21 replies to this topic

[Shooter63]

This is the needle I question, the filing isn't so much the problem it's the graunch marks that mangled the jet up.Shooter

 20231001_170647.jpg   7.94K   5 downloads

[imack]

I think needle filing can work on older SU's that have fixed needles as the needle should never be in contact with the jet.
On swinging/biased needles the filed part just acts like a saw on the jet.

[Shooter63]

I think needle filing can work on older SU's that have fixed needles as the needle should never be in contact with the jet.
On swinging/biased needles the filed part just acts like a saw on the jet.

And that is exactly what has happened, while the engine is 100% better, I'll wait until AC Dodd makes another visit in the area, change the jet the day before the date, and run up to him the next morning, luckily the place is only a few back road miles from me.

Shooter

[Midas Mk1]

rob at minisport always filed the needle and was spot on, shame that all the old guys who knew their stuff are now going and the knowledge with carbs is being lost. three up 'ere are no more

+1, Rob was a true gent at Minisport , filed needles with knowledge, done both mine and my Dads Midas 3/4 times throughout their different engines. I did my year 10 work experience there, spent two days on the dyno watching him do his magic! 16 years ago, makes me feel old 😛

Edited by Midas Mk1, 09 October 2023 - 07:42 PM.

[68+86auto]

If you don't need every last little bit of performance then dyno tuning is unnecessary. Someone who knows what they are doing can get it most of the way without a dyno as AC Dodd proves.
 

 

The biggest issue is finding someone who knows what they are doing. I have repeatedly seen the results of a mechanic who was trained on minis and is useless, anyone could do the timing better even without a timing light.

[Steam]

This is the reason that I bought my own gear and do my own tuning on the minis. I know 68+86auto also does this.
I also do my own wheel alignments as the so called experts regularly get it wrong but that is a whole other can of worms.
Getting to 90% is easy, the rest is a fine art.
I had an engine put together by a supposed leyland trained mechanic years ago. It lasted 1100 kms before it shat out. He may have been trained but did not know which way round circlips should be fitted.

Edited by Steam, 10 October 2023 - 04:26 AM.

[timmy850]

If you watch his videos you can put together a good checklist to get all the mechanical parts in working order prior to a tune:
Set the valve clearances
Check the compression across all cylinders (mainly if you have a severe running problem)
Remove old plugs and check for damage or fouling etc
Replace all the plugs after setting the gap
Check the resistance in all the plug leads and replace if needed
Check the coil ohm and ensure its correct for your setup
Inspect the cap, rotor, points and replace if needed
Check the points gap and ensure the dwell setting is correct (if you have points)
Disconnect the vacuum advance and check and note the idle timing. Increase the rpm and check the advance at 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 and note down
Idle timing would be something like 5-15 degrees
Max timing should be something like 28-32 degrees and stop advancing approx 4000rpm
Connect the vacuum advance and check the advance at 3000rpm and note down. The vacuum advance should add approx 5-10 degrees on top of the mechanical advance

If everyone did that, AC's videos would be 1/2 the length they are.

I think the best thing you can do for any tuner is to have all the simple parts that you can check yourself sorted prior to seeing them. From the videos it seems that AC spends a fair amount of time on things like replacing coils, split vac advance units, plugs and leads etc

A dyno tuner won’t necessarily want to spend time (and your money) making it start and run properly and changing parts

Obviously not everyone can do it all themselves, but some of the more simple tasks are good to learn for any mini owner, and need to be part of the regular maintenance and checking