11 replies to this topic

[cookster]

hi there i have a mini red hot which has a 1275 engine which will not start for the life of me i have had a mechanic round and he cant sort it out he has got it sparking at the plugs and we no fuel is gettin to the carb all it does is just turn over the battery is fine there is one thing tho when we took the distributor out it turned over fine but when u put the distributor back in it sort of just turns over then suddenly stops like some thing is stoppin it from turning over all the way it used to go fine so im lost on what is wrong maybe the timing but i havent got a clue been sat there for a year now and would love to get it back on the road if ne one could help would be great thanks

[Guess-Works.com]

is it fresh petrol in the tank...

[dklawson]

Please re-write your post and this time explain sentence by sentence what you and your mechanic have tried, what you've found, and note anything that you have done recently to or with the car that may have created the situation.

Please write without the single letter abbreviations and use punctuation. I found it very difficult to read through your original post.

[Volf]

"Hi there,

I have a mini red hot which has a 1275 engine, which will not start for the life of me.

I have had a mechanic round and he cant sort it out. He has got it sparking at the plugs and we (think) no fuel is gettin to the carb, all it does is just turn over.

The battery is fine, there is one thing tho. When we took the distributor out it turned over fine but when you put the distributor back in, it sort of just turns over then suddenly stops like some thing is stopping it from turning over all the way.

It used to go fine so Im lost on what is wrong. Maybe the timing (is out) But I havent got a clue. Been sat there for a year now and would love to get it back on the road.

If any one could help (That) would be great thanks."

(Edited so it might make more sence)

Its been sat for a year? Get some fresh petol mate, just check everything over. You might find its somthing really simple.

Edited by Volf, 12 September 2006 - 12:30 PM.

[minislapper]

Was the engine put in then left for a year or was it running before it was left to sit?

[Big_Adam]

[i]"Hi there,

we (think) no fuel is gettin to the carb, all it does is just turn over.

i think he means "know" it just makes more sence.

[cookster]

Sorry i havent been at school for a while my punctuation is not so good. The car was running fine before i used to have to warm the distributor with a hairdryer when it was cold. Which worked for a while then it just wouldnt run i bought a new coil but still no joy. It has not got fresh fuel but the mechanic said it was fine. The mechanic took the distributor out and tried the rotatry arm in diffrent positions. The rotatry arm is a couple of clicks off pointing to the no1 spark plug and he said he could not get it to point exactly to it. Thats why we thought it might be the timing but if it was running fine before its getting real bad even the tyres are starting to go flat. Would be grateful for any help thanks.

[dklawson]

Thanks for the clarification and the follow-up post.

What distributor is in a Red Hot... points or electronic ignition? Wasn't the Red Hot made in the late 1980s? If so, did it use the 59D4 dizzy?

I'm assuming since you said you had to "warm the dizzy with a hairdryer in cold weather" that the unit still has points and a condenser. (Forgive me if I'm wrong). Replacing the coil probably didn't help the situation you improved by heating the dizzy.

Start with the basics. Assume the points are now worn out and the condenser is bad. Replace both and set the points to the correct gap. You said that the mechanic pulled the dizzy and looked at it, then put it back in and was apparently trying to set the timing by getting the rotor aimed at a certain place. This is not meant as an insult to your mechanic. However, I think you might need to find a mechanic more familiar with the Mini and/or A-series engines.

Once you've put the new, gapped points and condenser in the dizzy, set the STATIC timing for something close to about 5 degrees BTDC just to get it started, then have the car's timing dynamically set. Your statement that after you put the dizzy back in the car doesn't seem to want to turn over on the starter (like something's stopping it) implies to me that it's trying to fire at the wrong time and may be "kicking back" against the starter.

Once you know the timing and the rest of the ignition system are properly set, move on to the fuel system. You said the car sat for a year. It's very easy for the fuel system to gum up if you left it parked without adding stabilizer to the gas. Disconnect the fuel line at the carb and aim it into a can/jar. Have a friend crank the car to confirm that fuel is being pumped to the carbs. No fuel? Make sure there's gas in the tank and that the pump is working. Once you know that fuel is getting that far, you may need to look in the float bowls to make sure that the float valves aren't stuck closed. If they are, buy a can of spray carb cleaner and flush them out.

Work through the problems one at a time. Since you know that the mechanic has disturbed the initial ignition settings, start there with some new components. Set all the ignition settings back to the "stock" tune up specs. Once you know you have spark and you know it's set to occur at the right time, move on to the fuel system. Don't change a bunch of things at once. Take it one step at a time.

[cookster]

thanks very much for your help i will try as you say step by step. Yea the mechanic didnt seem to no what he was doin said he was used to newer cars but i have a friend whos dad is a mechanic and has worked on minis who said he will look at it for me . So hopefully he can do the job very much apprenciated for your help you certainly no your stuff thanks.

[TOMMO0302]

Again, no offence to your mechanic, but how does he know the petrol is fine? Could have been just as simple as that. Of course, sounds like you had an initial timing/dizzy problem anyway

[cookster]

I dont think he does he didnt no what he was doin to be fair but i didnt no only been a bodyfitter for a year so not sure about engines. I didnt give him any money so not to bad i have some one coming to look at it today. Who i no can do the job so thanks for your help love minis there awesome and for 200pound cant go wrong cheers.

[cookster]

all sorted my m8s dad had it goin in half hour. So all good it was firing on number 4 spark plug so no wonder it wernt goin thanks for your help love the mini even tho its unreliable.