5 replies to this topic

[Bigideas]

Can someone PLEASE help. am trying to start my wifes Mini 35.

If i take the hose off from fuel vent the Mini will run OK. but as soon as i put the hose back it stops.

I was going to put a new hose on and run it down the inner wing. but the old hose goes in to a tank between the wing and inner wing. i have never seen a tank like this before. will it be ok to put a new hose on with out going to this tank.

[Jay81]

that tank is called a charcoal cannister i beleieve ,
correct me if im wrong buti ts job is to neutralise the petrol vapours
so i would connect it back to the tank otherwise you will have a nice constant smell of petrol

[Bigideas]

Thank you for your info.

Does it contain a replacable filter.
Because as soon as the hose is connected to the box the engine stops.

[Dan]

It will not be good for your car to leave the charcoal system half connected. At full load the system opens to draw the vapours back out of the canister and burn them off in the engine, if there is excess air getting into the system when this happens it will lean the engine right out which can cause severe damage. The charcoal canister draws fuel vapour from the float chamber and fuel tank and stores them until they can be burned off as described above, it is itself a filter basically and should never need replacing. It is part of the vehicles emission control system.

Sounds like air is not able to pass through the canister to atmosphere and so the back pressure is stopping fuel entering the float bowl. Look under the wing at the canister, it should have a vent hose coming from it and terminating under the wing somewhere. This is probably blocked.

[Bigideas]

Thank you for your reply.

What you said seems to make sense so i will check the pipe that comes out of the tank tomorrow and see if it is blocked some how. :'(

[unseen]

Thank god for t'interweb!... I've been having the exact same problem since running out of fuel a few months back.. It totally baffled the mechanic I normally use (not mini specialist.. but was known to race mk1's way way back) and me as the last mini I had was 6yrs ago and a nice and simple Y reg!! lol Could C**p from the bottom of the tank (when it sucked it dry) have blocked one of the pipes leading to the charcoal cannister? I know all the fuel lines have been blown through to the mech pump and the mech pump has been replaced, carb rebuilt (like I said completely confuzzled him!!).
Once he'd given up I got the mini towed home.. Tried her and she ran.. for 5mins.. then died.. left her for a fortnight (families!! bah!) and tried to start her.. fired up again.. quick run to the garage for fuel and it died as i pulled in.. Everything I tried wouldn't restart.. so called out the aa.. While I was waiting, I don't know where it came from (frustration and mild pee'd off ness probably!) I pulled one of the pipes from the carb (which reading on here I now know to be the breather) and turned the key.. Fired first time! So after reading all the posts here relating to the charcoal filter I'm guessing one of the lines could either be blocked or perhaps not connected/split.

Appologies for the long (and wandering post!) I'm still getting over the shock of finding my bloody answer!!! Related to this is there anything else I could check that could be causing it to cut out after say 5mins with the breather pipe connected??

Thanks

Rob