Hi all...
apparently ive been experiencing some sort of acceleration problem recently...
it so happened when i went to pump my fuel at caltex
when i got this from the previous owner he has been pumping Premium unleaded...
usually shell optimax...
I headed down to Caltex(the only available around) and i ACCIDENTALLY pumped Vortex..(which was a damn bitch cause of the stupid coding they use) which i thought was premium 98 but i think it was 95...

Apparently i believe i am experiencing a loss in acceleration power and the amount of noise when i accelerate is like twicefold since the crap...
anyway i thought it may be the fuel and was wondering if any of you guys experience this before when you switched and mixed fuel...

Correct me if im wrong, but i know if you pump the same grade(octane) of oil it doesnt matter if you mixed the brand...eg Optimax and Vortex 98
and secondly if you DO accidentally like me,mixed a tank of 98 and 95(octane) it does not harm your car but may see a reduction in efficiency...

Anyway was wondering if anyone experience a loss in power before when switching fuels(or other possibilities)...what i mean in loss in power is obvious when you are going an upslope especially when you have passengers in your car...ive tried both and im quite certain im experiencing some difference now...
im running a 1098cc engine leyland clubbie btw...

Now im trying to use up the fuel and quickly switch my tank back to 98..

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im new,green about cars,but that doesnt stop the growing passion in me about the mini...

98 vs 95 won't make a noticeable difference.
Especially when its all slushed around with the fuel that was in there before.
If you're really worried you can drain it out and start back again on your 98, but seriously don't worry about it.
Sounds like it needs a tune... or your exhaust has dropped off

It can make a big difference on a high compression/tuned engine.

Just drop some of that Octane Improver you can buy at the counter at most servos.

Will stop any "knock" you may have now - save any possible damage & increase power until you fill up next time.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

I doubt it would effect the stockish 1098 in your car don..

My car certainly doesn't mind it..

I suspect you have another problem..

The 95octane isn't going to harm it unless your getting detonation..which, unless your timing is way advanced i seriously doubt it on your motor. This is especially so since there was some 98octane left in your tank.

It is possible that you may have gotten a bad batch of fuel from the bottom of the tank..give the car a good rev through the gears to see if it gets better..clean out the cobwebs

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

just curious,
howdaya tune an engine?
well i reckon it must be the engine..funny..cause i left it untouch for a week in the garage when i went on my trip to brissy...
wonder what happened...

anyway i tried to fix my locks on my driver's door today...and i ended up locking myself in the car...the door wouldnt buldge..i had to dismantle the side within the car itself on a dark pitch..lucky i had simple tools inside with me or i would be in deep **** as my passenger door was parked next to a wall...well got myself out of the car since im here typing this..but didnt manage to fix the door lock though...

anyone knows how to deal a clubbie's door lock?i dismantled the whole thingy other than the door and looked thru the manual..still cant figure out what is wrong..apparently there arent detailed instructions for clubbies...

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im new,green about cars,but that doesnt stop the growing passion in me about the mini...

Tuning an engine is not such a simple process. To a lot of the people on here it is simple, but it only because they have years of experience in working on cars. I would suggest that you leave this to your friendly mini mechanic to do.

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One should never skimp on the zip ties.

call
Mini Classic (parts & mechanical repairs - Home of Australia's Fastest Group N Mini)
2/ 27 Hope St Ermington
Phone Greig (02) 9874 7211

Book it in and get it tuned. he's a good guy and will let you know what is wrong with the car.

Cheers

Aaron

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ok just to reconfirm...

as of what i understand the power should be gain by the combustion...
so its either one of the 3 that needs to be checked...

1)fuel
2)air mixture(include inflow and outflow)
3)engine itself

1)apparently i did nothing other than pumped vortex 98 (i went down to the kiosk to check) which was all the while the same so it ShOULDNT be the fuel since i initially thought it could have been a bad mixture of 95 and 98

2)i thought this could be issues with the carburetor which i should have a look around in my car,or somehow over some bump rides some part of the exhaust manifold got damaged below or behind

3)the engine itself could have snapped(which i think its unlikely) over a period of travelling 20plus Km to town and back

So what is happening to my car is there IS a SIGNIFICANT amount of power loss..i have problems going upslope and accelerating enuff...also i have to REV the engine ALOT making a hell of a noise in order to gain speed(which is not enuff) thus causing it to heat up fast..

What do these symptons sound like to you experts out there so i can have a fiddle around and i can learn myself..

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im new,green about cars,but that doesnt stop the growing passion in me about the mini...

Sure you haven't done a head gasket or a valve?

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Sounds more like electrical, check for a fouled spark plug. Pull them out one at a time and check if one is blackened/oily/wet. Could be ignition lead or a coil on the way out. If its gotten suddenly really weak and noisy I'd say its on 3 cylinders.

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Over 1,000,000Km, but now my retirement restoration project

Does the car have a fuel filter? The early signs of a blocked filter is loss of power up hills and under acceleration.

Take off the filter and try the car again. If it runs better fit another filter. If it does not fix it, at least you have not wasted any money.

just knock the timing back a fraction to stop it detonating, it does this on high compression motors and low octane fuel.
or just get a litre of AV gas or racing fuel and stick it in the car it will sort it out straight away.

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www.minicranks.com add me to your watch list and come back again soon, under construction.

i agree with what other people have posted, could be running on 3 cyls if it is noisy and very rough at low rpms

if you've locked yourself in the car, you can always wind the window down?

yep brought it down to greig today...
apparently i checked the sparkplugs before and realise its alright..and the locking myself inside i couldnt use my windows cause its busted..thats besides the point..

well as suspected it was running on 3 cylinders...should be the valves..gota get back with grieg on this one..
thanks alot guys anyway..learnt abit here and there along the way..

btw,was with the busted valves and gasket head?does it run out often?
and fuel filter?does it get blocked?howdaya know?

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im new,green about cars,but that doesnt stop the growing passion in me about the mini...

Glad you took it to greig. it was a little hard to know what the issue was on here and as greig is just up the road from you. it makes sense to go see him.

Cheers
Aaron

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