Hello, I own a 1971 LHD Austin Mini 1275, or at least that that was what I was told. I recently replaced the ignition lock and switch because old lock was damaged and key would not turn. I purchased a ignition lock and switch used on Ebay.uk part worked fine for about a month but then I was able to start and run my car but not able to use heater or windshield wipers. I removed the switch and was able to fix problem but now after a couple of weeks car will not start. Now when I have hazard light switch turned off and key in the on position the dashboard lights flash like the the switch is interfering with ignition. I have disconnected hazard light switch and when I try to start car it will not fully turn over. Also I just change oil and also added some carburetor cleaner to fuel and last couple of times I drove car I had to drive with choke pulled out or car would run roughly. Please help, any suggestions will be a big help.

 

WOW - you're kinda all over the map on this one . . . .

Sure sounds like you have some electrical issues that may or may not be related to your ignition switch. The wiper controls are there in the steering col' with the ignition switch, but how that could also impact the heater is a puzzlement. (I'm guessing you mean heater fan as the heater itself has no electrical component) You're down to basic wire tracing and searching for grounds on this one .. the flashing sounds like simple touching wires probably where you replaced the ig switch . . . did you seal everything to avoid crossed wires? Heat shink is my friend in situations like this - not to mention I solder everything ... loose wire strands can drive you crazy.

"it will not fully turn over" means it doesn't crank, or it cranks but you never get ignition? You added carb cleaner to the fuel? These cars have damn small tanks, what and how much did you add? Pulling the choke on an SU carb increases the idle speed b4 it does anything else. If you overly dilluted the fuel the fast idle may be keeping it from stalling.

What year is it, you don't know .... post a couple of pictures of the engine as that's really the concern.

A 1971 with left hand drive .... hmmm .... 1971 was the last year of the true Cooper but it is not presented as that. A left hand drive means this car was built for / came from??? Not the US that's for sure.

 

Quite likely an Austin American Mini from Canada. The only indication that my LHD '73 Austin Mini 1000 came from Canada is the ignition key ... has the British Leyland logo and very faintly says 'made in Canada'.

As far as the ignition switch goes ... there are a few types and my guess is that your '71 has the same style as my '73 - no longer available. The switch has two parts; the electrical switch and the key cylinder. When I found out that a replacement switch assembly was not available I purchased an assembly for a 1974 MG Midget from AzAutoHaus.com (the electrical switch part is identical but the key cylinder is not). I swapped the electrical parts over to my existing switch because my switch electrics were fried.

The electrical part of the ignition switch determines, based on key position, whether the accessories get power. If the electrical contacts are fried you could get spotty power to the vehicle electrics. If it were me I would be probing around the wiring harness with a test light when you've got your flashing dash lights to find the source of the problem. If you're not comfortable with DIY work then you will probably need to find a british mechanic that can help you find and fix the problem.

FWIW, I took some pictures when I was 'fixing' my ignition switch. They can be found here. I'm not sure if this'll help you but you can take a look through the pictures if you want. http://tsunami.desertwave.com/galler...g2_itemId=5644 Ignition switch pictures are _MG_1920 through _MG_1928.

Good luck,
Jeff

 

here is some photos of the engine and carb with home made cold air filter that was with car when i bought and plan on replacing with correct air filter.

 

Here are some photos of the ignition switch and lock.

 

Hi..for starters your Distributor leads are wrong place there 180deg out NO:1 lead is at approx 1-2o'clock and in this order 1-3-4-2 anticlockwise

 

excellent detail catch MK1

For OP, normally the seat of the pants check is that the #1 wire plug on the dizzy cap will point towards #1 plug as should the rotor while the engine is aligned to Top Dead Center (TDC), usually by the mark on the front pully and the timing scale . . .

Did you take anything apart you're not telling us about

 

So I need to move wires that are plugged into distributor cap. When I replaced distributor cap and wires I made sure that wires in same order. When I get home I will check hanes manuel because I am not sure which plug is which (1, 2, 3, 4).

 

1234 is from right to left, or front of the block (fan) to the back

 

Changed spark plug wires to correct position but car will still not start. Guessing it will run better once I get it started.

 

Do this simple test.....
remove all plugs, remove rocker cover, pull car foeward untill NO:1 & 2 valves are rocking, rad end, this is the firing stroke, remove dizzy cap and look see where the rotar is pointing it should point to NO:1 plug, now place cap and see if NO:1 lead is opp rotar if so your engine timing is set correctly .......see pic



if not then you are possible 180deg out to sort this out you need to remove distributor from block (very carefully) as the drive shaft sometimes sticks to dizzy and may drop into the g/box(transmittion)once removed you will need a 3" long 5/16th bolt and screw this into top of shaft and twist out and keep hold of it thenlook at pic and replace shaft as in pic.......good luck

 

I agree 'cept OP says it ran b4 and does not state any significant disassembly. I can see pulling the cap and wires and getting things futzed, but 180 out? I started to write a reply along your lines but then thought 'how'?

Is the timing just SO far out of whack as to be preventing a run????


OP .... did you do anything dizzy wize you are not telling us about?????

Have you checked the timing? (do you know how?)

 

No have not checked timing and no do not know how. Car was driving fine until I added carburetor cleaner. The reason I added cleaver was when I accelerated if I put my for all the way down it would sputter. Is it possible that is why car will not start (carburetor not feeding enough fuel.) If so what can be done.

 

back to an earlier question: what did you put in and how much, and was the tank full when you did this?

Carb cleaner I use doesn't go in the gas, and if you put something in the gas, but that tank was near empty you could have a real mess in there now. Possibly you need to empty the tank and fill it up with fresh fuel, but the answers would help point us in the right direction. ( a full can of sea foam in a nearly empty tank could really hose things up fast)

Also you could have a fuel pump problem. Do you know if the car still has the original mechanical pump, or an electric one? A test to see if the pump is working would be to pull the line off the carb, but the end to a bottle and crank the engine. You should get fuel flow - just make sure you don't blow anything up......

The performance you mention can be caused by the homemade airclearner in your picture .... replacing something as simple as the aircleaner can require "a needle" change on an SU carb



we need to walk carefully here and not do more damage as we long distance trouble shoot this problem. IF the car ran b4, and OP did not touch the dizzy, we might have screwed MORE things up by moving the wires. Be they in the wrong place, the car RAN . . .

 

I put in some lucas brand carburetor/fuel injection cleaner I put enough to clean a 21 gallon tank when fuel was low then drive to gas station about two blocks from my home and then filed tank. I believe I have a 7.5 gallon fuel tank. I will check fuel pump tomorrow, because I think the ignition switch is fixed and no longer the problem.

 

"won't start"?

it cranks over but won't catch?

 

Correct.. Will not catch, just clicks. Smells like fuel in engine bay after trying to start.

 

He put in enough cleaner for 21 gallons, and only put in 7 gal of gas at most. If a little is good, a lot must be better, right?

And smalest, your description is still misleading - it clicks, but does it spin over on the starter motor? If it spins over, that points a different direction than if it just clicks and does not spin over. Which is it?

I think you all are right, too many things going on here at once, time to get back to basics.

1st, drain the tank and fill it with fresh gas.

2nd, take the fuel line off and crank it till you see the fresh clean fuel from the tank.

3rd, go back over your wiring at the switch, double check that you have good grounds - that's what this sounds like to me - bad grounds.

4th check your timing as explained above. BTW, if the dizzy drive was installed 180 out, the plug wires will be off too, and it will run.

If you have spark, clean fuel and compression (I'm assuming that's good as it did run before) then it should run. However, I think your best bet is to find if there are any local classic Mini owners close to you and enlist some help. Your shotgun approach isn't going to give you good results, especially if you have no mechanical experience.

 

Fuel pump seems to be working fine, there are two copper lines coming from fuel tank and going to carburetor only one is pumping fuel not sure if that is the way it should be.

 

I'm not sure at what point but after my MKII they started have two fuel lines as modern cars do. One acts as a return for extra fual to be returned to the tank.

 

Also I don't think I understand what your starter is doing. Is the mini's engine turning over but not firing as though you don't have gas? or is the starter turning or just clicking like it is not engaging the engine?

 

He put in enough cleaner for 21 gallons, and only put in 7 gal of gas at most. If a little is good, a lot must be better, right?
I've seen that LUCAS injector cleaner, it is a pretty small bottle. If the tank was, or has been topped off I doubt there's enuf of the magic elixir to stop it from running. It might run bad, but should at least fire at high idle.

And smalest, your description is still misleading - it clicks, but does it spin over on the starter motor? If it spins over, that points a different direction than if it just clicks and does not spin over. Which is it?
clicks sounds like a solenoid problem. The sol' is clicking but not sending juice to the starter. Common problem and easy to fix. But need to verify this IS the problem. Easy way is to take a jumper cable to + on the battery or the sol' connection, and touch the other end to the starter connection. If the starter spins you have found the problem. BE SURE car is in neutral and the wheels blocked. BETTER - have someone who knows what they are doing help. OR use a meter and see if juice is getting to the starter when the key is turned. If yes and the starter isn't turning then sounds like the starter is gone. In either of these cases the car should start with a push start. How level is your neighborhood and have you a friend to help push?

I think you all are right, too many things going on here at once, time to get back to basics.
AMEN to that, I believe we've passed the point where this telephone doctoring may be doing more harm than good . . .

1st, drain the tank and fill it with fresh gas.

2nd, take the fuel line off and crank it till you see the fresh clean fuel from the tank.

3rd, go back over your wiring at the switch, double check that you have good grounds - that's what this sounds like to me - bad grounds.

4th check your timing as explained above. BTW, if the dizzy drive was installed 180 out, the plug wires will be off too, and it will run.
yes, this was my worry when he moved the wires but said the car ran b4 . . . we may have introduced a new problem there and those wires may need to go back for now . . .

If you have spark, clean fuel and compression (I'm assuming that's good as it did run before) then it should run. However, I think your best bet is to find if there are any local classic Mini owners close to you and enlist some help. Your shotgun approach isn't going to give you good results, especially if you have no mechanical experience.

Even an MG owner would have a good working knowledge of the Mini engine . . .

 

Tried to push start car with spark plug wires in new position and would not start. I will put wires back to original placement and try to push start. I am pushing car by self and have my wide trying to pop the clutch, so when I get my energy back will try again.

 

.....

 

Have you tried what I suggested above and found out if your engine is timed in properly................you need to try this as its the correct set up............If some cowboy has rebuilt the engine and not done as per basic instructions from a manuel...........from the pic in your OP the leads are 180deg out and if the cam timing is the same then your engine will never start.............