697 replies to this topic

[Jupitus]

Well at least he's got an MOT now... well done!

[Jammy]

Thanks people! Glad its all road legal I must admit. As Purple Tom said to me, least now I can fix it and test drive it whenever I like.

Anyway, I'll run through quickly what happened since Thursday. Passed the MOT, tester was amazed, as was I. Only two advisories which were the wheels sticking out because of no arches and no passenger seat/seat belts, so I was fine with both of those. Drove it back, it had been raining, so already a number of puddles inside, and my right thigh got quite wet too. Windscreen started steaming up and the heater did little to improve the situation!

Drove it to MLM. Water temperature got up to 100* on any uphill section of the motorway, and would have gone higher had I not slowed to about 40mph! Vent holes in the bonnet needed. Got to MLM, the engine was running on 3. Andy said I hadn't tightened the tappet nuts tight enough and a couple of them had worked loose. Then he asked whether it had been a rush job to put it together! He also changed the plugs for 7s. Started it up and it was running a lot more smoothly.

Then came the problems. Andy tried to set the idle speed, but anything below 1400rpm and it would just die, so there was an air leak somewhere, most probably the exhaust/inlet gasket. Then he did a leak down test; 28% on 1, 20% on 2 and 3, 24% on 4. He said they weren't excessive, what he'd expect from an engine with 50k on the clock. Then he went to reverse it out of the garage to perform a test on the bottom end, at which point the clutch went as well! Tried bleeding the clutch, and we were getting lots of air, so a seal had gone, but even a pry bar on the clutch arm couldn't get a gear, so something mechanically wrong too. So that was the end of Rusty's L2B! £20 duly paid to Rach.

Just stripped the clutch. The slave cylinder is leaking, so it looks like its that which is letting the air in. Then took the spring diaphragm housing off and noticed the flywheel bolt was undone about 3mm! The locking tab washer was flat, so not sure if it had been knocked flat by the bolt un-doing itself, or whether I forgot to bend over the tabs...

Then went about taking the head off to measure the cam timing (apparently AC Dodd had listen to the engine run on the Saturdau and commented that the cam timing sounded like it was out, hence why no power). So got the head off, bolted on the protractor wheel and set up the DTI gauge. Got TDC, then placed in a pushrod and turned the engine over to full lift on valve 2. Kent cams recommends timing the 286 scatter at 106*, where as mine is at 110*, so it is indeed out by four degrees!

List of things to pur chase:

• Flywheel bolt and keyed washer
• Slave cylinder
• Heater hose
• Some form of fan controller
• Short length of fuel pipe (currently got rubber pipe going round the back of the exhaust!!)
• 88* thermostat
• Offset woodruff key
• Head gasket set with Payen BK450

[*Raz*]

So that was the end of Rusty's L2B! £20 duly paid to Rach.

As much as I was pleased to win the £20 bet (bet your glad we hadnt stuck at £50 like we said originally ), I did feel sorry for you when Rusty kind of gave up, as you had worked so hard on it, especially in these last few weeks, and I did want to see him get on the run and on thursday I was pretty sure it would have been there. But at least he is MOT'd now, and you dont have to rush to get him done for anything too soon (so you can spend some quality time with your lovely Raz ).

Will 2009 be the year?!

[Pie]

I think we're looking at the year 2012.............for the clubman lol
come on then jammy, we want lots of pics now. After talking to you at L2B, and your recent essay, seems like its not too long until youll be driving the minus.

Bet you wish youd never sold your old mini we spotted on sunday at brighton STILL RUNNING!!!! lol

[paulrockliffe]

Quick question on your advisories from the MOT; how can you get an advisory for not having a passenger seat and set belt?

[Jammy]

I dunno. My MOT guy is pretty nice, and I get on with him well. When he presented me with the advisory sheet he told me what was on there and said "I have to put them on", so it sounds like it might be a rule enforced by VOSA.

[paulrockliffe]

Fair enough, though I didn't get an advisory for the same thing with mine!

Would you have to get the log book changed so its officially a single seater to remove the advisory then? Just sounds odd to me!

[gadgets23]

ello fellow minus owners !

as for advises. will give ya my thoughts as me being a MOT tester ..
u can put ANYTHING u want down as a advise note, like
Car colour very bright
or, screen wash smells a bit odd...
maybe, car inside very messy
even bit low on fuel there ....

does'nt mean that it could result into a fail at any point its just something that us the MOT tester, while carrying out the MOT Noticed to be a bit odd, or out of place that my have some kinda of bearing later on in life

for example....
it not having a seat (as this example)
means at the time of test, there was no front seat fitted, so althou this is not a fail in its self, or may never be.
another pont in time, a seat may be fitted which of course was not fitted and checked at the time of testing said car

thats all its there for ... as if it got a front seat, it would then need a seat belt, and therefore in the future if it had a seat fitted and no seat belt fitted, and was then invovled in an accident, and it was then learnt that the passenger died, as a result of no seat belt fitted ! the MOT tester and testing station would then not have any involvement in because of that then very valuble advise note !

as this is were MOTs are a bit of a funny art, as its a MOT PASS, AT THE TIME OF THE TEST !

for example, u can if u so wish, put in for a test, with no glass, no lights, no wipers no washers no seats no seat belts, and AT the time of the test it will pass !!!
as u dont need lights to pass, u dont need wipers/washers if theres no glass. ya dont need seatbelts if theres no seats.
(actually u do normally need a windscreen and mirrors, but on some cars with a opening front screen like landrovers you dont)
but anyhows im getting side tracked !

hope alls well now anyhows ...
Mick ..

PS, just updaed me site we is up to 52 !!!
(will have to update me signature now too ! lol)

[Jammy]

Engine needs a rebuild!

Did the cam timing on Tuesday or Thursday I think (long week). Although that was still 2 degrees out!

Came to mess about with the clutch tonight, get it all bolted back on. Decided to take off the flywheel because the slot wasn't quite inline with the slot in the crank. Got it off without too much effort, to be met with lots of metal filings and some quite large chunks missing from both the crank taper and the inside of the flywheel taper. Oh, and no sign of the C-washer.

Now on the look out for a new short block ready for a rebuild, hopefully in time for Drag Wars and then BH2N.

Least the engine lasted the day off the MOT!

[T.Harper]

looks like Mr Hoskins is doing the rounds! :Famous mr hoskins

[Jammy]

Oooo, cheers for the link T.Harper! Have updated them with the latest progress.

[t@z]

looks like what happened to my engine jammy except on mine the c washer snapped and the keyway washer ate itself and my crank was just salvagable with a bit of lapping.

Edited by t@z, 24 May 2008 - 08:59 AM.

[Ethel]

Fair enough, though I didn't get an advisory for the same thing with mine!

Would you have to get the log book changed so its officially a single seater to remove the advisory then? Just sounds odd to me!

Seems a sensible way of covering his own backside, if you make a botch of fitting the seat and belt after the test, the tester has made it clear he never checked it. It'd make sense if the test report was an integral part of the cert - if they see fit to record the mileage why not other, more meaningful, info?

[alexcrosse]

want to BK450 for a tenner? + postage?

got one sitting around!

sorry to hear about the engine mate.


ooo, i got a 1275 ready for a rebuild, out of a sprite, was running great. cheers, alex.

Edited by alexcrosse, 24 May 2008 - 12:13 PM.

[Jammy]

Thanks for the offers of engines people. Hopefully I should be picking up
TJenkos' 1293 short block and Ultralite flywheel this coming weekend, if not then I may take one of your offers up.

And thanks for the offer of the BK Alex, but I bought a H/G kit with the BK from Minispares just after L2B which I haven't used yet.