Morris Minor Owners Club

I mentioned in a previous topic about my minor losing power a bit then juddering back to life and then it started cutting out. Also a hole decided to appear in the bottom of the radiator but i replaced that with a new one.

After a fried spam and egg sandwich, a pint of tea and a haynes manual to hand I decided I would look at the engine the best I could to try and determine the problem.

I checked the distributor and the spark plugs after reading how to do this in other threads. The plugs were quite sooty so i put new ones in. I couldn't really see any problems with the dizzy or HT leads but like I said I'm a bit of a novice so could have missed something. After blood, sweat and very close to tears its not really made much difference. The engine will only run for a couple of minutes and then it will cut out and have trouble starting again. maybe its a fuel problem? but I'm not sure how to check this.

Sorry if I'm repeating anything from other threads as this problem seems to come up quite a bit. I'm desperate to get this fixed so I can get out and enjoy it again and so my parents stop telling me to sell it! Any help and advice really is much appreciated.

Sorry can't help but i just had to say hom much i like your 'brew' piccie!

a bit more info required,when it stops try tapping the body of the fuel pump and listen for a rapid ticking which then slows and stops.This indicates that the pump is the problem. Try tapping lightly on top of the carb where the petrol pipe goes in (Lightly its fragile) if the pump starts to tick as above then the problem is with the float chamber valve sticking closed.(Ignition on of course). Make sure the choke is fully off,have a look at the base of the carb and push the plunger in(Where the small pipe from the fuel bowl goes into the base of the carb,to make sure that the jet is not sticking .Take the air filter off and try it again,if now ok then severly blocked filter(Unlikely that this is the fault) . Under the carb is a large nut,the mixture adjuster. If all the above shows no change screw this nut right in untill you feel it stop(Gently) then unscrew for 12 flats of the nut. This is roughly the basic mixture setting,then with the engine warm (if you can get it running long enough), find the small pin sticking down from the carb and push it up slightly you will feel a slight resistance.If the setting is too rich the engine will speed up and stay up,then back to the nut and screw it in one flat and try the pin again. If on first trying the pin the engine slows and stalls screw the nut down one flat and back to the pin, You are looking for the setting when the engine speeds up but then falls back to a slower running or no change in the engine speed.If still no good make sure there is oil(Engine oil) in the top of the carb Unscrew the small plastic nut on the top of the carb and lift out the plunger thats atached to it push it back in and it should be quite hard to do,because of the oil inside,if it just drops straight down then you need to add a little oil just a drop or two into the hole in the top of the carb.The blackened plugs suggest that its too rich and flooding .Try the above in turn dont just do it all at once because if you sort it you don't know what was the cause in the first place If still no go repost and we will all have a rethink good luck with it.

there is also a fuel filter in the pump that could be blocked.undo the brass nut at the bottom of the pump take out the filter and see if its clear.

Never managed to get the carb lift pin check to work. I just go for fastest tickover on the mixture nut.

Thanks for the help, I'll give it a try tomorrow. Sounds a bit complicated but I'm sure it will make more sense when I've got the engine in front of me. Oh and how much is a flat on the nut?

Peetee wrote:Sorry can't help but i just had to say hom much i like your 'brew' piccie!

Thanks Its an old sign from WW2.

Has the car been running ok up 'til now? If so, then the carburettor settings are very unlikely to have changed!
Sooty plugs sounds like too rich, but when the choke was sticking on on my traveller (due to the air intake to the air filter having swung round and jammed against the mechanism!) she still ran, just didn't tickover too well!

When I had a similar problem to you, it turned out to be the condenser faulty, so could be worth putting a new one on, cheap enough and the "right" thing to do anyway.

Also, are the points opening to the right gap? That can cause similar problems!

linearaudio wrote:
When I had a similar problem to you, it turned out to be the condenser faulty, so could be worth putting a new one on, cheap enough and the "right" thing to do anyway.

Also, are the points opening to the right gap? That can cause similar problems!

It was running fine before so I guess you are right that the carb is unlikely to have changed. I wasnt sure how to check the points gap as it was always closed when the engine wasnt running but it did have a small spark. Is the condenser easy to fit? thanks again.

Oh and how much is a flat on the nut?

Turn one flat side of the nut at a time or 1/6 of a complete turn. Mark one flat with Tipex so that you can keep track

Sooty plugs suggest too much fuel - so I doubt it's oump or float problem - but check anyway. Choke sticking ON, or sticky carb piston is high possibility. Ignition problems would give 'wet' plugs - are they wet when you pull them out ?

bmcecosse wrote:Sooty plugs suggest too much fuel - so I doubt it's oump or float problem - but check anyway. Choke sticking ON, or sticky carb piston is high possibility. Ignition problems would give 'wet' plugs - are they wet when you pull them out ?

The plugs were a bit sort of oily on the thread. I'm going to go out a check the fuel pump in a bit. I've ordered a new condenser so I'll have a go at fitting that when it arrives.

could be coil also. When it stops see if it is hot to the touch.

Uh oh, I think I've made it worse I started her up and when I pressed the needle in under the carb the engine sped up and stayed up. If I held the needle all the way in the engine would cut out. If I tapped the fuel pump it didn't tick or anything. I tried adjusting the nut under the carb but now when I try and start it up I just get white smoke or steam coming from under the engine! help....

" when I pressed the needle in " - what needle ????
Any chance you can take a picture and post it up ?
If you specify where you are a little more accurately - someone nearby may be able to come and have a look for you - it's a bit too far for me !

I think he means the lifting pin.

White smoke will hang about, steam will dissipate, also where is it coming from? Have you got any holes in your exhaust? Is there a decent seal between the manifold downpipe and the exhaust?

BMC is right though, sounds like you could use a visit from a local member.

There is a sort of needle under the carb. I think its steam then, my engine must be getting in a right mess.

I'm in Market Harborough, S. Leicestershire. I don't know if there is anyone that local but even someone with a trailer would be handy.

Take the air filter off - look at the mouth of the carb - in the hole there is a piston, it should be down blocking the hole. You should be able to gently lift it up - against slight resistance - witha finger tip. Lift it right to the top - inside you will now see the 'needle' which controls the petrol flow to mix with the air. Let the piston go - it should glide down and settle with a 'clunk'. Does it do that ?
As for the 'steam' etc - first off - is it losing any water? Look in the radiator - it's not supposed to be right to the top - but it should certainly have water showing!

Hope I'm not speaking too soon but... she works! Took her for a quick spin and she was running quite sweet, ahh I'm so happy Thanks for everyones help and advice.

Did you do anything to it ? Or has it just 'healed up' ?

I changed the plugs, checked the dizzy, cleaned the points in the fuel pump, adjusted the carb, checked the air filter, and there was a bit of a loose wire on the alternator. Maybe she just needed some tlc but we'll have to see if she holds out.