Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi everyone
im a new member on here and just purchased my first morris traveller .
unfortunatly it was purchased as a none runner ,the story is it was serviced by someone then it didn't run after !
new plugs,points,condenser,rotor,cap
it seems to fire initaly but just don't run.
there is fuel there ,i staticly timed it up ,there is a spark at the plugs ,good compression ???
anyone have a clue ?

Hi. I'm also new and had the same problem. I noticed that one of my HT leads was faulty, have you installed new ones?

is the carb set up ok
also is the fast idle correct

Hi i forgot to mention its had new leads !
as for the carb i can only go on what i have been told ,its deffinatly not run since the so called service the oil is still fresh and clear.
i think im gonna change the points and condenser ,i have heard a few stories of brand new condensers not working !!!!

It's a case of isolating the problem.

I would first take the cap off the Dizzy, turn the ignition on (make sure car is in neutral) and press the button that turns the engine over. If you get a spark at the points then the points set up and coil is ok, replace the dizzy. Then take out each plug in turn rest it on the block and see if they spark. If they do then each lead and plug is ok too. Check then to see if the firing order is correct. If all this is ok then check the fuel side of the engine.

Sometimes even though parts are new, they can still fail, but you'll find it'll be something very simple. I have had a dodgy plug, dodgy lead and even one of the fuses play up giving similar symptoms.

does it run at all, even for a short lengyjh of time

if its been satnding, is the fuel old and stale

Is the choke working ok ? Seems odd it will 'fire' but not keep running. Try pouring an egg-cup of fresh petrol down the carb inlet - take the air filter off to gain access! If it runs for a few seconds on that - then the problem is fuel related.

Dean wrote:It's a case of isolating the problem.

I would first take the cap off the Dizzy, turn the ignition on (make sure car is in neutral) and press the button that turns the engine over. If you get a spark at the points then the points set up and coil is ok, replace the dizzy. Then take out each plug in turn rest it on the block and see if they spark. If they do then each lead and plug is ok too. Check then to see if the firing order is correct. If all this is ok then check the fuel side of the engine.

Sometimes even though parts are new, they can still fail, but you'll find it'll be something very simple. I have had a dodgy plug, dodgy lead and even one of the fuses play up giving similar symptoms.

there seems to be a spark at the points ,also at the plugs..though one plug seemed to fade after a few seconds ? {i will test this again} . ihhave tried a small amount of fuel poured into the carb this did nothing.
tonight it ran for a few seconds but wouldn't rev up.
i will put some fresh fuel in and go through the fuses aswell.
looks like its had a new exhaust at the same time as the other bits.
all good fun i spose!
thanks for all replies

Certainly not fuses! They have nothing to do with engine running.

I had problems with starting my trav, it would cough and splutter and take 2 or 3 turns before anything would happen, turns out I had done the choke cable up incorrectly and I wasn't able to put full choke on

Is the carb damper piston free to rise and fall easily ?

Are the HT leads in the correct order? Firing order is 1-3-4-2

bmcecosse wrote:Certainly not fuses! They have nothing to do with engine running.

Does if the connections are dirty or in my case the wire inside the fuse occasionally broke the connection. A new fuse sorted it out.

On mine I just kept trying. I think I tried to start her about 100 times over the course of a couple of days. That seemed to do the trick.

I used another car to keep the battery power up.

Well it's worth a try I suppose!

Dean - nothing that makes the engine run goes through a fuse on the standard car! Ignition and fuel pump are both wired directly - no fuse involved.

You mean a new fuse and it now runs? If so, as BMC says that's very unusual.

If not,

Check fuel flow to the carb, disconnect the pump from the carb and run fuel into a jam jar. Check the flow rate (it'll only take a few seconds to fill the jar) and that it's good, fresh, clean petrol.

Check the valve and float in the float chamber. take the top of the chamber off. blow where the petrol would go in (the inlet pipe coming from the pump). as you move the float up the valve will close. When the float hangs free you should be able to blow through. (then clean your mouth out, a cup of tea works wonders )

while the float chamber lid is off check ther isn't loads of crud in the bottom and maybe, using a piece of pipe over the hole in the bottom, blow it through into the venture so that it's clear.

check there is oil in the dashpot.

check it rises slowly when pushed up and falls with a clunk when you leave go.

check the choke cable operates the choke properly (and use it!)

with all that, it should have a good fuel flow (and as others have said, make sure the fuel's good).

If the fuse cured it, sounds like someone has wired the fuel pump up through a fuse, which isn't normal.

Hope that helps
Andrew

ta for all the answers !
i have chercked and re checked all the plaug gaps ,contact gaps ,leads , and happy the electric side is ok.
plenty of compression
did the standard carb things ,float clean chamber ,blew through the jet both ways ,cleaned dash pot ,checked the rise and fall.
what i did find was the mixture nut was tightened right up to the spring !
can anyone say approx how many turns from the top would be ok just to start it up ? ?
it did run for a short time ,but wouldn't rev up . it sounded wooley bit like an overrun.

a good starting point is 12 flats down from fully tightened up

aupickup wrote:a good starting point is 12 flats down from fully tightened up

thanks for that ,can anyone tell me the rocker gaps ?, running out of things to check !!!!
if it runs this weekend im gonna call it jesus !!!

0.012" for both inlet and exhaust according to my book, although some recommend 0.015" for the exhaust valves. Either would be fine as a starting point, the 3 thou' difference won't stop her running.