My car is a 1991 Mini 1000 Special (basically a City with LHD and opening rear windows) and up until now it has started and run brilliantly. I have owned it a couple of years and engine wise it has run like a champ.
Yesterday I changed the oil and filter. All went well. Today I drove it. It's probably not been driven for a three or four months.
I drove it about 6km to the supermarket, I parked up and shopped and then started to drive it home. On the way back it started to hesitate, and then about 2.5km from my house I lost power and revs and the engine basically died. Having pushed it off the road I looked at the fuel gauge to see if I really did have ¾ of a tank left. I did. Plenty of 98 super unleaded. I opened the bonnet but couldn't see anything obviously wrong there. After leaving it for a while I tried to start it again, and to my surprise it burst into life. I got a further 2km at which point it started to die again. I managed to nurse it to the top of the last hill and coasted down to my house. As I came to a stop the engine also cut out.
I've pushed it into the garage, and now I cannot start it at all, even a couple of hours later
Pertinent facts:
The engine is standard, (although I was told it has electronic ignition, which I haven't actually checked). Standard air filter. 998 high compression carburettor model.
It has only done about 56000 km which is about 35000 miles.
The Dizzy is properly mounted and doesn't move.
The air cleaner filter is decent. Not new but OK. the
Lots of fuel.
No oil in the coolant and no mayo under the oil cap.
The spark plugs look on the slightly lean side of normal, and all were dry.
Upon investigation the vacuum advance pipe from the carb to the dizzy needs new rubber ends as they have perished. All the other rubber bits look OK.
The carb (HS4) dashpot has some oil in. Whether it's enough or the correct kind I do not know.
Nothing is dripping from under the car, nor anywhere else that I can see.
It did not overheat. The temperature of the engine has always been normal. (I assume the temp gauge works properly because the fuel gauge does, and they share a voltage regulator)
The battery has plenty of charge, and the starter turns strongly when you turn the key.
The nature of the failure was it started hesitating, lost power and revs, and then just died. The second time it made it all of 2km (at 90-100kmh) before dying again, this time more decisively. It was like running out of petrol, but not.
So, internet Mini experts, perhaps this is enough information to tell me where to look to diagnose and fix it? Is it fuelling? Is it electrical?
I'm at a loss really. I don't know where else to start.
.Maybe I will try that.
