151 replies to this topic

[28hodge]

Ok, so i managed to rotate the rocker shaft and insert the plug, so that's all secured, however having done that it now wont start, i initially thought this was because the fuel level was pretty low. The car has a facet fuel pump in the boot, it was ticking away but wouldn't stop so i thought it wasn't priming as i thought it would stop ticking when it got to pressure then would tick every now and again. google suggests not and it will keep ticking continuously.

 

Anyway i put 5ltrs in to it then split the fuel line to check it was pumping fuel which it was, I've removed the plugs which are really wet, then turned it over with no plugs in it to clear the bores, i can't check to see if i have spark on my own but will have a helper tomorrow so will check that. cleaned the points in the dizzy cap and its all dry in there also so a bit stumped. it was running and starting fine until i fitted the trunnion for the choke cable onto the carb and then rotated the rocker shaft to place the dowel plug back in.

 

The car will fire occasionally but instantly stalls again, I've checked for bad earths and done the above but I don't want to do too much to it as it was running fine so it can't be anything major. Any ideas?

 

In other news i have sold the HS2's which were actually on a sprite manifold so wouldn't have just bolted straight on and bought a set of HS4's with manifold but they will need a clean up and a linkage sorting for them, but they are complete and i own a ultrasonic cleaner so not a major problem.

 

Also the Roamertime+ has been returned fully working so i'll get it rigged up to a battery and play with that in demo mode and get the sensor fitted to the car.

 

Bled the clutch today also to see if that helps the clearance but i need to start the damn thing first to see.

 

Waiting for the battery to charge up again and then i'll head back out to see if i can get it going.

[28hodge]

No luck.

 

Got the plugs out and managed to check for spark on my own, all are sparking when out and earthed onto the block, and all are coming out of the bores wet, in some cases very wet, so i have taken them all out and will leave them over night to dry the bores out a little and also i'll get a blow torch onto the plugs to clean them up and warm them up before trying again tomorrw. I wish we were still in the old house as that had a gas hob haha.

[minisi35]

Have you reset the valve clearances? check the oil in the carb dashpot, engine earth strap?

if you have spark and fuel then realistically it should try and start/splutter

[28hodge]

I haven't looked at clearances, I didn't think I'd have to as I didn't undo anything or move anything to rotate the rockershaft I just rotated it to the correct alignment and then put the dowel back into it to hold it in position.

Earths I have checked found a couple very small things but it's made no difference, and like you say with fuel and spark it should try, unless the plugs have killed themselves so won't work when under compression, I have a bike that's a bugger for this plugs will spark when tested but when screwed in won't and fail under compression.

I will take the fuel hose off the carb and turn the pump on and make sure that it's running but I'm sure given how wet the plugs are lack of fuel isn't the problem unless it's dragged a load of old rubbish fuel through? I actually think it's getting too much fuel and totally flooding itself?

Carb might be coming off to check the needle isn't stuck. Dashpot looks to have plenty oil but I'll try have a proper look tomorrow, not had a su in bits before so will have a read tonight.

All I have touched since it last started and ran is the choke cable which was attached with a cable block which I have swapped out for a proper trunnion and then the rocker shaft I can't see that having effected anything.

Odd one really

Edited by 28hodge, 15 December 2017 - 07:46 PM.

[28hodge]

So, its up and running and sat in the garage now, I’m not entirely sure what was up with it.

 

The non starting is/was a weird one, played with it a little more on Friday night and Sat, but had some other bits to sort out on it and some other things so didn’t do loads. Had a mate call in yesterday so got him to sit in it and give me a hand. I’d taken all the plugs out and cleaned them up and left them out for a day in case it was flooded, then got my blow torch on them and warmed them up and put them back in, cranked it still not happy and not starting or attempting to start. 

 

On Friday I had taken the fuel hose from the pump off in the boot on and checked that was pumping fuel which it was, and had taken the fuel hose into the carb off to check that there was fuel present which again there was. I didn’t turn the pump on when I did this on Friday as I couldn’t sort out a fuel can in the engine bay to put the hose into safely whilst I flicked the pump on.

 

So yesterday I took the hose to the carb off again and with my mate was able to turn the pump on and check that it was pushing fuel through, which it was, so we ran a little through. Put the hose back on the carb cranked it and it fired instantly and ran quite happily.

 

So its either got low on fuel last time and got an airlock, or pulled some dirt through and that’s blocked the hose at the inlet to the carb I guess. It may have possibly dragged some old stale fuel through but the thing is I had poured some fuel down the carb and the plugs were pretty wet when I had them in and out on Friday so I don’t buy that it wasn’t getting fuel and that was a problem, but like I say, it started instantly after disconnecting the fuel line at the carb and turning the pump on to run some fuel through, so it’s a bit odd really. I’m not convinced I have seen the last of the starting issue.

 

So with the car over in the garage that has power to it, I could get a hairdryer onto the Vinyl and start to take that off, I had a plastic razor vinyl scraper but wasn’t confident that it would come off without taking the paint with it.

 

IMG_7670 

 

 

It soooo nearly proved me wrong and then……

 

IMG_7673 

 

 

Annoyingly that was the last vinyl to come off and the rest had gone ok, not great but ok. The paint job isn’t the best on it. I have actually found and spoken to the guy that pulled it out of his inlaws garage as a non runner and “restored it” he hill climbed it and did a couple HRCR events in it. He said he had put some primer on it and this reacted when he put the cellulose top coat on it, hence whey the paint is crazed, so putting massive sheets of Vinyl on it was the worst thing that could have been done. 

 

Annoying but not a total nightmare, just ordered some BLVC16 Blaze paint to pick up tomorrow, as long as it looks ok from 10yrds away that’ll do!

[GraemeC]

What fuel pump are you running on it?

[28hodge]

Facet cube pump but i am unsure of which one it is.

[GraemeC]

I would suspect it is tired and at be struggling with pressure

[28hodge]

When I bought it the seller said the pump had given up and he wasn't sure what was wrong with it, all it needed was the earth tightening up and it was back working. So I thought that was all that was wrong with it. But it may be that it is also tired. The car came with a spare so if the starting issue re appears i'll swap it out and see if that solves it.

[Pistonbroke66]

Glad to see youre making progress fella, i'm following this with interest. Have you an event youre aiming for in the new year?

[28hodge]

Yeah progress is occasionally 1 step forward and 2 backwards but it'll get there eventually. I have built and worked on motocross bikes and road bikes for years as I've been racing them since I was 5, but I've never really worked on the mechanics of a mini, that said some of the bits on it are a bit worrying with the way they have been put together/left

Aim is to be up and running at the latest mid Feb so I can use it a little before the Tour of Cheshire in March

Had the day off today so after helping my dad place 11m3 of concrete, I wanted to sit on the sofa, but did a bit on the mini and got a lot sorted.

Spent an age trying to remove the bottom hose on the rad to put some anti freeze in as I'm not convinced it's had any in it.

This goes back to what I said about some of the things on it being a bit worrying, also the hose clamp has been put on in a orientation that made it a pain to get a socket spanner or screwdriver on it, either that or it wasn't put on tight and it's rotated but either way it took an age to do but when I've put it back in it's in a location that I can get to with a long extension quickly and easily.

The earth on the engine is another issue that needs sorting, it's been taken from the clutch bracket to the same bolt as what's used for the brake line union

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So I'll change that and hopefully it'll help eliminate some of the starting issue. Which is still lingering, started it today to run the antifreeze through the block etc and it took 4 or 5 attempts and then it started up on a variety of cylinders before settling on 4 as its chosen number, it's also got a stumble and misfire if you blip the throttle.

I really need to run it for a bit but without an MOT this isn't really possible, so I went through the basic MOT checks, I knew the washers weren't working so figured that out and got them working, wipers weren't working, but today they decided they would, without me doing anything, so at best they are intermittent and I'll have to get them 100%. Lights and indicators are all working but brake lights aren't, ran out of time to have a look into that.

Brakes also need to be looked in general, one, because of the other slight mechanical discrepancies I have found I'm not keen on relying on the brakes being ok without checking them out myself and two the rear brakes were seized and need the handbrake adjusting .

There is a lot of little niggles that just need snagging but hopefully no major show stoppers hidden away

[Cooperman]

If the paint has reacted to cellulose top coat, you will need to spray a coat of 'Bar Coat' onto the area to be re-painted. Don't rub the Bar Coat down at all, just use grey primer over it then spray the top coat.

[28hodge]

If the paint has reacted to cellulose top coat, you will need to spray a coat of 'Bar Coat' onto the area to be re-painted. Don't rub the Bar Coat down at all, just use grey primer over it then spray the top coat.

Thanks for that, somebody else mentioned i'd need to put a blocker paint over it but couldn't remember what it was called, i was going to have a look into it over xmas but you have saved me a job.

[28hodge]

I LOVE eBay

 

twin bolt front subframe thats been blasted and then coated showed up yesterday on a 1 day auction, its in alyesbury bucks but £25 postage, £50 starting price and bagged it for £70. There isnt much wrong with my current subframe but it never hurts to have an immaculate spare for less than £100.

 

My brother is up for christmas as of tomorrow, hes a fabrication welder so i have a list of things to get sorted with him here.

 

First up in cut an inspection hole in the outer sill see what its like in there and patch the inner sill where its looking crusty in the rear bin, and also free up the rear subframe mounts, my other mini has a nearly new rear subframe on it and the one on the clubman whilst ok is tired so i think they will be getting swapped, i also need a 10p piece patching into the boot floor. Brake lights and rear brakes also need sorting. 

 

Honestly if we can get 3 clear days at it i think it could be booked in for an MOT between xmas and new year. But don't hold me to that!!!

[28hodge]

Hmmmmm off the top of my head last night i wrote down a list of jobs - 

 

Cut inspection hole in outer sills to get access to the subframe mounts and patch repair inner sill/check condition of inner sill

Patch the inner sills

Remove rear subframe and swap out for better condition rear subframe

Replace fuel lines and place grommets where it passes through bodywork

Sort out the engine earth strap

Adjust rear drums brakes,/handbrake

Get brake lights working

Fix passenger seat and fully weld up drivers seat mounting

Fit trip meter sensor into speedo cable

Wire in trip meter with external power

 

and add to the fact that this is a mini and that you can times all the jobs and the precieved time they should take by 3, and 3 days might have been optomistic.