7 replies to this topic

[Telejmp]

AT the moment Ive got an 81' 998 city as a run about car untill I sort my other mini out, but.. the guy that I bought it from says that model was never fitted with a temperature gague, is this true?
He also told me that when the car got too hot it just cut out, that sounded really dodgy to me, but the engine runs really well so I figured it must be ok.

Where the temp sensor thingy should be, there is what looks like a blanking cover, but it could just be that the metal lug has snapped off.
Whilst the car is running the engine smells like it is getting too hot, but I have no way of telling if it is actually overheating.
Is there a cheap way I could fit a temp sensor, and wire it to a gague or light inside the car.
Also, the car is fitted with a centre speedo, im assuming this is standard?

Im starting to wonder if the car has more serious problems, as it really does smell hot. Im sure there is enough water in and the heater blows hot air.
I also replaced the thermostat, to see if that helps, didnt seem to make much difference to the hot smell.
I havent checked the water pump or anything yet, because it looked like a reasonably new one, but I guess I could do.
pEaCE
Dom

Oh yeah another important note, the engine hasnt been converted to unleaded. Im using redex everytime I fill the tank up, to the correct measurements.

[philster]

some minis were indeed fitted without a temperature gauge! i know this is quite hard to believe but on some of the earlier models it was an added extra!
There are two ways of fitting a temp gauge.
One is to fit an electric temp guage which is what the mini has as standard. This would require buying a temperature sender which goes into the head (where the blanking thingy is) an eletric temp gauge and then possibly a stabilser althought this is already fitted for the fuel guage and can be used for both.
The second is to buy a capilliary (or mechanical) temp guage which requires no wiring to be fitted and uses a pipe which is filled with alcohol and this then causes a reaction which gives you a reading on the guage. The end of the pipe goes into the head in the same place as the standard sender. I have found these to be more accurate in my experience and a lot easier to connect up (especially if you're not too good with electrics.
If you think the car is getting too hot fitting a temp guage is the only way too tell, with a normal electric guage you should obviously be looking for around the normal mark and with a mechanic around 80-90 degrees.
Some things that may cause overheating are knackered radiator, ignition timing, mixture setting, faulty water pump or even head gasket failure.

Hope this helps

Phil

[Prawn]

mechanical temp gauges can be found for VERY cheap, tehy start from around £10 from new for cheapy ones, and if u look on ebay, there are literally hundreds of used ones from kitcars/minis, mg/s land rovers and all sorts of things
often the slightly better smiths ones go for around a tenner or less....
good place to look

[Dan]

It is annoying isn't it? My Saxo has no temp gauge, just a warning lamp. Now I may very well be wrong but I believe that an early 80's city should have the three clock centre binnacle, so there should be temp and oil pressure gauges. But never mind, if you don't have them you don't have them.
It's funny I have always found electrical gauges easier to fit because of how fragile the mechanical capilaries seem to be and the limited bending of them and not being able to cut them down and stuff. Each to his own.
What do you mean it smells hot? I think you really need to fit a gauge! Give it a tune up, as if it is heating up even though the cooling system is in good condition it is probably either lean or badly timed. If it heats up enough to stall, that means something has siezed or is about to which is not very good at all. How clean is the radiator (inside and out), and how is the oil system because about 40% of the cooling in an engine is handled directly by the lubricant.

[Jordie]

i got a 1980 City and i have the single centre clock, no temp or oil gauge. I will get some when i find a dashboard i like.

But yeah its annoying, agreed.

[Telejmp]

Thanks a lot for the help everyone, if I can find a mechanical gague for about a tenner that would be great and sounds about the easiest for now.

Once ive fitted the mechanical gague, could it be removed and put onto another mini? its just that I dont intend to keep this one for very long and It would be cool to eventually fit a mechanical one to my project mini, especially if its more accurate.
Dan- you could be right, i think it does need a tune up. I dont know if this means anything , but it wont actually Idle without choke, so.... usually I forget to push it in when im driving because its a pain at lights, that means the fuel mixture is lean right? hmm,

Is it possible for a beginner to tune a carbourettor? or do you need special tools/experience. If its possible, how should I go about it? This is really my first car and Im learning everything as I go.

Im going to flush the radiator/cooling system out tommorow and see what comes out, as it is pretty crappy looking in there when you look in the top.
thanks again everyone,
pEaCE
Dom

[Dan]

Could be a bit of lean-ness going on. Basic tuning of an SU is quite simple really (providing everything is standard, because the hard part is choosing components from the hundreds available to suit the mill) as long as you have a good ear or a decent tuning tachometer. It is just quite tricky to explain how, but the HBOL is quite descriptive in this area. Read through the book a couple of times and try it. Make sure everything in the fuel system is good before tuning though (like is the main fuel line full of crud, are the rubber fuel hoses perished, does the fuel pump work, is the float valve working and at the right height, is the float bowl clean and is the jet OK or worn out?) and make sure the carb itself isn't just generally worn or you'll never get it setup right. Also check the timing and health of the ignition system in a similar way. And look for air leaks in the induction system as these can cause many problems. Always remember safety when stripping fuel system parts down, and disconnect the battery first (and remove it if working with fuel in the boot or with the tank, dropping a spanner on the battery takes on a whole new meaning when there is fuel vapour around).

[miniman5]

it could be a number of things. such as the thermostat. get it out and test it and flush your rad and engine throught and see if it keeps doing it!

you also may have spilt some oil on the back ofthe engine and that will burn of and smell

also the smell could be comming from the back of th erocker cover gasket if it is not seated propearly!

hope ive helped!! :grin: