I am going to crack up!!!!
Turbo Mini Forums

Got my new gear box fitted and then got the car running real sweet.

And then I go out to move her and she wont start.

Battery is ok, the spark is good, the fuel is set right. I just cant understand how everything can be so good one day and shit the next.

Ah I am going to rip the bitch out and fit a n/a 1000cc.

PC.

Persevere with it buddy you know it will be worth it in the end.......

Has it fouled the plugs up or something like that? Also I have known mini coils and ign modules just stop working over night on me before now?

check your ht lead from dizzy to coil

I know how you feel m8, got an intermitant problem with mine at the mo. Started off as a little miss when on boost (but not all the time) got worse and worse, replaced ignition module,dizzy cap,rotor arm, coil, problem still there but not as bad!!!! plugs are a bit sooty so hopefully running a little rich and fouling plugs but until its sorted its getting me down a bit really:( Just stick with it, its always worth it when its running as it should.

-MINI CLUBMAN 1380 TURBO-

Check the 12v feed to the coil ... had a similar problem on mine
Sometimes the voltage was there but it had a dogdy connection and dropped when the starter cranked dropping the v's

Ok guys I final managed to get enough motivation to try again.

So stuck on a set of jump leads and managed to get the car to start after turning her over for ages. So I left her to idle for a while, at this point I was able to turn the engine off and restart it no probs.

I then decided to take her for a run.However she aint got any power and does'nt seem to be able to rev correctly and when I came to the first hill she started to splutter and cut out and would'nt start again. Now I cant get her to start again at all.

Its not the battery, and the spark at the plugs is healthy and I checked that the fuel is getting to the carb. I dont think the petrol is getting from the carb to the engine? Could the carb be knackered?

If you hold the acclerator down when trying to start her she will sometimes make an half hearted attempt at starting.

Any advice welcome.

Sounds definately like a fuelling problem.
Check that your fuel pressure is correct, and that it is also rising correctly with boost. Also check your pump is delivering a good volume of fuel, to do this disconnect the hose off your carb and direct into a bucket, the pump should make enough fuel flow to hit the other side of a bucket with no problems.
Also check that you have not got a blocked filter or a blocked return feed to your tank.

Before the gearbox went I set the fuel pressure with a lo gauge to 4 psi at idle. I then drove the car about 150miles before the gearbox went arse up. The engine went well at all ranges. Could the regulator have become faulty. Will check it tonight again with the lo gauge.

When I removed the fuel hose from the carb there was plenty of pressure.

Quite possible that the fuel reg has shit itself, especially if it was an old one that you have only just started to use again. Also check that you didn't crush a fuel pipe by catching it with a trolley jack or something, sounds daft but I had a high-range misfire on my old clubman estate and changed all sorts before I found a crimped up fuel line.......

could also be the ignition module. just because you have a spark in fresh air doenst mean there will be one under pressure

check fuelling etc first then see how it goes.

Carb rebuild is easy enough to do and not expensive. plus if it hasnt been done already then it should help running.

if you need a kit give me a shout.

Ok, nipped home at lunchtime and checked the fuel lines, there all ok. I did find the plenum pipe totally kinked, but dispite freeing this up the car still wont start. Could this have been part of the problem?

Going to test the fuel pressure with the gauge tonight!

nope, wouldnt of thought so. that would only have caused leanout/misfiring on boost.

just keep testing as much as possible before replacing parts.

what are the plugs like? very dry or very wet?

Both can cause no-starts! if escessively damp id suggest that the choke spindle seals are hard. thats what happened to one of mine and it just kept fouling plugs up.

Plugs are very dry Iain.

If plugs are dry then definately check pressure to the carb. Also if you can somehow rig up a bicycle pump to the regulator by applying a positive pressure to the sensing stub into the regulator, you should be able to watch the fuel pressure rise on the gauge.
After that I would remove the carb and strip/clean it to check nothing is blocked up with sh!te.

Thanks for the help so far lads, much appreciated.

I have posted a few pics of the car in the other section.

Dry has to be a fuel problem then. no question.

what filters have you fitted?

Ok..rounf three with the engine started last night!

And still the engine wont start.......

Have checked the regulator pressure to carb and it is sitting perfect at 4psi.

Have checked the float in the carb and it not sticking.

The sparks plugs are now getting fuel, but are not excessively wet.

Have noticed however that sometime there is a spark at the plugs and sometimes there is isn't. Cant be the plugs as they are relatively new, have changed the coil but this has made no difference, so I am beginning to think a fault ignition module........which would sort of account for the fact that it was idling and not revving.

Sorry to get pestering you guys....but i am just getting to tired of it all.

Cheers

PC.

Modules do break down...
Changing it will isolate it at least...

Yeah definately.

Other thing to maybe try, on the early dizzys I am sure there is an air gap adjustment you can make under the cap. I am sure the Haynes manual tells you how to do this.
Or can you borrow a known working dizzy off a mate etc?

1st time after rebuild, fitted "new" dizzy... fired a few time, and was happy. Came back to it next day, bugger all. Spent ages on it pondering..... opened up the dizzy, clean as a whistle. Replaced the module ... vrooom.
Sounds similar to me here. Give the module connections a clean (sometimes the screws can work loose from the body of the dizzy and let it flop about), then unscrew the three body bolts and clean the mag pickup coils and mechanical advance - airline is your friend.
(they can be *full* of oil/crap as they are at the front of the car, and occasionaly get drenched in oil...if you are unlucky!).

Note that it might spark in air, but weak spark will not ignight under compression.

Give it a twirl, failing that, check your pickup resistance (take off the module and use a multimeter on it - i *think* it should be about 900 ohms, - chenck the haynes manual suplemental section), Then the coil after unwiring it. (i'd do the coil first actually).

Finally, go over the earths with the meter, making sure they're all good, then remember that if youve been trying to start it a lot, then its probably badly flooded, so open throttle fully, choke fully in and run it till it starts/or not.

Any help?

Thanks for the kind help lads.

Anyone know where I could a replacement ignition module.

Cheers,

Paul.

any lucas dealer, check out a thread about dizzy curves, fairly recent. has a pic and part number of what you need

Thanks Iain,

Managed to pick 1 up a dizzy and ignition module on ebay yesterday. I think I only really need the ignition module, but the dizzy should come handy as a spare.

Cheers mate.