15 replies to this topic

[BiMU]

Well not as bad as that... but pretty much close to it! Last week it rained... and as I now know... mini's do not like rain... especially into the grill... I got my mini started and started heading down an A-Road and i heard chugging... I thought this ain't good... Approached a round-a-bout... and there was still chugging... Still not good. I managed to get onto the round-a-bout and then *fum* car just went dead.

It had been raining... I had a cold... actually i still had a cold and still have. So i had to push the mini around the round-a-bout... plus my hazard lights arent working... Doubley doo-doo...

If anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated... My mini broke down on me again... same problem... its parked on a side road... lonely... I just need to be able to drive the mini in rain or shine...

People have pointed to the distributor. So Ive tried my best to sheild it from the rain. The coil looks pretty exposed too... i'll take a pic tomorrow... Im also wondering if its the wiring... I might have to redo them or tape them up so no connections get wet.

What do I do people!?

[TrialsLife]

Possibly a new coil and dizzy, should always have the splash cover on it. Unless its boiling hot.

Take the spark leads off and take a look for any obvious burn marks or anything out of the normal round the coil and dizzy.

[sirmarky]

ok , try this ,
get a good quality marigold rubber glove & snip all 5 finger ends off.
next remove all 5 leads that go to the dizzy cap & feed them through the fingers & into the main glove body & pull them through enough to pop them back in their correct positions.
then pull the main body over the cap & secure it onto the dizzy with a zip tie....
lastly , zip tie the fingers tightly onto the 5 ht leads & that should sort out your damp problems !
use a damp sealer in a spray form on the coil & electrical connections to further the reliability !


mark

[BiMU]

Possibly a new coil and dizzy, should always have the splash cover on it. Unless its boiling hot.

Take the spark leads off and take a look for any obvious burn marks or anything out of the normal round the coil and dizzy.

Cheers... will look around tomorrow. I dont have a splash cover... been looking for one though! Hopefully nothing too expensive.

ok , try this ,
get a good quality marigold rubber glove & snip all 5 finger ends off.
next remove all 5 leads that go to the dizzy cap & feed them through the fingers & into the main glove body & pull them through enough to pop them back in their correct positions.
then pull the main body over the cap & secure it onto the dizzy with a zip tie....
lastly , zip tie the fingers tightly onto the 5 ht leads & that should sort out your damp problems !
use a damp sealer in a spray form on the coil & electrical connections to further the reliability !


mark

Any preference on colour? Joke! Will have a search around tomorrow and try the glove!

Cheers dude.

[BiMU]

Hows this:

 DSC00625.JPG   67.25K   12 downloads

 DSC00626.JPG   70.35K   12 downloads

Distributor GLOVED! lets see how it fairs in the morning!

[Bungle]

thats it

[The Matt]

OMG NOOOOOO!

You have to use a yellow marigold, not a pink one!!!!!

[Bigbudders]

A pink one should work fine, it's only the concours judges who sneer apon non yellow marigolds

[Grayedout]

When was the last time the car serviced properly? If you fit good quality components and keep everything maintained you shouldn't need to go to those lengths and shouldn't have a problem with damp.

[Dan]

Absolutely. The plastic components in an ignition system are made of materials which naturally repel water and seal out damp. However they can only do this if kept clean. The problem begins when people start spraying WD40 or damp start all over their engines as a quick fix and never get around to cleaning them. The oil is great at displacing water to begin with but the sticky film soon attracts and collects dirt which then starts to absorb water. The wet dirt stops the ignition working so more oil gets sprayed on top and it gets worse and worse. Try cleaning all the plastic ignition parts (cap, leads, coil cap, rotor) as well as inside the dizzy and the plug stems and around the plug ports with some degreaser and get them nicely clean. You'll be amazed at the difference. And buy a water sheild, the rubber glove is good enough but makes servicing a real pain and looks daft and remember the wet dirt is still trapped inside it.

[BiMU]

Absolutely. The plastic components in an ignition system are made of materials which naturally repel water and seal out damp. However they can only do this if kept clean. The problem begins when people start spraying WD40 or damp start all over their engines as a quick fix and never get around to cleaning them. The oil is great at displacing water to begin with but the sticky film soon attracts and collects dirt which then starts to absorb water. The wet dirt stops the ignition working so more oil gets sprayed on top and it gets worse and worse. Try cleaning all the plastic ignition parts (cap, leads, coil cap, rotor) as well as inside the dizzy and the plug stems and around the plug ports with some degreaser and get them nicely clean. You'll be amazed at the difference. And buy a water sheild, the rubber glove is good enough but makes servicing a real pain and looks daft and remember the wet dirt is still trapped inside it.

I've been meaning to get a service but as yet have not have had the money, time i do have to at the moment the qucik fix is all i can afford.

On the subject of servicing what are the main parts to concentrate on? I used to service my old Toyota Corolla with my dad. I know of the spark's, leads, oil, oil filter, air filter. So on a mini just concentrating on keeping the bay clean.

I looked into weather shields but not have found any. But looking over the latest minimag today I saw an advert for different mulit-coloured weather sheilds but the website doesnt seem to work: www.minimine.co.uk. Does anyone know where i can purchase one?

[Grayedout]

Try ringing them.

Garage Name: Minimine
Telephone: 01782 595999
Address: 121 Uttoxeter Rd, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1PF

[sirmarky]

wow , nice marigold !
even with a weather sheild up front , a long run on the motorway whilst it's raining would be sure way to break down , i know because it's happened to me before !
anyway, dirt & stuff wont get in there if its cleaned out before the glove is fitted....
only problem i had is that the glove will perish in time & will need replacment.
this was a common addition with old skool rally cars & later cars employed rubber & plastic weather shields around the dizzy like vw's...



mark

[BiMU]

wow , nice marigold !
even with a weather sheild up front , a long run on the motorway whilst it's raining would be sure way to break down , i know because it's happened to me before !
anyway, dirt & stuff wont get in there if its cleaned out before the glove is fitted....
only problem i had is that the glove will perish in time & will need replacment.
this was a common addition with old skool rally cars & later cars employed rubber & plastic weather shields around the dizzy like vw's...



mark

So weather sheild is a no-no? It would be nice if someone designed a distributer cap glove for such circumstances. Or a better designed distributer? Is there a way to place it anywhere else in the engine bay?

I wouldve loved to take my missus to Stone Henge in the mini (as she's from canada) but Im really scared about driving the mini that far now. I think Im gonna have to replace all the leads and cap, a thorough service. And another glove!

Cheers Mark!

[sirmarky]

the dizzy & cap will have to stay where it is , in general though it should take you anywhere without any problems...
i do keep a tool kit in mine though , as im doing 200 mile a week to work & back then 250 mile trip to my parents house every other week !
i carry oil , 2 ltr water , insulation tape , screws nuts bolts , bulbs , jump leads & tow rope , flash light , screw divers & sockets , epoxy repair putty , tub of hand wipes , knife......


mark