28 replies to this topic

[sonikk4]

Is the spark at the plug a strong one??? the reason i'm asking here is when we first got Paddy he promptly spat his dummy out and broke down when i went to pick my lad up. (The day before when i picked Paddy up he drove 68 miles without a hitch)

 

Anyway cutting to the chase here the gap had closed up on the points. There was a poor spark at the plugs but when i reset the points the spark was nice and strong. However a quick drive of less than a mile the gap closed up again??

 

The screw was tight, the points were new however there is a small pin in the dizzy base and the points were not seated on this correctly causing all of the problems.

 

Got round it completely now by replacing the dizzy with a electronic one so will never have to worry about points again. But before that i ensured the points were seated correctly and he worked fine after that.

[deviant]

If you can get a mate turn the key.

 

slightly loosen the dizzy enough to turn.

 

Get them try and start the car while you move the dizzy back and forth.

If its just timing should hit the sweet spot where it will start..

 

You can then set with strobe. You mentioned pinking so maybe to much advanced.

 

I had a go at doing this yesterday with my housemate. Before I moved anything, I marked the top of the dizzy so I knew where it was previously working at. I then had him crank it over whilst I slowly moved the dizzy both clockwise (Advance?) and anti-clockwise (Retard?) through about 10-15 degrees. No luck

[deviant]

Is the spark at the plug a strong one??? the reason i'm asking here is when we first got Paddy he promptly spat his dummy out and broke down when i went to pick my lad up. (The day before when i picked Paddy up he drove 68 miles without a hitch)

 

Anyway cutting to the chase here the gap had closed up on the points. There was a poor spark at the plugs but when i reset the points the spark was nice and strong. However a quick drive of less than a mile the gap closed up again??

 

The screw was tight, the points were new however there is a small pin in the dizzy base and the points were not seated on this correctly causing all of the problems.

 

Got round it completely now by replacing the dizzy with a electronic one so will never have to worry about points again. But before that i ensured the points were seated correctly and he worked fine after that.

 

Thanks Sonikk. When I pulled the plug, and it sparked to earth, it did look pretty strong. I will have a look at the points again tonight. It definitely looks like I'll be heading down the electronic ignition path after this weekend!

[deviant]

Another thing I've had trouble with in the past to stop my mini from starting/running right, is the vacuum hose. This was replaced about 12 months ago, and seems to be alright. Would it be worth replacing this? If it is crap, can I block it to get the mini started up? 

 

Cheers,

Devs

[jagman.2003]

Just one for the list. Have you tried fresh fuel or any 'easy start' in the carb. Petrol loses octane value over time.

[deviant]

It had a fresh 10l the other day. I used a fair amount of carb cleaner and Easy Start last night with no luck. The reason I enquired about the sparking was that it didn't get the short kick into life that I've been used when it first burns up the Easy Start.

[lrostoke]

Ok you turned the mixture down get it through its MOT

 

If you haven't turn the mixture up by about a turn.

 

try static timing

 

remove No 1 plug lay it on the block with the HT connected.

 

turn engine so it is at TDC firing stroke No 1 (rotor arm in dizzy should be pointing roughly 2 oclock.

 

ignition on, dizzy cap back on turn dizzy anticlock wise, then turn clockwise slowly till the plug spark. tighten there..refit plug....see if it starts.

Edited by lrostoke, 30 May 2013 - 12:08 PM.

[deviant]

ignition on, dizzy cap back on turn dizzy anticlock wise, then turn clockwise slowly till the plug spark. tighten there..refit plug....see if it starts.

 

So when doing this, I'm not cranking it over, just leaving it with the ignition on?

 

Thanks very much for the help.

[lrostoke]

yes just ignition on with the engine set in one position (TDC No  1 firing stroke)

Edited by lrostoke, 30 May 2013 - 12:52 PM.

[deviant]

Perfect. Thanks Irostoke. I'll give that a go tonight.

 

Ordered up an Accuspark electronic ignition distributor pack for overnight delivery, so will have a go at fitting that tomorrow if I have no joy.

 

Cheers guys!

[lrostoke]

Don't forget the TDC mark will line up twice, so check where the rotor arm is point for the correct TDC point

[Captain Mainwaring]

Ok you turned the mixture down get it through its MOT

 

If you haven't turn the mixture up by about a turn.

 

try static timing

 

remove No 1 plug lay it on the block with the HT connected.

 

turn engine so it is at TDC firing stroke No 1 (rotor arm in dizzy should be pointing roughly 2 oclock.

 

ignition on, dizzy cap back on turn dizzy anticlock wise, then turn clockwise slowly till the plug spark. tighten there..refit plug....see if it starts.

For one minute there I thought you were going to try and start it like this:-

 

[deviant]

Don't forget the TDC mark will line up twice, so check where the rotor arm is point for the correct TDC point

OK, had a go at the static timing, thanks for the instruction. Attached are a few photos just for info if anyone wants to try this after.

In addition to doing the static timing, I decided to check the vacuum hosing as I read someone's build website where they had encountered similar symptoms. Both boots on the carb and on the dizzy were cracked and crap, so I've temporarily taped these up until a replacement arrives.

Unfortunately after excess cranking yesterday I've run out of juice, so the battery is on a quick charge so I can see if doing this has made any difference.

Cheers.

Image 1: cracked vacuum line taped up and refitted
Image 2: firing order 1-3-4-2 (1 roughly at 2 o'clock after checking spark)
Image 3: dizzy with taped vacuum boot
Image 4: adjusting dizzy whilst plug on block, watching for spark (at TDC) on cylinder 1

Attached Files

•  image.jpg   41.06K   6 downloads
•  image.jpg   74.86K   7 downloads
•  image.jpg   77.02K   4 downloads
•  image.jpg   75.57K   6 downloads

[deviant]

Solved.

Turned out to be a dying/dead ignition coil and the compressor seemed to be crap as well (even though it was replaced recently).

Had an accuspark dizzy kit arrive with a new coil this afternoon. 30 mins later the Mini of Doom kicked into life

Just taken it for a spin, and after a quick tune up, runs like a epic running thing. Will post picks of the accuspark kit tomorrow when I get to a PC.

Just need a new clutch now...