got a couple of problems with the van.

1:when travelling up hill in 3rd &/or 4th gear the motor starts breaking down,spitting & spluttering & losing speed.

2:when backing off the accelerator i get a loud knock from under the floor.seemed to be from the gear selector so i replaced the 2 mounting rubbers but no change.

all help appreciated
jayson

Exhaust Pipe?

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thanks gt,that`s what i was going to look at next.only has one bracket on the gearbox & one at the rear.

any ideas on no. 1 ? timing maybe ?

cheers
jayson

Jason

There are a number of reasons the engine is breaking down under a load. It could be points not correctly gapped or points flutter. It could be the condensor failing. It could be the spark plugs being the wrong temperature range for your engine. It could be wear and movement in the distributor. It could be incorrect ingnition timing and it could be ignition leads breaking down.

It could also be a carby problem. You can spend a lot of time and money tracking down the reason and systematically swapping components. But a far better idea is to take it somewhere that has an electronic engine analyser. They can spot the problems in seconds with the right equipment.

On the knocking, there is a rubber mounted steel bar that goes between the engine and the body that holds the engine steady and stops lateral movement. Commonly the rubbers wear and allow movement. Theyare cheap and chips and easy to replace.

Mike

thanks mike.

the dissy,points & condensor are all brand new,as are the plugs.plugs are ngk bp6es.the only thing i haven`t replaced are the leads.

carby was recently overhauled & set up by a mechanic with over 45 years experience with su carbys,so i think it should be pretty spot on.

will check the selector steady bar bush when the good old katoomba rain stops.

thanks again for your detailed reply.
jayson

Jason I forgot you were in Katoomba - you have a very good dynometer workshop there with all the electronic analysis gear. In fact its the same people that run the dyno days for the Mini club and they do have experience with minis and the fault diagnosis.

The thing with the electrical components in the ignition these day is that infant mortality can be fairly high. They either die young or they last a long time. Also a lot of it comes from a country north of here with a very large population.

What I am saying is that a dyno will end up costing maybe $100-200 but you will end up with a perfectly smooth running car that starts everytime. You can spend a small fortune and a lot of time trying to track the miss. I know the Katoomba dyno has a range of SU needles so they can perfectly match the right needle to your engine.

Its not raining here in Gulgong although the clouds are low. But when it does stop raining go out and lift the bonnet. Make sure the car is in first gear with the handbrake on. Put both hands on the rocker cover and rock the motor backwards and forwards as hard as you can. If you can feel any movement then the rubbers at both ends of the engine steady bar need replacing.

Mike

hi mike,thanks again for your detailed response.

unfortunately being on a pension & my wife going through thyroid cancer treatment the dyno is out of our budget so will have to find the miss the old fashioned way.

cheers
jayson

Oh okay - sorry to hear that but I do understand.

I am in a similar position but without any family sickness. Funds are extremely tight for us as well especially as we were flooded out of our house back in december and now living in a corrugated iron shearing shed that we re frantically trying to winterproof.

I do fully understand. If you were able to bring the car here I could help you sort it. We are about an hour and half from you. However there are other experienced mini people that are probably closer. However the offer still stands.

Mike

Hi Jayson,

Another thing you might want to look at is your fuel pump and float. Does it start spluttering as soon as you hit the accelerator, or can you get up the hill a little, and then it starts spluttering? You might be getting some fuel starvation when you apply a big load.

hi mike,sorry to here about your house.hope you get the shearing shed sorted before winter hits.

thankyou so much for the offer it is greatly appreciated.i`ve spoken to the mechanic who set up the su for me,i`m taking it to him late next week for him to test drive for me.

again thanks so much for your offer,if you`re ever coming through the mountains let me know we`d love for you to drop in for a cuppa or beer.

thanks irish yobbo,have an electric fuel pump so hopefully that`s not the issue.the float level was reset when the mechanic re did the su for me.

getting up the hill a bit before it starts.

thanks guys for the replies
jayson

I'm thinking points also but also check your Dizzy can and rottor
but it also could be your fuel filter

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

thanks gafmo,going to have a look at the points & replace the fuel filter.

cheers
jayson

if you have a multimeter you can check the resistance of the leads to see if they are ok.
strange that its only under load, might well be the crap in the fuel floats when on the angle - might be worthwhile to take the lids off and take a looksy (but yes if the fuel filter hasnt been changed in a while then do that also).
hope ya get it sorted

thanks dtrain,unfortunately don`t have a multi meter.will definately be changing the fuel filter.

cheers
jayson