ausmini :: View topic - whens starting a mini cold? choke related.

it runs like a bucket of nails for maybe a few pumps of the pedal & im finding it hard to start. (no Choke)

then i need to let it warm up idle for maybe 5 or 10mins before it runs right..

still no choke.. ps i always warm my car up anyways,

is this the normal for all carby cars??

i have not got around to hooking up the choke & i will when i have time to source the bits for it.

just wondering.

thanks.

The choke will have two 'levels'. Pull it out, then pull it out further. Make sense?

My Cooper s won't start without the choke so I think you are lucky it starts at all.

And yes mini's need to warm up, best to start driving as soon as possible as leaving it idle for too long is not good for the longevity of the engine life

Best to connect your choke I think

michaelb wrote:

yep for sure, will order parts tomorrow.

interesting, i have always been told to warm up a car till it moves the needle one notch.

i was always under the assumption that the most engine wear on a engine is start up & cold driving? thats any car?

what is everyones view on this?

Author:	NG [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:33 pm ]
Post subject:	whens starting a mini cold? choke related.
it runs like a bucket of nails for maybe a few pumps of the pedal & im finding it hard to start. (no Choke) then i need to let it warm up idle for maybe 5 or 10mins before it runs right.. still no choke.. ps i always warm my car up anyways, is this the normal for all carby cars?? i have not got around to hooking up the choke & i will when i have time, then source the bits for it. just wondering. thanks.

Author:	poeee [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:34 pm ]
Post subject:
The choke will have two 'levels'. Pull it out, then pull it out further. Make sense?

Author:	GT mowog [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:41 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: whens starting a mini cold? choke related.
NG wrote: it runs like a bucket of nails for maybe a few pumps of the pedal & im finding it hard to start. (no Choke) then i need to let it warm up idle for maybe 5 or 10mins before it runs right.. still no choke.. ps i always warm my car up anyways, is this the normal for all carby cars?? i have not got around to hooking up the choke & i will when i have time to source the bits for it. just wondering. thanks. Sounds about right for cold starting without a choke.

Author:	NG [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:49 pm ]
Post subject:
poeee wrote: The choke will have two 'levels'. Pull it out, then pull it out further. Make sense? yep poeee it totally does. i just was wondering if my car is set up right & thats normal. i have not had a chance to hook up the choke, need to get the parts for the hiff44 tomorrow. been pumping the pedal to the ground on the colder mornings to get it started. thanks GT, was just not sure. thought i might double check.

Author:	VulcanBB18 [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:58 pm ]
Post subject:
SU? Pumping the pedal wont do much then cheers Jacob

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Author:	CPOCSM [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:05 pm ]
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Pull the choke out all the way, then push it in 3/4 the way back in...start it and leave it for 2-3 mins... I used to be able to hear the little ball on the thermostat start to rattle - knew then it was time to go. The Dellorto is easy and a double stab of the accellerator got it going every time... Hooroo

Author:	NG [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:06 pm ]
Post subject:
yes SU. seems to help a bit? dunno.. will sort the choke out anyways. thanks lads.

Author:	michaelb [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:55 pm ]
Post subject:
My Cooper s won't start without the choke so I think you are lucky it starts at all. And yes mini's need to warm up, best to start driving as soon as possible as leaving it idle for too long is not good for the longevity of the engine life Best to connect your choke I think

Author:	Bubbacluby [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:03 pm ]
Post subject:
Apparently pumping the accelerator doesnt help. I used to find it did, could all be in my head. But yeah normal for a car to be like that

Author:	goodie [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:27 pm ]
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I used to have hells only trouble starting mine , ( 1310 , twin su's, elec pump ) until i set the carbies up properly, and the biggest problem was the choke cable adjustment, once i got that right, have never had a problem since. With my car i pull the choke out fully, wind it over untill it starts to fire, then only give it a small touch on the throttle, and it fires up practically everytime, i find if you pump it too much, it will not fire as though it is flooded. After about 10 secs with the choke out, i push it all the way in and run a few revs up for a bit , and then its fine to drive away , running fairly smooth. I was told by a bloke a long time ago that SU'S need full choke.

Author:	NG [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:45 pm ]
Post subject:
michaelb wrote: My Cooper s won't start without the choke so I think you are lucky it starts at all. And yes mini's need to warm up, best to start driving as soon as possible as leaving it idle for too long is not good for the longevity of the engine life Best to connect your choke I think yep for sure, will order parts tomorrow. interesting, i have always been told to warm up a car till it moves the needle one notch. i was always under the assumption that the most engine wear on a engine is start up & cold driving? thats any car? what is everyones view on this?

Author:	mini_mad_matt [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:59 pm ]
Post subject:
Ok so IF your SU carb/s is set up right then for a cold start, just pull the choke out, and turn the key and it should start right away. The choke lets more fuel get sucked into the motor, helping the cold start. There is no accelerator pump in an SU carb as VulcanBB18 alluded to pumping will not achieve anything. Most other types of carbs have accelerator pumps. Dellortos and Weber carbs do have these. So pumping the throttle, squirts fuel into the throats of the carb, helping for a cold start. Note that doing this too much will flood the engine. So generally for a cold start, maybe 2 pumps and turn the key. Car should start. As for engine wear and cold driving, well, you can't prevent a cold startup easily and if the engine has to go from cold to hot anyway, why not drive it easily then let it idle away. Think of all those moving parts wearing when the car isn't even moving Besides who wants to wait around for it to warm up? Even with my rotary, but the time i get it started and out of the garage its warm enough for me to cruise down the street till it gets hotter.

Author:	sgc [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:37 pm ]
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An SU, properly set up will require the choke to start. If it starts easily without it, you're running it too rich. Manufacturers these days recommend that new cars are driven away when cold, but that's so the catalytic converter warms up quickly and emissions are kept to a minimum. I like to let the Mini warm up for a minute or two before driving off, mainly to give the gearbox some warm oil to make the changes a little easier Like others, I can usualy push the choke all the way in once I'm underway and the car will run fine, maybe with a slight hesitation until the temperature needle starts to move. Either way, I like to wait until the engine is up to temperature before allowing it to see serious revs

Author:	phillb [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:51 pm ]
Post subject:
NG wrote: michaelb wrote: My Cooper s won't start without the choke so I think you are lucky it starts at all. And yes mini's need to warm up, best to start driving as soon as possible as leaving it idle for too long is not good for the longevity of the engine life Best to connect your choke I think yep for sure, will order parts tomorrow. interesting, i have always been told to warm up a car till it moves the needle one notch. i was always under the assumption that the most engine wear on a engine is start up & cold driving? thats any car? what is everyones view on this? I was always taught best way to warm up a car is to just start driving it. However until it has warmed up to normal you would take it easy i.e not rev real hard or full throttle, or labour engine up a hill. I think you would find most car handbooks would be along these lines. I can't believe people who start up a dead cold engine and start revving it's guts out, just be gentle, it's stone cold and everything in the engine is a loose fit. Letting a car idle in the driveway for 10 mins is not a great idea either. From Page 42 of Mini Handbook TP 757e Regarding the choke on the SU. Usually the first portion of the movement is just fast idle, a screw acts on the thottle and increases the idle speed. The second stage of the knob pulls down on the jet and moves it away from the needle causing an increase in fuel. On an SU it's actually not technically a "choke" as air is not restricted. It's more a "fuel enrichment" control. My starting procedure is choke out to 2nd notch, clutch in, no thottle, start up. Then almost straight away adjust choke in to get a idle of about 1300. Within about 5 mins of driving the choke can be gadually pushed in, at this stage you are really only adjusting idle speed anyway. ....also from the Handbook:

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Author:	NG [ Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:18 pm ]
Post subject:
yes i let it warm up till the needle just moves maybe 2 or 3 mins.. yeh i got the carb set up on the dyno fuel is spot on. loading it up cold is just plane dumb really. always good to hear other peoples thoughts on it.. every one has there own way.