yeah, you said that.... it must've been a custom one, and could have only been made and then anodised red - lot of mucking around to go to

when you ring Midel to get a known needle, ask if they've ever heard of one - I'd be interested to know the source if they do know of them

did you check how much oil is in the dashpot? take off the air cleaner and push the piston up with your finger - there should be some resistance - maybe like squeezing a banana...

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

you have a spring mounted bias needle. when you had carby re-built did it have a new jet fitted. This set-up for the needles wears a groove in the jet. It is very hard to see unless you know what to look for.
What specs is the eng and what size is the carby. I can check in my SU book to find the recommended needle.
The needle ID should be stamped around the top where it fits into the piston.

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

Ill have a look at this carby again a bit later today. As for a needle.

We sort of went through this here,

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=52717&highlight=

car is running a hell of alot better since then, and ive eliminated most of the other problems.

998 block 60thou, 1100 crank, 1 1/2 SU, standard exhaust and manifold. Ramflo filter on carby.

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Aussie Leyland, Aussie Factory, Aussie Mini S.

sorry Drexxle, but the only way that i can help you after all this on here is "IF" you bring your car around here then i will be able to sort it for you

Obviously it will cost a little as this is what i do for a living

"IF" you choose to do it yourselfr then possibly trial & error & lots of chit chat here may help you

"IF" you choose to take it back to Crash (Gary) then you takes your chances with what it`s going to end up like ,,,& what it`s going to cost you.

"IF" it was working fine in another engine , in another car,,, then there are plenty of variables thrown into the mix from then till now,,, also add to that the fact that (as David said) the jets & needles do tend to wear on the "Self-Centering" type needles over a period of time,,, there are reasons why the factory opted to swithc over to the bias or self-centering needles & it`s a bit long winded story to type here for now,,, maybe another day,,, or if you`re keen then maybe try to find where i`ve already typed it ages ago

however,,, in saying all that,,, it really does sound like a ""closer to the mark"" mixture needle would benefit.... In my opinion

there are many many needles to choose from & some are so close that people in general tend to be happy with the "close to the mark" needle,,, heaps of people tend to run their SU carbs a little "TOO" rich & although it may run fine & dandy, too rich can cause other problems without you knowing about it because of the---> """"it goes good so it must be right""" type of attitude

& there are also many other ways of """Covering up""" the sympton instead of """curing the cause""" with regards to tuning SU carbs,,, lots & lots of people do things lots & lots of different ways to effect a similar result,,, some of those ways are the right way & some are not... & often that "Similar-Result" is worlds away from being spot on,

& i`ve never seen a red needle,,, there are red springs avaliable tho, but the whole spring isn`t red in colour,,, it will have just a dash or red paint at one end

as Simon has said,,, there may have been someone use a different material to spin up his own needle (i don`t know why anyone would bother tho) & also maybe that someone used a std-ish (off the shelf) needle & then had it anodised,,, (I have no idea why anyone would bother to do that either,,, but hey---> some mothers do have em

cheers

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

whats the standard needle for it.

I think ill start by getting a new needle and jet, maybe a spring, butterfly rod and disc.

Get rid of any hint of a side issue so i can get it right.

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Aussie Leyland, Aussie Factory, Aussie Mini S.