4 replies to this topic

[minimat]

H all , been asked to look at a 1984 mini 998 cc that wont start,car stood for a few years until was bought by the current owner and put back into daily use, due to not being to reliable it was then stood up for another year until ive been asked to look at it, i looked at it a year ago and got it started easily by unsticking the carb float bowl after which it started up and ran well but wasn't used  again until now.

Today after fitting a new battery and fresh fuel  all i can get it to do is fire up for a second then it dies, so far i have tried

blowing air down the fuel pipe in case it is blocked

checking the fuel float bowl this fills up with fuel and everything moves ok

blowing air through the float bowl to the jet, this seems ok and the jet seems to move ok

connecting the fuel pump to a can of fresh fuel

nothing makes any difference

I suspect its defiantly a fuel issue, i have another carb in the garage to try but im really at a loss now , it could still be stale fuel but i have tried running it off fresh fuel from a can 

 Any thing i could have missed please?

[Steve220]

I had similar with my minivan when i first had it. I took the carb apart and sprayed carb clean through the jet to the bowl, loads of sediment came out. Does it have a fuel filter in the line somewhere?

[minimat]

No fuel filter, just had another look outside in the dark with a spark tester connected to a spark plug, seems as soon as the key is released i loose the spark.

[Lplus]

So it sounds like it runs on the direct 12v feed from the solenoid when the starter is operating but doesn't get power from the ignition switch.  If the indicators don't work with the ignition on, it's either the switch or the cable from the switch to the fuse box. If they do then the failure is between the fuse box and the coil, probably a pink/white ballast wire.  Some sort fo poor contact at the fuse box, (it isn't fused but connects to power at the fusebox) or maybe the connection at the coil?  or even the wire itself, though that seems unlikely.

[minimat]

ok success, i removed some sort of 80's immobiliser thing attached to the coil and discovered that i didnt have a switched live to the coil wjith the engine running, originally ran a wire from the fuse box to the coil and it ran, then i found the original wire so reconnected that and it runs.

What threw me is that i  had a spark but didnt realise straight away that the coil stopped working once the key was turned back to the run position, this is why i thought it was a fuel issue which turned out not to be the case, hope this helps other people in the future