15 replies to this topic

[burnleyadam]

Hello.

I drive a 1996 Mini Mayfair 1.3 SPi with a Mini Sport Stage One kit fitted.

Last Saturday evening I was on the motorway and my engine simply cut out at speed (first it started refusing to rev properly)... I pulled over and waited a minute. The engine wasn't overheating according to my temperature gauge and I tried to start it again but had no luck. It just spluttered and screamed but refused to start. As I prepared to ring the breakdown services I thought I would give it one last try and it came back to life. I turned around at the next junction and got the car home in fear that it wouldn't last my journey. It was fine since, until yesterday when I was driving home from work and not long after starting the car up I started having trouble. It refused to rev properly again and everytime it reached about 2500revs it rumbled and refused to go any higher, so gear changing became a real issue. I pulled over and started it up again and it was still doing the same thing, however when the car was not in gear it would rev fine. I left it outside the house and kept going round the block in it every quarter of an hour or so and the first few times it was still being dodgy, and then one time it just seemed back to itself again and working how I know it can.

Obviously I am concerned with the car as it cut out on me last week and from time to time it plays daft sods! It's my only car and therefore need it for work and social stuff.

I did put some new oil in a couple of weeks ago, the one Halfords recommended.

Sorry if this message is confusing but I'm a little confused myself!!!

I don't know an awful lot about cars so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Adam.

[minimad998]

Hello.

I drive a 1996 Mini Mayfair 1.3 SPi with a Mini Sport Stage One kit fitted.

Last Saturday evening I was on the motorway and my engine simply cut out at speed (first it started refusing to rev properly)... I pulled over and waited a minute. The engine wasn't overheating according to my temperature gauge and I tried to start it again but had no luck. It just spluttered and screamed but refused to start. As I prepared to ring the breakdown services I thought I would give it one last try and it came back to life. I turned around at the next junction and got the car home in fear that it wouldn't last my journey. It was fine since, until yesterday when I was driving home from work and not long after starting the car up I started having trouble. It refused to rev properly again and everytime it reached about 2500revs it rumbled and refused to go any higher, so gear changing became a real issue. I pulled over and started it up again and it was still doing the same thing, however when the car was not in gear it would rev fine. I left it outside the house and kept going round the block in it every quarter of an hour or so and the first few times it was still being dodgy, and then one time it just seemed back to itself again and working how I know it can.

Obviously I am concerned with the car as it cut out on me last week and from time to time it plays daft sods! It's my only car and therefore need it for work and social stuff.

I did put some new oil in a couple of weeks ago, the one Halfords recommended.

Sorry if this message is confusing but I'm a little confused myself!!!

I don't know an awful lot about cars so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Adam.

right ill start off by saying that im no expert so take what im saying with a pinch of salt, id definatly check the following tho.

1. gap check on the spark plugs
2. a vacume leak at the carb.
3. sticking choke mechanism
4. points incorectly ajusted or worn
5. blocked fuel filter

hope this helps you if i can help anymore either post up or pm me and il do me best to help!

[Spenner]

Hello.

I drive a 1996 Mini Mayfair 1.3 SPi with a Mini Sport Stage One kit fitted.

Last Saturday evening I was on the motorway and my engine simply cut out at speed (first it started refusing to rev properly)... I pulled over and waited a minute. The engine wasn't overheating according to my temperature gauge and I tried to start it again but had no luck. It just spluttered and screamed but refused to start. As I prepared to ring the breakdown services I thought I would give it one last try and it came back to life. I turned around at the next junction and got the car home in fear that it wouldn't last my journey. It was fine since, until yesterday when I was driving home from work and not long after starting the car up I started having trouble. It refused to rev properly again and everytime it reached about 2500revs it rumbled and refused to go any higher, so gear changing became a real issue. I pulled over and started it up again and it was still doing the same thing, however when the car was not in gear it would rev fine. I left it outside the house and kept going round the block in it every quarter of an hour or so and the first few times it was still being dodgy, and then one time it just seemed back to itself again and working how I know it can.

Obviously I am concerned with the car as it cut out on me last week and from time to time it plays daft sods! It's my only car and therefore need it for work and social stuff.

I did put some new oil in a couple of weeks ago, the one Halfords recommended.

Sorry if this message is confusing but I'm a little confused myself!!!

I don't know an awful lot about cars so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Adam.

My friend had the same problem last year with his 1.3 spi it was the vacum from the carb to ecu had a leak in the connection. The engine would be fine one minute and then cut and not want to start. Take allok at urs i might be that.

Edited by Billy no mates, 29 December 2007 - 12:47 AM.

[burnleyadam]

Right.

I have no clue whatsoever on how to check any of the things you guys have mentioned (they might be the most remedial of tasks, but hey). Is it worth booking it into a garage to let them give it a once over?

[Spenner]

Right.

I have no clue whatsoever on how to check any of the things you guys have mentioned (they might be the most remedial of tasks, but hey). Is it worth booking it into a garage to let them give it a once over?

if it is the vacum it will cost you pennies to fix

[burnleyadam]

Nice one, hope it's that then!!

I'll take it up to my local nice guy garage (or MiniSport) when they open next week and let them have a look at it.

Cheers pal.

[Southy]

The vacumn pipe off the carb (the big thing which attaches to the back of the engine), is attached underneath and runs to the black box on the left hand side of the engine bay (as your looking at it), there is also another vacumn which runs off the top right hand side of the carb which goes down to the dizzy (the thing with all the ignition leads running off it)

Make sure these are both connected or blanked off if the pipes have any kind of cranks or bad kinks in which could be a break replace them

[Bristolmini]

This does sound like a vacuum pipe problem on an SPI, I had exactly the same symptoms. Check all the 'rigid' pipes and make sure they are OK (includine the rubber elbows etc) replace them if you need to they are actually realy cheap.

[DaveRob]

I dont want to sound pedantic here but the guy with the problem here said this is an SPi.......

their is no carbs on an SPi.... I think the part refered to is the throttle body. At the back of the engine bay is the air cleaner underwhich is the Throttle body. If you take off the air cleaner you can see much more and the thin tubes with the black rubber elbows are what is being refered to here. On an SPi they are notorious for getting kinked or leaking at the rubber elbows or even having a split or hole in them. These thin tubes are essential to the correct operation on an SPi. As for Vacuum..... I think this may be the MAP sensor tube being refered to.... what its called isnt important if you dont know what you are looking at anyways but its a thin tube with black rubber elbows. I dont know about the mayfair SPi but I think their wont be any choke.... its controlled by the ECU and the CTS. Thier arnt any points either also their isnt any vacuum advance.

The most likley culprit is the fuel filter, (its at the back attached to the nearside back subframe). If you really dont know what your doing get someone else to change it, you dont want petrol pouring out all over yourself. If the filter gets partially blocked then when the engine is under load, (ie in gear and driving), the throttle body is trying to get more fuel than the filter will allow to flow. So cough splutter and no revs etc. When the engine is at idle and not in gear the engine dosnt take so much fuel and the filter is passing enough to allow an unloaded engine to rev.

This is just my 2p worth. Im sure their are others more knowleable here to comment.

My post here isnt meant to sound disrespectful of other replys cause shared knowlegge can only be a good thing but getting the detail right is important if someone who dosnt know what they are lookking at takes a car to a mechanic, opens the bonnet and says I think its the carb on my SPi........ Some more disreputable places might think its a licence to print money.

Anyways...... Tin hat at the ready waiting to be shot at.

DaveRob

Edited by DaveRob, 29 December 2007 - 08:36 AM.

[BoyracerAU]

I'm almost as much in the dark as Adam.

I've had my SPI Cooper for a whole week now and I've also been having the 'no rev' drama which developed after I had an alarm installed on Day 3. The installer must've bumped a vacuum line which tore the elbow which was already in bad shape at the back of the throttle body.


With the help of this forum (through researching old posts):

- I found one cracked elbow at the back of the throttle body which I replaced using 3mm vacuum hose;

- I used compressed air to make sure none of the vacuum hoses were blocked. There was a bit of wet C**p that came out of the line that went down to the ECU, so that was a good thing;

- I've also reset the stepper motor, although I'm not sure what that did;

- I've replaced the spark plugs and leads;

- I've disconnected the battery, reconnected it and let the car idle for ten minutes so the ECU could appreciate all my fine work;

- I've changed my oil and oil filter;

- And unrelated to the 'no rev' drama, I've greased my eight nipples!

The no rev situation has improved substantially, but it still falters very periodically.

I see DaveRob suggests that the fuel filter should also be replaced. Where is it, exactly? There looks like what could be a fuel filter tucked away up the back on top of the fuel tank. Is that it? Does anyone know the model number for what filter needs to be ordered?

Another question, one bloke said to me that these cars can take 40kms to come good after all the problems have been addressed. Does this sound right?

[DaveRob]

Fuel filter on an SPi is underneath the car at the back attached to the subframe on the Nearside.... Thats passenger side on a RIGHT HAND DRIVE car...lol.... Its got an input at one end and an output at the other. They tend to be covered in cr*p and muck due to location but are relativly easy to change.... and well worth the £6 or £7 they cost to do. just make sure you dont get petrol everywhere when you take the connections off.

DaveRob

[BoyracerAU]

Ah, thanks for that DaveRob. This'll be tomorrow's job. I'm running out of ideas, so hopefully, it's the filter then.

All the Mini people are on hols atm, so I've been getting very acquainted with my new car.

I have to say, this forum's great! I haven't had so much grease under my nails and barked knuckles since my first car.

[BoyracerAU]

I've just had a look under the car and it looks like the filter is a special one.

Does anyone know if there's a generic one you can substitute it with? I just know the blank look I'm gonna get at my local car shop tomorrow.

[Sprocket]

As long as you can get hold of an injection fuel filter that has 8mm hose tails on it, you should be able to retrofit the standard Rover one, you may need a short length of fuel hose to get it to fit.

It HAS to be an injection fuel filter, as these withstand the higher fuel pressures.

To get an idea of what you are looking at, this is the sort of thing I suggest.....................

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Spenner]

I dont want to sound pedantic here but the guy with the problem here said this is an SPi.......

their is no carbs on an SPi.... I think the part refered to is the throttle body. At the back of the engine bay is the air cleaner underwhich is the Throttle body. If you take off the air cleaner you can see much more and the thin tubes with the black rubber elbows are what is being refered to here. On an SPi they are notorious for getting kinked or leaking at the rubber elbows or even having a split or hole in them. These thin tubes are essential to the correct operation on an SPi. As for Vacuum..... I think this may be the MAP sensor tube being refered to.... what its called isnt important if you dont know what you are looking at anyways but its a thin tube with black rubber elbows. I dont know about the mayfair SPi but I think their wont be any choke.... its controlled by the ECU and the CTS. Thier arnt any points either also their isnt any vacuum advance.

The most likley culprit is the fuel filter, (its at the back attached to the nearside back subframe). If you really dont know what your doing get someone else to change it, you dont want petrol pouring out all over yourself. If the filter gets partially blocked then when the engine is under load, (ie in gear and driving), the throttle body is trying to get more fuel than the filter will allow to flow. So cough splutter and no revs etc. When the engine is at idle and not in gear the engine dosnt take so much fuel and the filter is passing enough to allow an unloaded engine to rev.

This is just my 2p worth. Im sure their are others more knowleable here to comment.

My post here isnt meant to sound disrespectful of other replys cause shared knowlegge can only be a good thing but getting the detail right is important if someone who dosnt know what they are lookking at takes a car to a mechanic, opens the bonnet and says I think its the carb on my SPi........ Some more disreputable places might think its a licence to print money.

Anyways...... Tin hat at the ready waiting to be shot at.

DaveRob

FIRED @ lol