Time for another 6 monthly update:
I’d started to get a bit of a weird binding feeling in the steering, on some slight right curves it’d get stuck and not want to return to centre. I had a similar binding feeling on a lot of lock on the left side too. I started by checking out the steering column as I’d replaced the upper and lower bushes a few years ago. There was a bit of the carpet that’d detached and wound itself around the bottom of the column - I cleared this out but this didn’t help.
I also tried a different steering column and had the same issue. Next up I removed the rack ends from the steering arms to rule out the hub ball joints, but they were all OK
The next thing to try was loosening the backing plate for the rack damper, and loosening it half a turn stopped the binding altogether. I’m not sure if this means it needs an extra shim or if there’s a slight misalignment or some crud in somewhere it shouldn’t be. I removed the backing plate and gave the damper a clean but it started binding up again once I’d tightened it back up. I think the next thing will be to remove this rack (Aussie AYA rack that I’d refurbed) and put the original rack back in again while I get this one sorted again. Obviously I’m not in a hurry to do this as it’s a huge job
Buying a new steering wheel didn’t help either, but it does look nice
My next mechanical problem was the ride on mower wouldn’t start. Apparently having the valve seat fall out is a common issue on these engines, so I carefully hammered it back in, reused the old head gasket and it started right up and has been fine for a few months!
At the end of January I had another unexpected trip home on a tow truck. It was similar to the last few failures, it was idling OK but running on a few cylinders under load
I didn't have a compression tester that I could use by myself, but it was pretty obvious one I removed the first spark plug and I was getting 2 compression cycles per revolution. With the head off it'd definitely blown the gasket between cylinders 1 & 2. One thing I did notice when I was taking the head off was that the head nuts weren't super tight. I don't know if this had contributed to the gasket failure, or if I'd forgotten to check the torque after a few heat cycles
After thinking about a few long term options (get the head machined, get the pistons machined, use a decompression plate, stick to the 2 head gaskets and upgrade to ARP head studs) I was running out of time to get it back together before rego was due, so I decided to stick to the previous setup of 2 x Victor Reinz head gaskets.
I bought a 9 stud ARP kit ( Part number 206-4201 ) from a non-mini parts shop as they're about half the price. I can only assume being made in the US, then shipped to the UK, then back to a mini shop in Aus isn't the most economical method!
All back together again & running fine after the head gasket swap. I remembered this time to re-torque the head studs after the first heat cycle and I was a bit shocked at how much more I needed to tighten them up. Perhaps the 2 head gaskets mean there's a bit more settling after the heat cycle. I reset the tappet clearances at the same time and changed the oil to Pentrite Mini Classic oil from HPR30. So far the oil pressure has been pretty consistent, I decided to try this from now on as it has a lower detergent additive in the oil. I watched some oil wear testing videos on flat tappet engines, and the result was that higher detergent additives can compete with the ZDDP (zinc) and end up causing more wear. After checking the mini classic oil it was specified to have high ZDDP, but a lower detergent level.
After all that work and a quick check over and a wash it was all sorted for another rego check. It passed again for another year with no issues noted
If you've been following along for a while, I've been trying to get the front seats sorted. I'd bought a pair of the black vinyl bucket seats years ago and finally fitted them last year, but I just never felt comfortable in them. I thought the best option was to sell them while they were still as-new and find something else.
And while the original seats are my preference, unfortunately the original upright trim sections are well past their best and tearing further every time I use them. The plan is to track down some original trim and get the seat back either retrimmed or find some good original trims. While they are apart I needed another temporary set
I managed to find a set of later Clubman seats which were pretty grubby, but overall they were in decent condition and they had nice padding on the seat and back and still had decent rubber diaphragms. They were a bargain at $50 and weren't far from home
After a bit of a scrub, and swapping back to the Britax fixed seatbelts they were fitted. They are much more comfortable than my 850 seats, so while the 850 seats are apart I'll try and get some new foam and upholstery webbing to try and get a similar feel as the clubman seats. I also don't feel so bad driving the mini to work and getting back in with dirty clothes
I've also been trialing a recurved distributor rather than the Accuspark blackbox. I had this distributor recurved a few years back by a forum member, but I'd specced the curve to suit around a 10:1 compression ratio. When my engine had been running around the 11.5:1 the curve was a bit too aggressive (just like any curve programmed in the blackbox) so I'd kept it aside after finding it didn't work at that time. Now the compression ratio is lower with the 2 head gaskets the curve is now suitable, so I've been able to remove the blackbox and eliminate a few potential failure points. It does give a much cleaner signal with the timing light and so far it's been running really well.
Lastly I found an unusual carb for sale on facebook marketplace for a great deal. I've never seen one of these Reece Fish carbs in Australia before and I was always a bit curious after seeing them in the David Vizard book. Doug (winabbey) has kindly sent me some of Clive Trickey’s mini books which also give a good guide to setting them up. They are supposed to be pretty simple to tune, with no interchangeable parts like jets or needles. There is an Allen grub screw that adjusts the amount of fuel flow under load, an idle mixture screw which allows air to bypass the throttle blade, and the throttle blade is adjustable on the throttle spindle
It's a unique design, as the fuel is sucked up from the fuel bowl via a metering arm (the arm collects fuel from a groove that gets wider the more it opens, allowing more fuel), and the fuel then goes to the holes in the hollow throttle shaft. At idle the fuel goes through the top holes of the shaft, mixes with fuel and them comes out the bottom holes in the throttle shaft. Under hard acceleration the "pump jet" equivalent shoots fuel out of all 6 holes in the throttle shaft. I've pulled it all apart and cleaned it and replaced the one gasket and it looks like it's ready to use. I don't expect it to be as economical and smooth to drive as the current single SU HIF44 but it looked like a bit of fun.
