16 replies to this topic

[MyloChunk]

Hi,
My 1982 Austin Mini City E is drinking fuel like there is no tomorrow! It's costing my £10 a day to run and I'm only covering 20 miles... IF THAT! And I have no choice but to pay this as without my little Mini I can not get to work or college. I have only had this Mini or about 2 weeks and the previous owner said it had been sitting for a while.

Does anyone have any good ideas why my Mini is drinking this excessively?

Thanks, Myles :)

[jaydee]

Probably it just neeeds a tune up. Is it modded or bog standard?

[chrisdeakin]

No leaks ? Follow the line the fuel takes , can use tissue in some places , find a leakin pipe. Also run engin and watch under the bonnet see if you can see if it's coming out then , if no leak then yea it will most Likely need a tune up

[Alex_B]

I worked out I am getting 22 mpg which is silly, when I have the money I will be getting mine rolling roaded as that should make it a lot more economical, but it sounds like you're running uber rich and over fueling, or its leaking?

[TA2DMAC]

Also check your air filter.
When it's running do you smell petrol coming from anywhere?
Is it a mechanical or electric fuel pump? Look at back of engine on the right side of exhaust manifold for a mechanical pump. Is it leaking?
Do you need to use the choke at all?
Have you checked the sparkplugs to see what color they are?
Are you getting spark to each plug? ( pull one off at a time to see if the idle changes then put back and check next.
Are the brakes dragging?
is the e-brake on when driving ( believe me a lot of people do it by mistake)

Just a few things to look at as well as the others listed.

[MyloChunk]

It's completely bog standard, haven't noticed any leaks but will certainly check him over. I've just replaced all the spark plugs and redone the brakes so they should be fine. Thanks a lot guys, I'll have a look soon and report back :)

[jaydee]

So its time for a good service and re-tune!

[Big_Adam]

Is it a mechanical or electric fuel pump? Look at back of engine on the right side of exhaust manifold for a mechanical pump. Is it leaking?
Do you need to use the choke at all?

On top of that, give the oil a sniff. I had a pump start leaking into the oil once. Never using damned mechanical pump again.

[tiger99]

I don't believe that anything other than a leak could make the fuel consumption as bad as that. If it was some other cause, such as excessively rich mixture, the engine would be running very badly indeed.

[MyloChunk]

Thanks to everyone who has helped me, however I have finally managed to fix the problem :)

All I have done is given him a nice service. I have changed his spark plugs, changed the oil filter, given him an oil change and he now running like a dream :)

Now he just needs a bit of a power boost. Being a City he is economical and slow compared to my HL. Any ideas?

Thanks a lot again for your help guys:)

[jaydee]

A stage 1 kit with a twin box RC40 (1.75" size) and, if you can afford it, an upgraded cylinder head (12g295).
The actual limiting factor of the City E is the tall diff, its a 2.9 which is good for motorway driving, but slow on acceleration.
Get rid of the useless weight, upgrade brake and suspention parts, this wont make the car accelerate faster, but will make it drive better, safer and faster.

[brad-the-bear]

A stage 1 kit with a twin box RC40 (1.75" size) and, if you can afford it, an upgraded cylinder head (12g295).
The actual limiting factor of the City E is the tall diff, its a 2.9 which is good for motorway driving, but slow on acceleration.
Get rid of the useless weight, upgrade brake and suspention parts, this wont make the car accelerate faster, but will make it drive better, safer and faster.

what diff would you recommend?

[jaydee]

From 3.2 up to 3.76 depending on engine spec. Unless you're going forced induction, the hotter the engine, the shorter the gearing you'll need.
3.44 is a good compromise, or swap the gearset for a close ratio set.

[brad-the-bear]

could you just bolt a 3.44 onto a city and expect an increase in acceleration? just a thought.

brad.

[jaydee]

Yes but its gonna be an hell of a job without removing the engine.
I think you may ask to bmcecosse for such exotic jobs.