1146 replies to this topic

[minimuk]

All the chaps have already said, nout to add but, you got the T-shirt for sure, now come on down and be proud of your achievement, few pint's waiting for you and a dram or 2

Edited by minimuk, 16 August 2013 - 08:55 PM.

[hughJ]

Wow gents - I'll cry! But I'm a man, so man up. I do thank you all for the lovely comments. They are undeserved. If you ever do see it in the flesh you will realise that.

 

Carlos, you have been with me since the start - a big thanks.

Dave - yes reverse is sure working!

Graham, like Carlos, we have been shadowing each other for a few years.

Shifty, that is one of the greatest complements I have had. I have always been in awe of you. I do thank you for your help and advice particularly in the early days of welding.

Neil, you know it was you who got me going. You have been such a help all along. I wouldn't be in this place without your advice.

Smiler258 - what can I say. You have gone to a lot of bother to say and show pleasant things. Thanks.

silver_toes - what pleasant remarks. You should give it a try!

davej - thanks, hope to get the MOT very soon.

 

I am a bit overwhelmed by all that. Back to earth. It is still not finished. I've to

 

1. torque the wheels - broke my torque wrench

2. fit door cards

3. fit wheel arches

4. repair side repeaters - started but abandoned

5. get dip lights working

6. fit left side air ducting

7. fit main heater flexible pipe - can't see how it fits - far too big

8. get hazard warning working

9. set dwell angle and strobe time the engine

10. fit front grille

 

I think that's it. The end is in sight.

 

A big thanks to all on the Forum.

 

Weeping along, Hugh

[minimuk]

and me thanks for being a pain......good luck with the MOT and have fun driving him.

[hughJ]

minimuk - yes a huge thanks to you. I am sorry I didn't have your name in my list. I was typing at my computer when Anne, my wife, called me away (as they do). When I came back, finished what I was writing and submitted it I found you had put a reply in. A big sorry. I wouldn't want to offend you. You have commented and offered helpful suggestions for some time now. Thank you.

 

Apologising along, Hugh

[tino]

I know I'm a little late but well done!

 

Your the one that inspired me to start work on mine, and its great to see your now coming to the end of the beginning of your mini adventure. 

[minimuk]

minimuk - yes a huge thanks to you. I am sorry I didn't have your name in my list. I was typing at my computer when Anne, my wife, called me away (as they do). When I came back, finished what I was writing and submitted it I found you had put a reply in. A big sorry. I wouldn't want to offend you. You have commented and offered helpful suggestions for some time now. Thank you.

 

Apologising along, Hugh

 

No need to appologise Hugh, we know. Anyhow get on the road and comon down...2014 will be your year to show and shine

[silve1999]

imm? :)

[markmmini]

Well I think being able to watch a video of the Mini moving under its own steam deserves a post from me!

 

I await each of your posts with bated breath, you've done an amazing job despite all the minor (or less minor) set backs. Surely it must be plain sailing up to the MOT center now? I bet the feeling of having that bit of paper in your hands will make it all worthwhile!

 

We're planning a trip to Alness in middle of September, it would be great to drop in and the Mini (and you of course!) if it's not inconvenient!

 

Keep on hanging in there...

Mark

[Marco1972]

Hugh ......

You are a TMF legend ......

Enjoy..

[jagman.2003]

Excellent video Hugh...moves very well. Just the final touches now..!

[hughJ]

minimuk, silve1999 thank you.

Mark thanks for your comment and thanks for following. I know your Mini daft like me anyway. You know your always welcome here with your good lady. If I manage to get its MOT done by then you'll get a wee trip in it. Thanks for keeping in touch.

Marco1972 thanks but I don't think so!

jagman.2003 we are both so close. Who will have the MOT first? I wish mine was as good as yours.

 

Been a bit of electrics. What I've got here seems nothing but it takes so long to track down where the electric current has actually stopped.

 

The hazard warning lights now work. It was rusty connections on the fasher unit.

 

 

That's them cleaned up?

 

Then came the track down of why the dip lights didn't work. I was sure it was the dim/dip relay. I was so wrong. I took the relay out and bridged between the blue and blue/red which showed my dip beam was working. There was a poor connection to the left light but that was easily sorted. On probing around with my voltmeter I found that the blue/brown wire from the dipswitch never gave a voltage. So I had to follow it to the dipswitch. Here's what I found.

 

 

The wee pin that anchors the blue/red wire to the switch had snapped off. How? I must have been rough taking it off. I don't know. I thought oh dear a new switch cluster - more money. Then I thought that probably can be repaired. The Scotsman in me was working to the surface again. I tried a repair with a self tapping screw and using insulation as a rawplug but it wouldn't hold. So I got a very thin screw and nut. And made up a brass tag.

 

 

I cut off the old connector and crimped in a spade.

 

 

And checked with my meter all was electrically working. It was. Watch taking the switch apart. Three springs, four little plastic caps, a ball bearing and a little copper roller all fall out. Takes a bit of puzzling!

 

Re-assembled

 

 

 

 

And to prove it all works.

 

 

Thanks Anne for helping work all the lights.

 

So another two jobs down. I still have an electrical problem with the wipers and heater circuit. I keep blowing the fuse. Not quite there yet with the electrics.

 

Electrifying along, Hugh

[silve1999]

All looking good there man, I tried the cleaning up hazard relay on mine and it didnt work, got a new hazard relay still nothing, got a new switch and still nothing....... changed the fuseholder and boom back in business!!

 

heaters wipers and radio are all on the same circuit i found this out on a rainy day when the radio stopped working i looked down and up and the wipers were also off driving in the fast lane of a dual carriage way what blew mine was the antennae out on the head unit.

 

Good luck and love the homegrown connectors, i used your method to fix my brake warning switch at the weekend If I can help in anyway I would gladly. let me know if you need any parts or anything I may have something i can post you! to electrify you along! lol

[hughJ]

Dave - your a kind man - thank you very much.

I timed the engine tonight - setting the dwell angle and than strobe timing.

 

This is something I wrote for Graham some time ago when I had the engine out the Mini. It's a rough guide to statically set the timing.

 

You are attempting to get the coil to fire the spark plug just before the piston reaches top dead centre.

First the points gap has to be set - the manual says 3.5 - 4.0 mm

I set using a 3.6mm gauge

Take the cap off the distributor and the rotor arm

Turn the crankshaft using the pulley at the end clockwise.



Rotate the crankshaft till the heel of the points sits on the high point of one of the distributors four cam lobes.




Slacken the lock screw just a bit

Then just where the M is stamped on my points plate is a wee post sticking up



You can get a screwdriver blade between that and the edge of the points plate to rock the whole points assembly back and forwards to adjust the gap.

I used a 3.6mm feeler gauge. The manual says 3.5 - 4.0 mm.



Just get it sliding in and just gripping. Tighten the locking screw. It can change a bit tightening the screw!!

So that's the points gap set. I usually turn the engine over a few times and check again, and me being me do it a few times till I'm convinced!!


Now you are ready to time the engine statically!! When the points gap just starts to open, as the distributor turns, the coil discharges a large voltage through the spark plug.

I set my timing to 4° before top dead centre. There was no value given in the manual so I took the nearest engine (I thought) to mine.

Here is a picture.



I think your engine may have a cover over a wee plughole to see your timing marks on the flywheel. It will have a pointer mark and then the scale on the actual flywheel. My engine is later and has the timing marks in the picture.

You have to get cylinder 1 (drivers side, ie right on car) at top dead centre first to get the lie of your distributor. If you have the rocker cover off this is easy. Turn the crankshaft clockwise till you see cylinder 4 (passenger side, ie left on car) the exhaust valve open (it goes down) and then closes (it comes up), the inlet valve will then just start to open (go down). At that point cylinder 1 should be TDC but you will have to make sure your timing mark is at TDC. For me the notch on my pulley should be beside the TDC mark.



You have to know on your distributor cap which lead goes to cylinder 1

Here is mine



Release the distributor pinch bolt so the distributor can just be turned



Rotate the whole distributor body till the distributor arm points to where the lead goes from the distributor cap to cylinder 1



The engine is now very, very!! roughly timed.

Now turn the crankshaft clockwise till the notch on the pulley is level with the 4° before TDC mark. Shown on my first picture of the crankshaft pulley.

Connect a digital meter set to "beep" - ie continuity testing



Connect one lead I usually put the black to some earth point on the engine



Connect the other to the wire that comes out the distributor



Crocodile clips would help!! I just jammed them and held them!

Now if the meter is not beeping turn the distributor anticlockwise till it does. Now turn the distributor very slowly and carefully anticlockwise till it stops beeping. The engine is statically timed.

Now I normally then turn the engine keeping my eye on the timing mark so that I hear the meter beeping and then go quiet just as the notch on the pulley just passes the 4° before TDC mark. I do this a few times. Tighten the pinch bolt.

I will set the points gap with a dwell meter and a strobe lamp as per manual once the engine is running. This here is probably good enough. I remember some of my motorcycling friends from the past setting the timing with a bit of cigarette paper between the points. When the paper could be pulled out the points it is just starting to open!! I used to use a light bulb with the motorbike or car's ignition on.

The process sounds awful but once you have done it a few times its OK. Like everything!! I have not had to do this for a few years now as most engines are now all electronic. I used to do it a lot.

 
In retrospect I think I should have set it to 10° before TDC for my engine. It should be strobe timed to 10° before TDC.

 

 

The engine ran fine like that.

 

But tonight I set the dwell angle with an old Gunsen Sparktune 2 my brother in law gave me.

 

The meter requires a bit of setting up which I'll not go into. You follow the instructions that come with it. I did have to widen the gap a little as my dwell angle was a bit high. But mine is supposed to be 54°. Here is my meter.

 

 

Now it wobbles a bit round 54°. I have always found dynamically timing engines to be a bit fuzzy.

 

The meter connects here

 

 

 

Then I strobe timed the engine. You will see why I marked the two points - the furthest is 8° before TDC and the nearer 12° before TDC (see my diagram above) so 10° before TDC is between them. I have also marked the notch in the pulley. I used correction fluid.

 

 

Now I have to get the white mark on the pulley appearing as if its between the two white painted points when the strobe light shines on it. My brother in law had also given me a Xenon strobe light that runs off the mains but it just gave a few flashes and gave up. The damp of the garage must have got to it. So I got out my old pink flashing strobe  (about 40 years old - had it for my first motor bike!). You need the garage lights off and you really have to mark with white paint or correction fluid. All you see is a pink splurge which you try and get between the marks. Again its all a bit fuzzy and you try for the best fit. Disconnect the vacuum advance and put a nail in it to seal it before doing this. Slacken the clamp bolt on the distributor, just enough for it to turn, and turn the distributor very small ammounts till the pink splorge is between the marks. Its like tuning an old radio. Tighten the clamp bolt and check where the pink splorge is after tightening - it can move a little.

 

This photo shows the lamp

 

 

 

I would love to get a picture, I tried, of the mark on the pulley static between the two paint marks but it was impossible.

 

So my engine is timed and I would say idling a bit smoother. Another job done.

 

Timing along, Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 21 August 2013 - 02:30 PM.

[grahama]

More great progress Hugh,  can't get mine put back together at the moment as I have to get the extension watertight,  very frustrating !!

[Minidarren83]

Not really been on for a couple of weeks but Hugh you have done amazingly well to get this far from what you started with. It's all easy from now lol

Darren