Post by bigtony on Aug 10, 2013 21:13:38 GMT
To get it close enough to run.....
Pull the plug from number one cylinder (the radiator end of the car). Stick something long (screwdriver) down the hole until you can feel the top of the piston. Now turn the engine in it's normal running direction until you can feel the piston coming up the cylinder (don't let the screwdriver jam against the piston and the edges of the spark-plug hole). As soon as the piston starts coming upwards pull the screwdriver out and put a wet thumb over the hole - now keep turning and see if you can feel pressure against your thumb. If not then stick the screwdriver back in and keep turning till the piston has come to the top, gone back down and is on it's way back up again - this time you should feel pressure. Now back in with the screwdriver and turn the engine again until the piston is at the top of this stroke. This souds long winded but it's very simple and probably takes longer to read than to do (it'll all go easier if you pull all the plugs but you can get away with just the one). It's also helpful if during at least some of this procedure you've watched which way the dizzy turns (I think it's anti-clockwise from memory).
We now know that No.1 piston is within a few degrees of TDC on it's firing stroke. Funnily enough so long as the spark happens somewhere around haere a petrol engine will run.
So..... Look where the rotor arm is pointing. Put the dizzy-cap back on and turn the dizzy until the rotor arm points at one of the connections - that connection should now be connected to No.1 spark-plug. Now work around the dizzy in the direction we saw earlier (clockwise/anti-clockwise) connecting the remaining leads to cylinders 3, 4 and 2 in that order (because the Mini's firing order is 1-3-4-2).
The engine should now start. If it won't then slack the dizzy body off just enough to move it and with someone cranking the engine turn the dizzy a few degrees either direction until it does start.
Once it will idle disconnect the vacuum advance from the dizzy and plug it so that the engine can't draw air through it and lean off the mixture. With the engine running at tickover swing the dizzy around again until you can obtain the highest possible engine-speed just by adjusting the timing.
Should now be at least close enough to drive.
As I've said - it seems long winded but it's very simple to do. Once you've done it a couple of times you'll do it with your eyes closed.
Pull the plug from number one cylinder (the radiator end of the car). Stick something long (screwdriver) down the hole until you can feel the top of the piston. Now turn the engine in it's normal running direction until you can feel the piston coming up the cylinder (don't let the screwdriver jam against the piston and the edges of the spark-plug hole). As soon as the piston starts coming upwards pull the screwdriver out and put a wet thumb over the hole - now keep turning and see if you can feel pressure against your thumb. If not then stick the screwdriver back in and keep turning till the piston has come to the top, gone back down and is on it's way back up again - this time you should feel pressure. Now back in with the screwdriver and turn the engine again until the piston is at the top of this stroke. This souds long winded but it's very simple and probably takes longer to read than to do (it'll all go easier if you pull all the plugs but you can get away with just the one). It's also helpful if during at least some of this procedure you've watched which way the dizzy turns (I think it's anti-clockwise from memory).
We now know that No.1 piston is within a few degrees of TDC on it's firing stroke. Funnily enough so long as the spark happens somewhere around haere a petrol engine will run.
So..... Look where the rotor arm is pointing. Put the dizzy-cap back on and turn the dizzy until the rotor arm points at one of the connections - that connection should now be connected to No.1 spark-plug. Now work around the dizzy in the direction we saw earlier (clockwise/anti-clockwise) connecting the remaining leads to cylinders 3, 4 and 2 in that order (because the Mini's firing order is 1-3-4-2).
The engine should now start. If it won't then slack the dizzy body off just enough to move it and with someone cranking the engine turn the dizzy a few degrees either direction until it does start.
Once it will idle disconnect the vacuum advance from the dizzy and plug it so that the engine can't draw air through it and lean off the mixture. With the engine running at tickover swing the dizzy around again until you can obtain the highest possible engine-speed just by adjusting the timing.
Should now be at least close enough to drive.
As I've said - it seems long winded but it's very simple to do. Once you've done it a couple of times you'll do it with your eyes closed.
