Background:

1991 Rover Mini 1.3 Carb engine.
Was sitting for a year.
Recently did an oil change/oil filter.
tuned the carb (still need to do an overhaul on the carbs)
new HT leads.
new air filters.

So I've been having this issue where on cold starts, the car starts fine but if I pull over, turn off the engine, and try to start it back up, it has issues turning over and starting.

I have to wait approximately 15-30 minutes and for the engine to turn over.
I also will have to press the gas as I'm turning they key for it to turn over.

Anyone know what sort of issues this might be?
I'm pretty new to cars so this has been a headache (but still love my mini :D)

Thanks!

 

It sounds like your battery is good if it starts good first time for the day.


I had a similar problem, mine was that the terminals and cables at the starter solenoid were dirty. I turned the key on after driving a while, all the dash lights came on but no starter.


I was able to clean everything up and haven't had a problem since.


I have an 81 and the starter solenoid is attached to the right side of the engine bay wall where yours might at/on the starter motor.


Keep us posted.

 

Just to verify, you're using "turn over" to mean engine rotation? So, when the engine is hot, the engine has trouble rotating when you turn the key? What are the symptoms: zero rotation, slow rotation, etc?




Sounds like a classic starter issue though.

 

concur that cleaning all the battery cable and ground connections is a good place to start

I had a similar problem when I got my 79 which turned out to be a loose nut at the car side of the engine ground strap.

does a 91 still have a manual choke? Sounds like the choke and or the mix is not right if so. With a manual choke on an SU the first 1/3 of the pull simply raises the idle speed for starting a cold engine. Mine pretty much always needs this for a first start and if really COLD (Florida cold) then I need more pull to actually have the choke richen the mix for starting.

what distributor does it have? does it still use points? if so I'd ditch 'em for a Pertronix replacement. You'll get a much stronger start.

 

Yeah, what the engine is hot it has a hard time starting. It's a slow rotation and then goes to a faster rotation when I push on the gas. At that point it has enough power to idle. If I don't push on the gas (when it's hot), it just dies before it even turns on--if that makes any sense.
Here's the video of what it sounds like:
I don't know what distributor it has. Just purchased the car a few weeks ago from a private Japanese seller and it's been in the shop for a bit.

I'll check and clean the battery cables and see if that helps.
The choke I usually have pulled in the mornings and after the car's been sitting for for a few hours in the cold prior to starting.

Also what does "SU" stand for?

Thanks and will do!

 

Good info here on all things carb. http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Troubleshooting.htm

 

rite....have you cleaned the points or changed the points, changed the spark plugs, checked the leads are in the right order 1-3-4-2 in anti clockwise order with NO:1 lead at approx 2 o'clock, checked the main earth straps engine to bulk head and battery to ground.......is the petrol(gas) fresh

 

SU = Skinners Union, the company that makes the carb' found on carb'd Minis (and many other cars)

The sound I hear in the video says you are cranking but to start.

To run the engine needs, fuel, air and spark. Engine debugging 101 says don't mess with the fuel system until you are 110% sure you have good spark.

When you crank, do you smell fuel? If you crank for a while and no start the fuel should eventually be passing out the exhaust (smell it)

You can check for start primitively, pull a lead off a plug and hold close to the block and crank. The spark should make the jump. and hold close

You say you changed the "leads", I'd go for plugs, coil and as mentioned points (altho I also say ditch the points and get a Pertronix)

"tuned the carb (still need to do an overhaul on the carbs)" one carb or 2? What guide did you follow to tune the carb?

(I'd be careful with any carb references that are not specific to the SU carb' ... it is a unique beast. Elegant but very different from the typical US carb (like Rochester mentioned in the provided link)

Is the 'pot' in the carb full of oil? What weight? .... Something unique about SU's ...)

"Was sitting for a year" .... did you drain the fuel tank and fill fresh? Is a fuel filter fitted? Did you replace it? Mechanical or electric fuel pump? Any possibility of leaks?

"I'm pretty new to cars so this has been a headache (but still love my mini :D) "

Where are you? Have you sought out other owners of Mini? (not MINI) or other LBC (little british cars) .... MG's and Triumphs are quite similar engine wise and their owners can often help.

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btw folks, if I'm not mistaken this owner is in Japan ....

OP: military? In the US most bases of any size have an auto hobby shop and the guys who hang out there (or work there) can have a lot of knowledge . . .

subscibe to MiniWorld .... every month they have great technical articles that explain things for us newbies. I learn something from every issue

http://miniworld.co.uk/