NEVER mess with the fuel system until you are 110% the ignition is spot on . . . this applies to ALL old cars, not just Mini


in the carb pot:


as I recall the owner's manual says just use motor oil . . .


some use sewing machine oil, others recommend ATF and I use 3 in1 from ACE .... point being, viscosity matters!!!!
{and empty is bad}


{As I pm'd .....} understand how these lil' beast carbs work and these decisions make much more sense.

 

Wow. Thanks for the tips and info. Looks like I won't touch it for a while then. I knew it was going to be a bit more than a couple screws, but I didn't think it was going to be this much. I might consider going to a mechanic to do this now... I'll still look into it.

I was just hoping to make it so my exhaust didn't smell as rich as it does. The other small thing that bugs me is that there seems to be slack in the choke line, I can pull the **** our about an inch without doing anything. When I pull it out further, I do get resistance.

I do also get some exhaust smell in then cabin, not sure if that is coming from the manifolds or somewhere else, or that isn't really a problem.

Again, thanks for the help!

 

The exhaust smell is usually from the joint where the downpipe or header meets the pipe that goes straight back to the rear of the car, right under the firewall or just aft of the subframe. Some people have had luck using an exhaust sealer - it's a thick paste you smear on the inner pipe, then slip the outer pipe over it and clamp it tight. When you start and run the engine the heat causes the sealer to set up and fill the gap where the leak is coming from. I used this on my old 62 Cooper S and it worked a treat.


As to the choke, you need to have someone pull it out slowly while you watch and see where the play is. Does the car start Ok when it's cold?


If you take it to a mechanic, make sure he knows and understands these old cars. Your average guy in a shop today won't have a clue how this stuff works unless he's been around a long time - like me! :-)


In your pic it looks like the choke is already pulled out all the way? The way this one works is it simply lowers the main jet to enrich the mixture, at the same time it opens the throttle a bit to give a fast idle. If the choke **** is not pulled out in the pic, then the choke is definitely not set right, and you're running on the choke all the time, which could be why it smells rich to you - it is!

 

rich???? lean????


go back to basics ..... what do your plugs look like?

Oily? Black? Burned? a nice light tan, sometimes called 'biscuit'? The last one is what you are looking for. It might be worth either putting in new plugs or at least cleaning (if you have access to a sand cleaner) the plugs and seeing what happens over a thou' miles or so.


... the first 1/3 of the Mini choke pull should do nothing to the mix ... it only engages high idle (according to the owner's manual ... and only applies to systems that have not been futz with!) ... there are reports of folks driving their car home after the throttle cable broke using the choke cable as a hand throttle.

I occasionally get a strong bit of smell from the exhaust and/or a burp of fuel smell inside
My gas smell has each time been solved by pulling the 'pot' off the top of the carb and cleaning deposits there that kept the plunger from moving freely .... simple 'gunk' cleaned with carb cleaner


And possibly like mine, you do not have a tight seal 'tween the engine and pass' areas (big hole in 'firewall?)

 

Wow... Been 3.5 months since I posted last...


Well, besides injury, life, work, someone rear-ending my '02, etc getting in the way of working on the Mini... Nothing really got done to the classic


Haven't been able to get the engine up to temp often, maybe once every 2 weeks, but seems to be holding up well. It seems that the oil is slowly seeping out the of rocker cover gasket. Not to much, but just enough to make just outside the gasket look damp. I don't think it is anything to worry about for now. I do have a backup gasket on hand.


But... to get back to the question 3 months ago... The spark plugs look a nice biscuit color.





That was the best looking picture. They all just about look like that.


I think there is a shop around here that might be able to help with the tuning. I was originally going to have him help me with the CV and Shifter leaks, but I did that myself and lost his card...




Nothing to the performance/running of the car, but I did replace the speakers that were in the car. I'm not sure where they came from but, here is the before and after.
Before:



Here is After:



Those are Infinity Reference X 4602's. I couldn't find the boxes for 4x6 speakers anywhere.... Luckily, my older brother has a 3D printer, so, just printed out some boxes. Which look like this up close:





They sound so much better. The old ones were blown out.


Hopefully I can get the wiring harness replaced in the car and get the Carb looked at before I leave for work in the summer.

 

But... to get back to the question 3 months ago... The spark plugs look a nice biscuit color.

well .... my vision of biscuit differs from yours .... frankly thos don't apprear to have enough use to make a recommendation. IMO they are neither oily OR bis'

Mine tend to run the nice tan you see on a breakfast biscuit ........ all around the ceramic part with no deposits on the electrode. Next time I pull 'em I'll take a picture . . .

 

Hm... I think I cleaned it recently before that picture... I'll try and get an updated picture of it next time I have the chance as well.


Also, the next things I want to do to the car (not in any particular order):
Roll Cage
Rear Disc Break conversion (And maybe better ones for the front)
Spring suspension


Now... Just gotta figure out which one of those I can afford right now and then get it done.

 

Put me in your contact list: imagox@yahoo.com - I have a similar-vintage Mini and have done just about EVERY type of repair at one time or another on my car (including a full engine swap... long story...), so if you get stuck anywhere, or just want a heads-up on what a repair/upgrade will *REALLY* entail, don't hesitate to reach out.

Enjoy!!!!

 

Thanks! I'll be sure to get in contact with you if I get into any bad snags.

I just made an appointment to get the car into the shop at 7ent, to do a quick look around and help with the carb tuneup as well as getting a parts list together for putting in springs.

I'll start looking into it now, but I am going to look into the pros and cons of coilover vs standard setup. I'll post back with question that I can't search for answers for.

 

you live near enuf to take your car to 7

well goodnight Sally ....... ENVY ENVY ENVY

when I first bought my 79 I lived near a top notch LBC shop too - Abacus Racing in VA Beach. Was SO super nice to be able to take the car in and have NO doubts it was getting the right things done . .. Ab' diagnosed what was wrong with my carb setup b4 I got out of the car and had fixed it less than 5 minutes later!

{story I heard is that 7 actually started in the Hampton Roads area of VA ... sorry I forget the guys name but he was a big Mini racer and ran a shop. Not too many years b4 I arrived in VA he'd packed up and shifted the operation to CA as 7. Original owner now deceased.} From their web page:

Seven Enterprises has been in existence since 1974, supplying the Mini enthusiast with replacement parts and accessories for Mini owners in North America and around the world. Seven Enterprises enjoys the reputation as the best-staffed and best-run Mini parts supplier in the U.S.

In the summer of 2002, Seven Enterprises moved from Newport News, Virginia to Auburn, California.

************
Roll bar: I have a 6 point Safety Devices cage (rear loop with diag' supports plus the bolt in front piece.) .... it is FUN getting it in the car if not done during a full strip! It fits TIGHT!

 

Got my MINI back from the guys from 7ent. They were awesome. I'll definitely be going back to them for any troubles that I can't do myself.

My carb was taken off, cleaned, replaced the needle, as well as had a plastic jet installed. It still had the original wax stat jet that didn't work anymore. A K&N Filter was placed on and I think I got a few horses back! Something about the right fuel-to-air ratio feels good. (New picture coming soon)

Some bad news about my engine: low compression on cylinder one, about 90 PSI, not too bad, but a little concerning. The rest were, 100~, 130~, and 120~. He did point out the 2nd hear does pop out (which I knew), around corners and decelerating. You can easily hold the gear into place with no problems. Not sure if I'm going to put too much work into trying to fix those problems... Might just do an engine swap.

Picked up some Red springs with Hi-Los and some new Spax Shocks while I was there (might as well save some shipping costs). I'll be working on getting those put in soon.

Edit: Added picture!

 

Hmm, it seems that it has almost been a year since my last post... Hopefully I don't get in trouble for resurrecting this post. (I tried to see if there was a rule for that and I couldn't find any).

A couple (major) updates since last year:

I bought a 1275cc with an HIF6 carb from 7ent and had them install it over the summer. My job picks up in the summer and I was away from my car for 5 or months. Picked it up and had it tweaked a couple times.

Before:



After:





They did a fantastic job, while they had it out, I had them also repaint the engine bay and install some new firewall. It is amazing how much more power this had compared to the 998. I asked how the 998's condition was after they got it out and there were quite a few things that were just about worn through. I am quite happy that I did that.

I also got some springs and new shocks put in to replace the old rubber cones that didn't feel like the provided any suspension at all. Now it rides much smoother, even more so than my 2002.

My parents bought me a roof rack that was on MiniMania. I've gotten plenty of compliments on how it fits so well with the rest of the car. I can tell if it is a little more windy than usual out too.

(I thought I would add this in here instead of making a new thread)
Alright, so, one thing that popped up just yesterday when I was driving it around, my idle gets up to and stays at 2500. There is a little slack in my chock cable and barely any in my throttle cable. Adjusting the idle screw has no effect that I could tell. I have tried searching around for what might be the problem, but all I might have found was a vacuum tube might be damaged. All of mine seem to be in working condition, can't see which one might be the problem. I'm lost on what could cause this, anyone have any ideas?

Things that I am going to be doing soon-ish:
My passenger door handle has been pulled through, looks like it has been repaired before, so I have to pull off the door panel and see how I can reattach it.
I also seemed to have cracked my front-right fender flair. Who knew garage frames (wood) are stronger than plastic. The last owner seemed to have riveted on. That will be fun to replace...

 

Nice work on engine and bay