I was driving home in the cold last night and my engine decided to break itself.
The car had been running like crap and overheating for a while now, despite the mechanics who rebuilt my motor less than 8,500 miles ago telling me it was all fine.
But, yesterday the car was running very well, and did not even look like overheating. And it wasnt really an easy drive on Allan's cruise yesterday through the bush and steep mountains.

But i was driving along later at night heading home when i lost almost all power, and the car started coughing and shitting like crazy. Puffing heaps of smoke.
Was cruising at about 90km/h which is the speed at which i cruise in the mini, but it couldnt maintain that speed. So it's off to the side of the road. Not really close to anywhere. And it is annoying.
What might have happened?
I am not happy at all really.

It's true.

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Sir Namibian CAMEL of MONGOLIA !!!
Vrilen Snyson Racing: Finding us all a Vrilen
Asparagus: Experience the versatility

Burnt valve perhaps , how long since it's had a tune up and is it running really lean (could cause overheating as well) , what fuel have you been using and has the head been modded for unleaded ?

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It runs our normal Premium and i whack an additive in with it.
Tune up was done sometime. Not very soon past this time ago though.

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Sir Namibian CAMEL of MONGOLIA !!!
Vrilen Snyson Racing: Finding us all a Vrilen
Asparagus: Experience the versatility

OK , get a hold of a compression tester and see if 1 or 2 cylinders are down on compression (or pull the plugs out and hold your finger over the plug hole while someone cranks the motor over and see which one doesn't push your finger off ) .

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Yea sounds like head gasket...

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You didn't run out of fuel?

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I agree with all above - most likely is a head gasket - its a mini weakness.
The motor itself in a mini really os fairly bullet proof and although they do wear out they rarely actually break.

Whilst a head gasket may be a great frustration to you its not a biggy in real terms. About two hours work to change and about $50 in parts. There are head gaskets and head gaskets. The modern single torque from Karcraft are the best to use and infinately preferable to the copper or metal types.

When you had the engine done was the head reconditioned ???? - nearly all mini heads warp over time and its important to have it "skimmed" when a head gasket blows.

If I remember correctly it was a blown head gasket that got the Camel to redo the engine.
Sorry to hear about this mate, I hope you manage to get it back on the road before Cousins gets back on the rails.

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One should never skimp on the zip ties.

please dont tell the camel to change the headgasket he cant even put air in his tyres

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busier than a 0ne legged man in a butt kicking competion

Well. can someone help him change the head gasket and take the appropriate steps to stop the gasket blowing happening again. Like making sure the head is flat.

Camel doesn't need to spend another grand or so on his engine.

Stud replacement also worth considering. After 30-40 years, they tend to lose their tensile strength and torquing up becomes a problemo.
(Damn Leyland quality - parts that only last for 40 years )

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1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - Slow progress. No time or money!
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

I got a compression tester and found out that the 2 cylinders furthest away from the radiator give basically no reading. While the other two are about 7.8-8.0 bar each.
I also saw that the 3 spark plugs closest to the radiator were covered in filth. Like a gritty gravel sort of dirt that was fairly hard and caked on well. While the other plug, one from one of the cylinders that gave no reading was pretty much clean like new.
There is not any filthy white foam stuff that sometimes lives under the oil cap either.
But it wont fire up now.

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Sir Namibian CAMEL of MONGOLIA !!!
Vrilen Snyson Racing: Finding us all a Vrilen
Asparagus: Experience the versatility

My diagnosis- head gasket blown between #3 and #4 cylinders.
Use an ACL Monotorque one, they are the best around now for a smallbore.
Karcraft stocks them now too.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Camel

Pistons and cylinders are numbered one to four from the radiator back. That is the closest to the radiator is number one then number two and so on. The reason that the plugs are irregularly coloured is because the head gasket has blown between cylinders 3 and 4 allowing a gaseous interchange btween those two cylinders.

They both have different firing and compression cycles and the muck from those cylinders is being blown back into the inlet manifold and then being sucked into cylinder number two. It won't start because the spark plugs in those clinders are now "wet and mucky" whilst one cylinder alone doesn't have the power to support the running of a sick engine.

Having the head gasket changed should get the car running fine again.

Most mini's seem to blow a head gasket periodically and its not a catastrophe, just a frustration and an inconvience. Follow the Doc's advice and get the monotorque from Karcraft. Besiege a competant mini person in tassie to help and guide you to change the gasket - its thirty dollars and two hours work.

gasket is easy to change - if it was skimmed i would worry for this time doing the head or block again either. Mine blew after a rebuild with one of those crappy copper ones, i just whacked the ACL on and it's been fine ever since.

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