runs, doesnt run, runs, doesnt run.....bad fuel?!!

[aliceinwonderland]

I haven't a clue what is actually wrong with her now, i'm at my last straw!

Drive along fine, then slow down or stop and it cuts out, battery power etc fine just doesnt want to actually run and go. (very helpful when your about to go onto a round about!!!! )

When you drive along it seems to loose the power to push itself along, then kind of winds itself up (builds up more power) and goes then once i need to slow down again it looses power....and after a few yards just looses the will to go altogether.

Taken it to my machanic and he replaced parts on it gave me a fuel filter etc to try solve the problem and it doesnt seem to have helped....He thinks its something to do with "bad fuel"

I really don't know whats wrong with it, its my daily car as some of you know, so i am car-less at the moment.

I can't think of any other way to explain it (you should all know im rubbish at this after the "magic bolt!")

HELP!!!!!!

[mk1morris]

sounds like it could be water in the ignition system if you still have points and condenser its a commen problem during the crap weather we are having

[Rachel]

Hi Kate

I had similar problems with Tony's black mini a few weeks back.

I had to go to Ore in the pouring rain - it got there fine but started messing about on the way home.

It carried on stalling at junctions/roundabouts etc for a couple of weeks.

Tony and I both had a tinker under the bonnet but didn't really do much. I took it to out to get petrol and the next day it was fine.

Out of interest, where do you think you got your "bad fuel" from as I have a feeling that my problems could have been fuel related too.

[MiniGT5]

I think I have had this problem recently too... Mine came from tesco Lottbridge Drive but it does get a led adative so I can be sure.

N

[Miniböttcher]

first check your earths to the body make sure they have good contact
check all connectors, and make sure the ones on the coil are not lose

may seem stupid, make sure there is no water dripping into your air filter, been there, had it. car stops and runs like crap

check gap and clean plugs, make sure everything to pusted in tight and not lose

check points gap

could clean out you tank to make sure there it no crap in there

these are the thing you can do which will not cost anything but time

then the thing which will cost

when was it last serviced,

could just be down to having a good service, points, CONDENSER (common thing that makes your car do what yours is doing),
dizzy cap, leads, spark plugs, and while your there oil and filter.

or it could be your coil breaking down

at this time of year its best to put a cover in front of the dizzy to stop water getting at it,

[aliceinwonderland]

its just come back from the garage and it had had a mini service and the timing had been re done cos it was off before after my head gasket change was done,

what happens now is it will run fine for about 10 mins and then the carb starts frosting over and getting ice cold thats when it starts dying and wont run anymore,

that why we thought it was a bad fuel problem and that we need to drain the tank down and flush it through with new petrol and see if its any better,

how would i drain the fuel tank? could i take it out and wash it out or not bother?

Thanks

[Miniböttcher]

yes you can just take it out, in such

you can undo the strap, take the fuel cap off and wingle the tank round to you can see the outlet,

undo the hose clip, then be ready, to seal to to end or your get petrol every where , get a second person to help you is best( jo ), pull the hose off (be quick) and put you finger over the of the tank out let and screw a bolt into the hose to stop the fuel coming out, then carfully remove the tank out the boot.
sometimes the out let is blocked with rustly bits,

if its bad replace it with a good second hand tank,

[aliceinwonderland]

Thanks for that info very helpful, do you recan bad fuel or a crappy tank could be causing the carb to do that?

Thanks

[aliceinwonderland]

also some more input, Jo put this problem up on his forum and they said :

"the early coopers had a similar problem when they were driving in the Alps, the cold temp was no good for the carbs and they iced up, what they ended up doing was running water through a jacket on the inlet manifold, when the water was hot it stopped the manifold icing up. Now before any dicks say....hang on she aint driving in the Alps, we need to know when the symptoms started and does it only happen in really cold weather ?"

im putting this up now as i did not know if you other guys that said your are having/had this problem may not of thought about it,

also gave me a link to this section on a site and its the same symtoms my min has been having

www.misterfixit.com/carbice.htm

very usefull if it is true

[katentel]

kate do you have a heated alloy manifold ? if you do is it connested as lots of people dont bother!when i spoke to gerald dale some months ago one of the things he said about was definatly connect it up as it attomises the fuel which i suppose means the fuel runs hotter this may be of some help

[MiniHaven]

It could be something as simple as an air leak in the intake /inlet area i.e. a hole in a hose somewhere letting the air in .
symptoms sound like this could be the problem ? have encountered it many times in the days of minibizz usually after someone else has been disturbing stuff under the bonnet , rubber pipes can biodegrade and crack when they get old , good way to find out is have engine runing and spray wd40 around all the pipework around the carb if you notice the revs pick up then theres a leak and this costs you nout to do !!

[Deleted]

has it got a std air filter? if it has a after market one the cold air passing through the carb will feeze the slide, heated manifold is good but heating it after the event needs the air filter pointing over the exhaust manifold

[aliceinwonderland]

i was gunna get jo to hook up the heated alloy manifold to see if it help, also the air intake is right up agaist the bulkhead so somepeople have said putting in some duckting like a cold air intake but from the exhaust manifold to the air filter so the air is hot?

thanks for all the help