21 replies to this topic

[xchickyx]

Got back from swindon last night (about a hour round journey from my house) and as i pulled into my road the car cut out and i had to start by turning the key again.

Tapped the old beauty on the side and said 'come on casper' and as soon as i said that the engine cut out again and i couldnt get her started!

Left it overnight as i was very tired, came to this morning and she wouldnt start so i figured maybe i was very low on fuel (seeing as my peterol gauge doesn't work) so i went down to the garage filled up a can with a fivers worth and put that in the mini.

still doesn't start.

the car is trying to turn over (chug chug chug) but it isn't doing anything with the choke in or out.

it's a 1987 mini advantage, any ideas on what could be wrong as i'm meant to be going out with a special lady tonight!

cheers,

[tino]

Could be your alternator was'nt charging your battery, try jump starting to see if you can start it that way....you could also test the battery with a 12v bulb and two pieces of wire to see if its got any power(thats if you dont have a tester)

[Big_Adam]

You sure you getting fuel to the cylinders?

Pull a pipe off (petrol) crank it over see if it squirts. Then check the float. Or just check the plugs to see if their wet.

[xchickyx]

excuse me for not really having a clue but how wet exactly should the spark plugs be? They seemed pretty try when i checked two of them :/

Also i think my alternator is dodgey anyway as i have had problems with the battery before, should i just stick the battery on charge?





* okay so im charging the battery.

My theory is that my alternator is pants, it can charge the battery enough for driving around in day light but when i use the headlights it doesn't charge it enough? Also i had my high beam on almost all the way last night.

could i be right?

Edited by xchickyx, 19 March 2007 - 02:39 PM.

[dklawson]

You said that the car turns over on the starter. How fast relative to when the car was running normally? If the starter appears to be doing it's job cranking at the same speed as before, don't focus your attention on the charging system yet.

There are two main elements, fuel/air and spark necessary for the engine to run. Complicating this is the need for the two elements to arrive and occur at the correct time. Since the car was running until this event, I'll start with a question since I don't know about the later Minis. Is this still a car with points or does it have electronic ignition?

If the car has points, confirm that the points are clean, that you've filed off any pitting on them, and that they are gapped correctly. If the points are too tight you can experience the problems you're describing. The points setting can change due to either wear of the tungsten contact tips OR wear of the heel that rubs against the cam in the dizzy.

Always start by checking the obvious (like adding the gas and recharging the battery as you've done), then work slowly through the potential electrical faults before looking for fuel problems.

[xchickyx]

Batterywasthefault:)

andnowmyspacebarisntworking.fab.

[Retro_10s]

atleastyougotitsorted!!

[Big_Adam]

bestbegettingyourselfapugdiselbattirethenmygoodsir

[xchickyx]

Please elaborate Big A.



Space bars fixed, the whiskey dried out

[tino]

I would check your recharge circuit before you buy a battery as its most likely the alternator going and not charging the battery. Its also cheaper to buy a new alternator than battery I found.

[Retro_10s]

yes chekc the alternator that's for sure, even though it's ok now.

And you were requiring some elaboration of a peugeot HDI battery.
Basically,... it is the biggest battery that will fit into the Mini's battery tray without modification, Also, it has much MUCH more cranking power etc than a mini battery, so Is quite a worthwhile upgrade.

However as said above, evne though your car is now working, check your alternator is working properly before you splash the cash. or might have the same problem in a weeks time

[dklawson]

I'm glad you got this sorted out so quickly. The simplest check of the charging system is to measure the battery voltage with the engine switched off and again with the engine running (preferably at fast idle). You should see an increase of about 1V to 1.5V when the engine is running. The voltage with the engine running should typically be somewhere between 13.5V and 15V.

Sidebar:
Does Europe not use "standard" sizes for batteries? In North America you buy a battery by its "Group Number". The group will identify the size, terminal type, and terminal location for a battery. If I walked into a parts store and asked for a "Mini battery", they'd scratch their heads and point me toward the aisle with the dry cell batteries for electronics and flashlights. After all, (classic) Minis haven't been sold here in nearly 40 years.

[xchickyx]

ANOTHER FREAKING PROBLEM

I drive to the shops, my car cuts out. It starts easily but the revs cut out strait away every time.

Its now still at the shops.

so thats

turn the key (with choke out)

push some revs on,

engine stars,

a second later revs cut out,

engine stops.

i tried the same without the choke, please help me as i need to get my car at lest back home!

lets hope its an easy problem as i really need to go out tonight



*you do not know how pissed off im getting with this car.

Edited by xchickyx, 20 March 2007 - 08:21 PM.

[xchickyx]

Seriously, any ideas? I really need my car tonight..

[dklawson]

Does the car have a tach? If so, watch the tach as you rev the car. When the engine dies, does the tach needle fall to zero instantly (ignition system fault) or does the needle drift toward zero (fuel or other fault)?

If the tach falls instantly to zero, look inside the distributor. Check the points as I mentioned in a previous post and also look for the grounding wire that runs between the breaker plate and the shell of the distributor. The points need to be gapped properly and the flexible ground wire needs to be in place. While you're in there, make sure no wires are loose that may be touching ground when the car revs and the advance plate moves.