thought i resurect this old one just to see if any more ideas have come about before i just leave the car til i can afford to pay someone to look at it..

im still having running issues on meeni, to put it simply, after trying lots of needles, the one one that works well is an aab (i think) but, for it to work well the car is running stupidly rich ( lots of black smoke blowing out of the exhaust even on idle)

getting sick of playing with this thing, ive never had a car thats been this hard to tune. can someone give me a weber

this is making me hate minis...

anyone got some bright ideas?

cheers

sean

_________________
Potato

Feel your pain, brother........

_________________
Cooper S Mk2
Cooper S Mk1
ex Cooper S Mk2, various Morris 1100s, 1300s, 1500s, Leyland Sherpa!

yep i know that feeling id be having a guess here but i think most minis blow a bit of black smoke even at idle

At least yours idles

I need to do this on my car at some point, so I was wondering how you do it? I have reason to believe it's running rich (apparently black smoke at times, but not at idle)

Do you have an EGO sensor? Colortune? Plug colour? Can you buy a pack of different needles to try?

_________________
Copper 4 lyfe!

We're all assuming you've checked the basics like valve clearances, ignition timing and advance, leads plugs. checked the carby & manifolds for leaks. Is the piston in the carb able to move freely. what is the condition of the jet? it the jet the right size for the needle? what oil are you using in the piston? Have you checked compression? or performed a leak down test?
Have you checked the cam timing or timing chain? also checked if the cam is worn or the chain is worn/slack.

Tell us what you have done, and what has made it better/worse

_________________

ok..

new:

plugs (gapped)
leads
coil
distributor (yes the whole thing brand new)
fuel filter, lines, anything that could be faulty
new manifold, gaskets etc

i havnt got a compression tester so i cant reliably check that..

it runs better when i have half a hand over the back of the carby (having said that it was only with a leaner needle that i tried it

it was running ok the other day with a bdl needle in it, then all of a sudden wouldnt start or run nice the next day, it wont run on choke just runs out of revs.

piston moves freely, spring is correct, i use castrol general purpose oil in the dashpot, as i have with every car ive had and never had an issue.. i also tried some normal oil, some sewing machine oil and some oil additive and had mixed but no better results..

i havnt checked the cam timing, not exactly the easiest job with the engine in.. and i can only assume its correct, i also refitted the dissy drive spindle to rule that out..

timing varies but best results are coming from about 12-15o advance.. i dont pay much attention to that for getting a car running usually you can hear when its not pinging and revving happily..

when i lean the mixture out enough so that there is no smoke i have a lovely idle, but push the throttle and its an instant flat spot followed but a carby backfire etc... 10-15% throttle might let you get 2000 rpm out of it before anything happens but i dont think ive driven my mini without using more then 30-40 % throttle and thats driving it in granny mode..

i know its a vague question and i never like hearing it when im trying to sell business to someone but how much will it cost roughly to give to an expert and let them sort it.. i just dont earn enough money to do it i feel which is annoying because i want to drive the bloody thing before it needs to be rebuilt again which isnt far off

_________________
Potato

I would be checking the fuel pump .[ie constant flow/pressure] then the fuel level in the float bowl.
Next would be the carby piston mooving freely and also make sure the needle is centered correctly.
What carby do you have on it.

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

fuel pump is fine.. (electric facet one) i cant check the float bowl level on an hif44, i put my old 1.5inch s.u on it with much the same result. too rich, runs better with hand over the carb.. so something is up..

sick of this crap, whoever invented fuel injection and engine managment is a hero

_________________
Potato

Time and time again the black smoke tells me it is sucking raw unmetered fuel into the cylinders.

I know you said you have checked the "o" ring on the choke but it really does sound like a raw fuel leak issue.

Mike

pretty sure it was the one i checked but can you tell me exactly where it is and how to get to it

_________________
Potato

Sean

Until three weeks ago (when my secondary stroage disk died) I could have sent you an exploded diagram and step by step instructions on disassembly and assembly of the HIF44.

It comes with the reco kit from Midel. Perhaps ring Midel and beg them to fax you a copy of it. - The choke is literally between the fuel bowl underneath and the venturi part.

To strip and assemble the carby replacing the gaskets and other bits is literally a 30 min procedure at tops and the full reco kit is in the $30 range.

Mike

had a look on the inside of the choke and the rubber is slightly worn.. how much wear does it take to make it leak? which kit should i get from midel? there is a rebuild kit and a service kit the price difference is substantial..

cheers

sean

_________________
Potato

The kit I bought (three yearas ago) was twenty something dollars. It was literally just gaskets and O ring and other small items.

So I would think it was the service kits but Midel will tell you if you ring them.

The ring is affected by fuels and hardens as much as wears - thats a major part of the problem as a hardened ring does not seal properly.

Mike