13 replies to this topic

[Lennyliverpool]

Well this will be my first winter in the mini
So any tips?

As she is outside for now i have noticed that she takes forever to warm up and tends to backfire/jerk till warm
trouble is i work only 5 miles from home so she tends still to be cold by the time i get to work

Once warmed up though she drives great

Will put a blanket under the bonnet later whilst parked up over night see if this helps - otherwise any tips??

Cheers
Lenny

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[Bungle]

if you have a K&N panel type filter remover it and go for the stock set up with warm air feed

[Jordie]

88c thermostat
block off some of the grill to help warm up in cold snaps
give it a run once in a while, good long run to warm up to prevent mayo build up.

general stuff, i found a demister bag thing from ebay helps keep the morning condensation down.

[Ethel]

A blanket won't be much use overnight, it can only keep heat in if there is some. Once it cools it'll stay just as cold as it would uninsulated. Electronic ignition helps, and blanking off the grille will help it to warm up quicker.

[Ipod]

wipe a thin film of washing up liquid on the inside of the screen to reduce freezing and misting....and take the long way to work now and again

[Lennyliverpool]

Thanks for the quick responses

Thought the blanket would be a start!

How do i tell if i have/have not got a 88c termo - do i need to take it off?
Plus the k&n panel filter - think its standard thou

I have got some off those demisting thingies as well - they work pretty good

Will try the faily liquid tomorro!

Thanks

[Jordie]

thermostat would need taking apart to check, you would need a new gasket as a minimum.

[carbon]

Would not recommend putting a blanket under the bonnet. If you forget to remove it there is a remote chance it may touch the exhaust and catch fire.

[Lennyliverpool]

Hence the post it note on the steering wheel lol

[ianrussellthomas]

I'm piggy backing onto this post...

I only bought my 1st Mini a week ago and have never owned a car of this age (1984) before.

Is it possible to elave the car running on the drive for a while to allow the engine to warm up before driving? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but I'm referring specifically to the use of the choke...

I've had people tell me to get the choke off ASAP when using it, so will leaving the car standing, ticking over with the choke on do the engine any harm?

Thanks

[madaboutcherry]

as long as it doesn,t get knicked.

[ianrussellthomas]

It's all safe where I am and I can keep an eye on the car all the time too. And at the time of morning I set out, the only person I see is the paper boy anyway!

[cal844]

I'm piggy backing onto this post...

I only bought my 1st Mini a week ago and have never owned a car of this age (1984) before.

Is it possible to elave the car running on the drive for a while to allow the engine to warm up before driving? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but I'm referring specifically to the use of the choke...

I've had people tell me to get the choke off ASAP when using it, so will leaving the car standing, ticking over with the choke on do the engine any harm?

Thanks

i do this regularly and the car is still fine

as long as it doesn,t get knicked.

indeed, minis are so easy to strip of vital parts

[Ethel]

It's much better to just drive off, it'll warm up quicker under load. The excess fuel from the choke could also cause bore wash and accelerate wear. Sitting a paraffin heater under the sump overnight, used to popular when Cooperman was a lad.