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#1 Ark2010

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Posted 30 December 2017 - 11:42 AM

Hello all!

 

Merry Christmas and happy new year to you all!

 

I've had a problem with my mini cutting out whilst driving which has deteriorated over time. The car is an '89 reg with an A plus 1275 engine put in to it. Single carb.

 

The first encounter was driving on a motorway where it cut out whilst driving. I took it off the motorway, gave it a rest and it was fine.  It was then fine for the most part on the short journeys I used it for (didn't really take it on motorways or big A roads as no need). I then had my first MOT done and after this the engine was a lot more responsive and felt better. The MOT replaced a lot of wiring, the ignition coil was replaced and the fuel was adjusted.

 

I took this on a large A road to push the engine and see how it responded but found it did the same thing again - it would start cutting out and losing power around 60mph after a minute of driving (probably 4.5K revs, maybe 5). If I shifted down a gear and it slowed down it would just about continue on but deteriorate until I was going back down under 40mph.

 

I took it off the A road and managed to drive home easy enough whilst travelling at these easy speeds.

 

I took it on a longer drive to a friends house but avoiding fast roads to see how it behaved but found it actually seemed to have gotten worse and it kept dying whilst driving. I got the car home after a very stop/start journey and left it for some time before I had the money to get a mechanic round to look at it.

 

During this time I did have a look at it with a friend to see if we could see any clues as to what was happening. We tried short drives locally but as soon as it tried to accelerate quickly and maintain a fast speed it would cut out. It was definitely getting worse. During these weeks I would turn it on to hear how it sounded and found it was really struggling to stay on, eventually cutting out after just idling for a few minutes.

 

The mechanic came and checked the ignition coil but this didn't seem to be heating up to indicate it was this that was failing, and as mentioned it had been recently replaced in the MOT. He checked the points condenser and didn't seem to think it was this that was causing the issue as there was a decent blue spark as the key was turned. We started the car and, as the engine died, turned the key off. We checked the little fuel pot that is before the carb (not sure what this is called) to see if there was fuel in there, which there wasn't. This suggested it was a fuel delivery issue.

 

We've just replaced the mechanical fuel pump but now the car won't even kick over. It sparks and then dies before maintaining any real revs.

 

He has suggested that this might mean there is stuff caught in the fuel tank which is clogging up the delivery of fuel (he did mention this could be the case before replacing the fuel pump but thought it was less likely). The new fuel pump might be increasing the pressure at which the fuel is being drawn through and therefore dragging whatever is in the thank in to the exit point of the fuel tank faster and therefore not allowing any fuel to be delivered. 

 

I can understand the logic of that and I have had the guy recommended to me as he is used to older cars so I don't think he is having me on, I just thought it would be good to see if anyone else has any thoughts on what could also be causing this issue.

 

If anyone has any thoughts that would be great! Also, if I've missed any crucial information please let me know and I'll add this in.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Noah 



#2 sledgehammer

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Posted 30 December 2017 - 11:47 AM

first of all , remove filler cap , has the problem gone away ? - if yes - fuel tank vent blocked

 

disconnect fuel line at carb , check fuel flow & condition ?

 

drain tank , or get a torch - look at fuel in tank - look clean ?

 

take fuel line off , drain tank , check fuel line condition - they can collapse internally , check fuel condition

 

has it got a fuel filter - is it blocked

 

if all else fails flush tank , new fuel line , new filter

 

best of luck

 

edit also check for blockage behind float valve , can restrict fuel flow (the bowl attached to carb)

 

also - ethanol is starting to damage rubber parts in some fuel systems , something to look out for - esp pipes under vacuum like fuel lines


Edited by sledgehammer, 30 December 2017 - 11:55 AM.


#3 Ark2010

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Posted 30 December 2017 - 12:10 PM

That's amazingly fast, thank you very much!

 

These also look fairly easy to do  - will try this afternoon and see what happens!



#4 sledgehammer

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Posted 30 December 2017 - 04:16 PM

thanks -

 

remember it's only a guess as I haven't seen the car my self

 

all we can do on here is tel you places to look at



#5 Ark2010

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Posted 30 December 2017 - 04:34 PM

Of course! Any insight is great as it always gives me a direction to look in.

From what I've described does it sound like it could be a fuel issue (be it in the tank or the line etc) or is there anything else which I could/should consider.

Thanks!

Edited by Ark2010, 30 December 2017 - 04:47 PM.


#6 Ark2010

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Posted 10 January 2018 - 05:53 PM

So it's come down to the fuel tank.

To confirm it we attached a small motorbike fuel tank and ran the engine with this and it worked fine for over 15 mins which is a recent record.

With the fuel tank removed we had a look inside and it looks like there is a bit sediment inside, not a vast amount though. There is also what I think is a fuel filter inside the tank (see through cylinder at the end of the fuel hose where it must take the fuel from).

The hose and 'fuel filter' in the tank are attached to a metal fuel hose inside the tank which leads out and would connect to the fuel line. This appears to be welded or secured in place which means taking this out and inspecting all of it will be impossible.

Anyone have an idea -

1)if this is a fuel filter
2)how we access it/remove it

I would just replace the fuel tank but they look surprisingly expensive (3/400).

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

#7 viz139

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Posted 10 January 2018 - 10:01 PM

There is a gauze at the start of the fuel pick up to filter large particals and if the tank has sat for a long time it could be gunged up. Should be posable  to back flush through the fuel pipe and soak the gunge in a solvent before rinsing out.



#8 sledgehammer

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Posted 13 January 2018 - 12:23 PM

as above flush fuel tank out , blow lines thru - replace filters

 

you will be surprised what comes out

 

use an airline to get out any water before re - using

 

check fuel cap seal - water can get in sometimes

 

be prepared to find some muck in the system after restarting - there is always a bit more in there



#9 Ark2010

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Posted 20 January 2018 - 05:42 PM

Evening all,

 

A small update for you - it's back on the road!

 

We took off the fuel tank and there was a lot of crap in there- rust and whatnot. The tank doesn't appear to be in a great condition but not terrible. I expect the same thing will need to be done again at a later date.

 

We cleared out the tank several times using the same fuel and using a make shift filter and blew air from a pump through the metal fuel hose that goes in to the fuel tank to clear any stuff that could be caught in there.

 

Taken it for a few drives and it seems to be pretty good. Was aiming to take it on to an A road today but the weather wasn't good enough and didn't want to risk it on a damp day. Went over 50 down a local national speed limit road and it maintained speed-  however I feel a couple of hiccups. Not sure if it's the same fuel starvation or just a bit of bad luck. 

 

Overall very happy it's driveable again and thank you all for your help and suggestions. Will update once I have taken it for a longer, faster drive.

 

Cheers!

 
Here's a pic of what we got out -  https://i.imgur.com/8dA3XWH.jpg





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