7 replies to this topic

[bluequinn]

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.

 

 

[Steve220]

Fuel filter?

[KTS]

worth checking whether that the fuel in the tank is getting to the inlet manifold - when cranking are the plugs getting wet ?  if not could point to a fuel pump or carburettor issue

[alpder]

This happened to me once, in my spouse's car. Started coughing after a few km on the way back from the supermarket. Where I'd filled it up with petrol. Died at the side of the road shortly after.

 

It was a diesel car.

[bluequinn]

Thanks for these suggestions.

 

There is a little fuel filter just before the carb. Not see-through unfortunately. I shall remove it and check that tomorrow.

 

If it is fuel-related it should start if I spray some brake cleaner down the air intake, right? That works on chainsaws .Maybe I will try that.

[alpder]

Easy-Start (or the French equivalent or possibly brake-cleaner tho' I've never tried that) is indeed good for diagnosing fuel issues: if it runs with it (but not without it) then probably it's a fuel fault.

 

Checking for spark is another thing to do - you'll probably also have done that with your chainsaw too.

 

If you're not sure if you have electronic dizzy then pop the cap off for a look, and/or post a picture here. If it isn't electronic then points/condenser failure gets added to your long list of possible causes. Or if it's a cheapie electronic adapter... that goes on the list instead.

 

Hopefully this'll be something dead simple. Fingers crossed.

Edited by alpder, Yesterday, 07:42 PM.

[Steam]

Check over the complete ignition system, points or module, rotor, cap, leads, coil, plugs. When all that is verified then move on to the fuel system.

[smurfomatic]

How old is the fuel? If it's been sitting in the tank for a while, it may have gone "stale".