The trouble light is on a reel..... Speaking of trouble, this is the last day I have to figure out why this car won't start now.....I know it's not the fuel pump - I hooked up the electric pump from the test stand and kicked it on, then while cranking I watched the clear fuel filter and the regular pump is working fine. Still didn't run, even with the electric, so..... I used a brandy new dizzy, new plug wires, new plugs. I may put the old one back in as it obviously was working - I had used the new one when I was running it in the test stand and it worked fine. No idea why it might not work now, but I did crank it over with the new one and it made plenty of sparkyness.....and it started once and ran a few seconds the first time I tried to start it, hasn't made a peep since. Tis a puzzle..... I have everything else done, axles, suspension, tires rotated and aired up, fresh oil and filter - it should be good to go but I can't see hauling it 900 miles if it doesn't run.
Well, this is the carb that's been on the car since I got it, and it was running fine with it before, so.....
That’s a shame. It’s always frustrating when you work on something to make better and end up with less.
Sorry, should have updated this....been busy working on other projects, including visiting my newborn great grandson, spent a week running the hill country around San Antonio with my classic Mini buds, went to see the race engine I built run an event, then finished up two Sprite transmissions and been finishing up the engine for the 998 Pup......so, not much! I put the green car on the back burner while I finished up these other projects. I also have yet another Mini engine and transmission to rebuild this summer, and a guy wants to send me a TR6 motor to rebuild too - I told him not till fall - he wasn't happy about that but agreed to wait. He may send it on out anyway..... still working on rehabbing my knee - it's been a long slow process but it's getting there.....still a long ways to go before it feels "normal" again
I took a few days and finished up some other projects in the shop, then tonight I took another look at why the green Mini wouldn't start and stay running. Just to test a theory I hooked up my jump battery to the ignition to make sure it was getting a full 12V. The car always starts after a few days, and it did this time too - but this time I held the throttle down hard and kept the revs up - which it did for about 5-10 seconds, then it started chugging and smoking like crazy out the tailpipe. So I think I've narrowed down the problem to the carb - and while I don't understand why both my HIFF44's would fail the same way at the same time I think I know what's wrong. There is an o-ring in the choke mechanism that when it breaks it cause this exact symptom. So I'll pull the carb apart that was on the car originally and see what I can find. If I don't find an issue with that o-ring I'll see if there's something going on with the float in the bottom of the carb. These carbs are so simple it pretty much has to be one or the other - or maybe both! I consider it progress tho. One other interesting thing, the exhaust sounds way different with this header, much louder and "barkier", which is interesting cause other than the header, it's all the same stuff. Maybe this motor just has way more compression and the other one was so worn out it was down to 6:1 or something!
So, no joy in Mudville yet........... Can't find any issue with the choke o-rings in either carb, and I decided it can't be a stuck float as no fuel was coming out the overflow. Since the old engine ran with the old carb, and the new engine ran with the new carb in the engine stand just fine, I'm really scratching my head on this one. In the engine stand I had a new dizzy, new intake and new carb - ran fine. Old engine had old intake and carb and old dizzy - ran fine, just leaked oil and burned it too. I started this install by using the old dizzy and carb/intake, thinking if it ran fine before it should be fine now. I've since switched carbs, dizzys and coil to the same ones I used in the engine stand - same exact issue with either setup. Starts, runs a few seconds then slowly dies, and won't hit a lick after that for several days (till the flooding evaporates?) Last time it started I revved the snot out of it - which it did at first - then slowly started chugging till that's all it would do even with the throttle wide open - and made huge amounts of what looked and smelled like black fuel smoke. So, sounds like flooding, right? Like a carb issue. But why would it happen with two completely different carbs, both of which worked perfectly fine before? I put the original carb back on and I still have a few things to hook up before I try it again.....
Just to bring everyone up to speed, today I put the original carb back together with the original o-rings in the choke, I did swipe a little silicone paste lube on them before putting it back together. I installed it on the car and the original dizzy and coil. Turned the key and it fired right up and runs perfectly. Buttoned up all the loose ends and took it around the block, engine runs fine, trans works fine, new clutch and flywheel work fine. Nothing fell off or leaked. Why I have no idea, but I'm happy that it changed it's mind and decided to run again. I just hope it keeps running! it starts very easily - I got the timing and mixture set, and it seems to have cured the death wobble too. I'll drive it some more tomorrow - if it's not pouring down rain - they said it would rain buckets the last two days too but it's been sunny and warm. Weather guessers! Last thing I need to do is see if the speedo is more accurate now - it should be as the instruments were out of an SPi, and so is the engine/gearbox. Film at 11.....
While I like to know why things happen, over the years I’ve learned to never look a gift horse in the mouth.