Morris Minor Owners Club

ok, i will disconnect battery and take all sparks out. then turn by hand on the fan. If it turns freely then i guess it's a good way to check it.

Here is some other checks i'm thinking of doing after research so please add more as you see fit.

Take all sparks out and squirt some oil in there and turn the engine by hand.
Spray wd40 all round the fan area where it could be a bit rusty
Get a container and disconnect the pipe coming out from the fuel pump turn on the igntion and see if it is pulling fuel from the tank into the carb
Give the whole engine bay a good clean with a toothbrush and steam cleaner
Do the compression test mentioned by simmitc to make sure i have the number 1 lead identified correctly on the dizzy

If there is enough battery power to light the side lights then there is enough to start the engine on the handle.

Get a container and disconnect the pipe coming out from the fuel pump turn on the ignition and see if it is pulling fuel from the tank into the carb.
Do the compression test mentioned by simmitc to make sure i have the number 1 lead identified correctly on the dizzy

These will help, don't bother with the rest.
Take about an egg cup full of petrol and chuck it down the carb and see if it runs at all.

Life is too short to trying to start a car you don't know on the handle, once you know that it's a runner and how much choke it takes to get it started then using the starting handle is more realistic.

Whose giving you the 'mad' advice?? No need to disconnect battery - DO NOT try to turn it with the fan - USE THE STARTING HANDLE. Check the pump by all means - I rather thought you would know if there was no petrol.... Forget the WD40 - gets rusty ??? Oh dear... Toothbrush away all you like - but it won't help start the engine...the toothbrush will taste terrible for days after.......

Lol, at mad advice. Just me googling.... oh and you can borrow the toothbrush after i'm finished with it

Anyway thanks everyone for the suggestions. I took off the fuel line from the pump to the float chamber and it was running with fuel and the float was half full so all seems good there.

@MarkyB when you said chuck it down the carb did you mean unscrew the black screw with the needle and fill it to near the top??

I took out all sparks and it turned very easily/free with the starting handle. I then turned it and found the position of the 1st lead. it was as simmitc said the first one after the low tension wire. I also poured a bit of oil down each spark hole.

I give up on the handle so will now wait for my charger to arrive, get a full battery connected then go for it.

If that fails then time to find a local mechanic.

NO! The petrol goes down the carb throat - not in the piston damper assy..... The oil down the bores may now just contaminate the spark plugs.......... It's a good thing to do for an engine that has been lying for some time - but let it drain away before starting.

Ok, good thing i didn't put it in the piston assembly then. I may have forgot to mention this engine has not been started for a minimum of 18 years. And I won't be trying to start it now till next week so oil I poured should be ok.

I'm lost now, where is the carb throat??? Pictures or what it's called in the Haynes manual page 69 please. ta

If you remove the air filter, then the big hole in the side of the carb will be the throat. Look inside, and you will see the base of the piston (carb piston, not one of the engine ones!). You should be able to lift it with your finger, then release it, and it will drop back down. The black screw that you were looking at is connected to a damper that slows the movement of the piston. If you unscrew and remove the damper, then the piston should move freely and drop with a nice clunk. Not a bad idea to check that the piston does move - not moving could prevent the engine from starting.

Hmm - well not started for 18 years - the oil should have been added right at the beginning - the damage may now be already done .... Let's hope it's ok....

I have found the carb throat. I then tried to lift the piston as described but it wouldn't lift. I ended up putting a screwdriver in and heard a sort of sound that released it. i think it may have been a bit stuck. I took out the black screw piston and it moves up and down. My only complaint is its not smooth and does not come down fast. How can I lubricate or get it working smooth. And also when I take the black screw out where should the oil be showing to?

I won't pour fuel down till next week now when I will attempt a start.

With the black screw out, it should rise and fall easily. As said previously, there should be some fresh engine oil in there filled to the level just above the visible inner lip, but only after you're satisfied with the suction disc action. It is my experience that these old SU's like to guzzle a drop of oil, so check it every couple of hundred miles.

The only way is to undo the two screws at the side of the bell -and lift it carefully away. Maybe mark it so you can refit it right way round (although this not strictly necessary - it does no harm...) . Then pull the piston out of the bell (care to not damage the needle sticking out of the piston, and yes there is a light wire spring in there) - and clean the piston edges and the bell walls with carb cleaner (or petrol). Resist the temptation to use T cut or Brasso - although in extremis - they can be used very lightly. DO NOT use wet/dry paper or any kind of abrasive....... Re-assemble on the carb and check the piston now rises easily and then falls with a clunk. If so - add some 3 in 1 oil down the damper tube - and fit the damper piston - just finger tight..... And yes - just tip a bit of petrol in the throat a few seconds before starting up.....
Point springs to mind - have you checked there is OIL PRESSURE before starting?? The engine should be cranked with plugs out until the orange oil warning light goes out - and then on for another 10 seconds or so..... If the oil light doesn't go out - don't attempt to start the engine....

Oh so that big silver piston will come out? Ok I will do that and give it a clean with petrol. And fill piston damper with oil to the inner line. And when I tried starting before the oil light did go out so think that's all fine.

Good plan!

No luck. I cleaned the carb as it had some gunk. Poured some fuel down it fully charged battery. Turns over real fast but no start I reset the valve clearances as well with a Stanley blade for the clearance. After doing the valves thought it was nearly going to start as it was turning over then I heard a sort of whoooshhhhh.... Any ideas?


Edit.... After pouring some more fuel down. I heard the whoosh again and a plume of white smoke from the exhaust.

Sounds very hopeful, I hope you didn't put more than about an egg cup full of petrol down the carb or you risk flooding it.
Don't pull the choke out more than half way for the same reason.
Pull a plug or 2 out and see if they are wet with petrol.
Have we established that the plugs are sparking? If not take one out, connect it up and rest it on the head, look for a nice blue spark when you turn the engine over.

I didn't put much more than an egg cup of fuel. Yes sparks are checked and there. I was pulling choke out full and locking to the left. I feel like its something to do with the bit where the choke cable meets carb Like the screw for setting it. I was encouraged with seeing some smoke

I hope the battery is back on charge
Full choke is probably too much when putting neat petrol down the throat of the carb, it needs some air too in order to run!
Is the carb piston rising and falling easily now? If it's still sticking down it needs to be be rectified.

With petrol down the throat - it would start no matter where the choke. Sounds like plug leads on wrong plugs to me...move them all round one place at a time and see what happens.

yes carb needle easily lifts with the finger and drops with a clunk. the 3 in 1 oil i put in provides good resistance. it's all clean now too.

I will probably try tomorrow now. Maybe if I did flood it, then it can settle a bit. And the leads are correct as I checked compression was there in each plug and checked where it connects.