27 replies to this topic

[viz139]

I take it that as a '92 Cooper it is an SPi. The wiring on these cars are fitted with Hepaline fuses where the brown wires join the solenoid. With the ignition switch on you need to establish what items in the car are working or not to determine if a fuse has blown, unless you know what to look for a visual inspection will not work.

[bpirie1000]

Need a video really. My thinking is the starter cog is not firing out. But spinning in the body. hence the noise...

Need to remove starter and use jump leads on it to mke sure it cranks and fires out...

but title of thread is "turn over but no start". So I take that as cranking engine and no fire up. So that's likely ign not sparking but could also be a fueling or timing issue. Gotta check for spark at plugs and/or HT lead off coil and go from there.

Well i am sorry if i am wrong but i never assume anything with a mini fault...for a car to sou d like it is turning over and does not necessarily mean that is is firing the solenoid. Only way to confirm if it is literally moving the flywheel is to take the rocker cover off and see if the rockers opening and closing the valves..

I agree that it could be ignigtion related or fuel related but start with the basics. Compression, fuel, spark.

Good luck with the repairs. I will keep my further options for repair to myself.

[Sparrowlegs77]

Thank you for all of the responses, to take them one by one.......

 

I have checked all of the connections on the fuse box and none are loose.

I will pass the feedback about the wires sticking out of the Grille to Minimine,

There is definitely fuel.  I assume there is a spark.......

I will try to get a video together tomorrow.

To re-iterate, the car will turn over, but will not fire up.....

[Tornado99]

Thank you for all of the responses, to take them one by one.......

 

I have checked all of the connections on the fuse box and none are loose.

I will pass the feedback about the wires sticking out of the Grille to Minimine,

There is definitely fuel.  I assume there is a spark.......

I will try to get a video together tomorrow.

To re-iterate, the car will turn over, but will not fire up.....

Don't assume there is spark until you see one. Pull the HT lead off the distributor, connect the lead to a spare spark plug (or pull one out of the engine). Place the sparkplug metal threads in contact with the engine block (hold it there with a clothes peg/clamp/rubber bands etc...not by your hands to prevent electric shock). Have someone crank the engine over and watch the spark plug electrode tip for sparks. That will confirm if your coil and its wiring is OK. Then replace the HT lead to the distributor, and take out a spark plug, keeping it connected to its HT lead, again ground the threaded section to the head and re-do the cranking while watching...a good spark means the distributor/cap/rotor is working OK. 

Edited by Tornado99, 29 March 2022 - 12:12 AM.

[Sparrowlegs77]

To update on the thread.

 

With the ignition on, all electrics (lights, indicators, heater, horn) work other than the headlight flash.  The car has been collected and been taken to an auto electrician for diagnostics.  I will provide an update once I hear back from the diagnostics

[Sparrowlegs77]

I have had an update from the electrician.  Basically a pencil fuse which allows power to the petrol pump has failed.  This should not in anyway be linked with the spot lamp work which was carried out as the fuse is solely for the fuel pump.  However, he is going to do some investigation to try to work out why........

 

The car should be returned tomorrow.

[Sparrowlegs77]

A further update from the electrician.  The fuse thing looks to be a red herring.  The ECU is not earthing out the fuel pump, so investigations now need to be made around why...........

[Tornado99]

From the fuse block pics you posted, I had assumed this was a carb'd car (no ECU), not an SPI with an ECU. Thought SPI cars have a different fuse block.

A blown fuse for fuel pump would not make sense if your issue was intermittently, as a non powered fuel pump would be a constant issue.

Agree that ground connections can give the problem you describe and your car appears to have a lot of corroded connections as in the fuse block pic etc.

Edited by Tornado99, 04 April 2022 - 05:37 PM.

[Sparrowlegs77]

My issue is not intermittent.  

Prior to the lights being fitted and the break down, I had not problems at all.  Since the breakdown, I have not been able to get the car started at all.

[bpirie1000]

Has your electrician managed to get the car started?

[Sparrowlegs77]

The electrician can get the car started by doing some by passing.  

 

The lights/horn - neither are working.  there is a multiplug under the dash for this, where a cable has been cut and bypassed through a 10amp fuse.  This has blown, possibly due to the load from the spotlights.  

 

The ECU issue.  The ECU is not pulling a ground for the fuel pump, so is being sent off to an ECU specialist.  The earth for the ECU itself is good and all other electrics are working

[D 'n A]

As its an SPI, could it not be the button to reset the fuelpump after a hard bump? Or where those only fitted to MPIs?

[ac427]

Didn't SPi cars get blade fuses then?

Edited by ac427, 11 April 2022 - 08:40 AM.