for the MOT and hope they can start it and Mot it (I need to drop the car off the night before so wouldnt be able to take them a running car and wait for them to do it)
Go to my dads, semi break into one of the outbuildings where the mainstream is, remove the carb/choke/anything which looked useful, then return home and fit to the clubman.
I had a brew and then resigned myself to a life of breaking and entering. In the end I removed the entire carb from the mainstream vac hose choke etc. then went home to spend sometime swearing with my head in the footwell and my legs over the top of the bucket seats, Fun I am sure you will all agree!
So choke all re set and then the fast and slow idle re tweaked off the back of this, I got to bed at 1am, great!
When I took it to the MOT I am still having running issues, small throttle openings its good, and if I slowly accelerate its ok, half way on the throttle causes lean running in this area but what seems to work ok. And no matter how much I richen it from where it is noting alleviates this. When I get it back from MOT I will static time it and then have a look with a strobe and make sure it is timed right as well as checking the tappets and more than likely adjusting them as they sound a little noisy.
Anyway MOT result to get first and see if I have any jobs from that. If it is going to fail I am expecting it to be on either a worn ball joint on the drivers side, I order 2 from minispares but might be ok with just reshimming, when I packed it with grease most of the movement was taken up.
Brakes on either efficiency or balance across the axles
Seat belts as they are rotary aircraft type and are FIA compliant (or were as its expired) but have no BS or EU markings, but I am hoping the tester is pragmatic with that.
See what 2pm brings.
Edited by 28hodge, 18 January 2018 - 07:19 PM.