40 replies to this topic

[asmith88]

mini was having difficulty starting a while back, i realised i had the wrong type of spark plugs and changed them and it went perfect on the button. all of a sudden it dosent wana go anymore, the water was brown so i changed it, no help, leads all plugged in fine, plenty of oil, i havent got a clue, it chugs and smoke comes from near the carb/air filter and stops. any ideas. any help very much appreciated!! thanks!!

Edited by asmith88, 22 April 2008 - 02:48 PM.

[asmith88]

there is a glass fuel filter beside the carb, is it supposed to be full of fuel, its only half full?
??

[ginigwunkle]

what coluour are the plug ends?

also did you set the gaps to 25thou?

how long did you run ok for?

do you have a spark at the coil and plug leads?

[lrostoke]

inline filters don't normally fill up completely.

If it was running and you've done nothing to it, my first thought is headgasket as gone..

[dklawson]

Always start by working your way through an ignition tune up, then move on to the fuel system.

Work through the checks and adjustments as follows.
With the engine cold, set the valve clearance.
Inspect and replace the dizzy cap and rotor if any cracking or carbon tracks are found.
If the spark plug wires are cracked or appear at all worn from age, replace them.
(Replace ONE AT A TIME so you don't mess up the firing order).
While the cap is off the dizzy, dress and reset the gap of the points.
Replace the condenser (it's not expensive) but keep the old one (just in case).
Fit new plugs properly gaped.
Finally, check the static timing and set to the factory specs.

Work through the above list and you may only have to fit a few new parts but you'll be assured the ignition system is ready to work. If the steps above fail to fix your problem it will be time to look at the fuel system. I'll save that for later.

[duncancallum]

if youve swapped plugs sure your leads ore on right, number of times its simple stuff that causes the head scratching is unreal

[asmith88]

i never checked the gap of the plugs, il chek the colour tonight but when i first put them in the car started perfect, again and again, but the next day nothing, its a nightmare, ive checked the ht leads and everything for moisture or cracks or broken contacts everything seems ok, i cant understand!!

[asmith88]

a

Edited by asmith88, 22 April 2008 - 07:48 PM.

[asmith88]

actually hold on they are jet black, dont know where i got that from!

[asmith88]

and i mean JET black,

[lrostoke]

That sounds like sooty deposits, is it oily or a dry sort of black, If all of them are the same,could be you've been running really rich, and the plugs have finally fouled, try cleaning them..

check the condition of the air filter, if it looks clear, weaken off the mixture

[asmith88]

yea i thought that meant it was rich, how do i adjust the mixture, im learning.. slowly, but trying to learn. haha

[lrostoke]

depends which carb you have

sent you a PM

[asmith88]

the haynes tells me only so much, it talks about sealed and unsealed also dosent say which direction the screw turns to make the mixture leaner, it is a 1990 rover mini with a 1300 engine, if that helps at all.

[lrostoke]

ok need to establish which carb first

does it have a float bowl on the side of the carb, an extra bit sticking out of the main body that the fuel pipe goes into.

If yes then its an HS4 and the adjusting nut is underneath



No 1 is the adjusting nut, if looking from above screw anticlockwise to weaken, clockwise to richen

If its not got the floatbowl on the side, then chances are its an Hif38 or 44, which uses a screw to alter the mixture, not had any experience, but I'd put money on the Haynes explaining it

One thing though, ideally you want a colortune kit, or a gas analyser to set the mixture, for the time being you'll probably get away with just weaking it off 1/2 a turn

Edited by lrostoke, 22 April 2008 - 08:13 PM.