19 replies to this topic

[stef]

Hello, im new to this forum, and it seems like the best place to get help at the moment as mechanics are useless.

anyway, i have a 1989 1000 mini city thats just had a stage 1 kit fitted at the garage. when i went to drive it home, as soon as you get on the gas it bogs until high rpm's. i was told it was lean, and have riched up the carb by a lot but doesnt seem to make much difference. ive put the old needle and spring back in, cleaned out the fuel system, changed the dash pot oil repeatedly, but its still the same.

my mini sometimes stalls and wont start again when im in heavy traffic now. my engine steady is totally shot, could it be this making the carb foul on the bulkhead affecting my running somehow? 1st and second gear arent so bad now, but 3rd and 4th are still bad. its like someones holding onto it and then when the revs are right they let go, and all the power comes in.

i hope someone can help, the mechanics didnt care, they just wanted their money and they charged so much i cant afford to get it looked at again.

thanks in advance,
Stefan

[minislapper]

The only way to get the optimum performance from a stage 1 kit is to get it rolling roaded by someone who knows what they're doing.

Have you checked for leaks anywhere, eg manifold etc. Is there the correct amount of oil in the dashpot?

[Bluemini]

You need to get the engine properly tuned on a rolling road after having any preformance mods done to it.

[stef]

i do not believe there are any leaks. the mini was rolling roaded, but i dunno what the guy did to it. he said he had to tune it like that because of emissions and it wouldnt pass the mot or something? getting it rr'd was gonna be my final choice, i just didnt want to have to shell out more pennies.

stef

[blacktulip]

have you had a k+n fitted? if so which type, the element or the pancake type, it could be lean at low revs with the pancake and wrong needle as the pancake type allows more air to the mixture making it weak.

[Madmax]

ive had mine rolling roaded by SLEAFORD MINI CENTRE


and it still does exactly what your explaining, total waste of money

[PiG]

ours does it too!

the needle supplied wouldnt even start the car, nor would another one we bought as a result of a winsu search

original needle runs the car, but not that well. Had timing and co set with this needle in

quoted around £150-£180 for a RR tunup which seems well steep to me as I am not really sure it will do the trick

moral of the story - what's the point of modding?

[rob3]

The wrong needle wont cause the car not to start, its incorrect mixture setting using the jet adjusting nut / screw. Rolling road tune up done properly is worth every penny, as the needle / distributer is altered EXACTLY to the spec of your engine and how it performs.

[PiG]

do you mean the idle screw then?

[Guess-Works.com]

I started writing away and it was turning into a basic how to tune your car, so that's what I'll do... with some piccies...

[Guess-Works.com]

But basically, what you realy need to do is reset everything, and check it's all at a basic reference level.. This includes, plug gaps, points gap ( or dwell angle ), condition of leads and coil, your timing and finally the mixture..

Some basic guides are..

Plug gap - 25 thou
Points gap - 15 thou ( or dwell angle between 50 and 55 degrees )
valve clearance - 12 thou ( or 14 thou if using a performance cam )

Timing varies depending on dizzy and engine, but anywhere around 10-12 degrees BTDC @ 1200 rpm is a good starting point.

To set a carb ( HS or HIF ) to a basic mixture setting, first remove the suction chamber, and then wind the mixture screw/bolt until the top of the jet is level with the bridge of the venturi (the flat bit across the carb) then turn the screw/bolt two full turns in the opposite direction.

Edited by GuessWorks, 16 December 2005 - 11:30 PM.

[PiG]

our car is a 1993 1275 electronic ignition (12A) engine ie non cooper (its a tahiti)

checked the plugs - reset to 0.8mm (2 of them very marginally wider to start with), they are pretty new too

checked the valve clearances and set them to 0.3mm (2 of them were narrower)

points gaps n/a as electronic ignition

leads condition good

timing was set at 5 degrees BTDC and CO to 3% (in accordance with minispares stage 1 kit instructions supplied with kit) at the garage about a month ago. Noticed the Haynes manual specifies 5 deg BTDC +1 1500rpm - what does this mean?

One thing I noticed which could be a problem is the dizzy cap - took it off and there were white powdery deposits on the metal terminals inside - when this was all cleaned up, the they have a groove in them in the centre - does this mean its knackered? the rotor arm is rough on its edge too.

Car is going much better now, speed wise but still has a slight hesitation when you are accelerating just after you change gear and also when blipping throttle on idling.

It still wont fire with the other needles, hence I'm also worried if its running lean, especially at speed.

I have been using redex to top the oil up in the dashpot, but not exactly sure if I'm doing it to correct level.

Cheers
Paul

[stef]

its not a k + n but its the same type, a pancake. i dont have a clue about all this set your valves to whatever lark, ive only dabbled in 2 strokes. richening the mixture just made it use way more fuel. im starting to think this was a bad idea lol.

i thought of taking it to peter baldwin to get it rr'd, is that a good idea?

stef

[miniboo]

YES!

After fitting a stage 1 kit it is almost a definite that you need to go on a rolling road

[Sprocket]

i thought of taking it to peter baldwin to get it rr'd, is that a good idea?

stef

One of the best places to take the car :cheese: