Morris Minor Owners Club

Evening all.

After reading similar threads of spluttering engines and trying out the suggestions we’re still having problems.

After taking the engine out to replace the clutch (this may not be related as it was a week or so later, but worth a mention) we started to have problems when in first and second gear. The engine was spluttering an awful lot and the car was jerking as if from bad clutch control (this was the mother-in-laws diagnosis of my partners driving).

The following week it had started to splutter as soon as the engine fired up and cut out when taking off in first gear. A day or two later it would start, splutter and die before moving at all.

We checked the petrol pump, cleaned up the points and that’s working fine. The float chamber is clean and healthy. We’re getting a spark at all of the plugs.

We’ve since changed the condenser (twice, the second time with one of the spangly Distributor Doctor-never-go-wrong-ones), the rotor arm as it looked past its best, the distributor cap and the low tension lead and insulator. The point’s gap has been checked and double checked. The valve gaps have been checked and readjusted where necessary.
The first plug was rather damp the other day, so cleaned it and put it back in and the car fired up.
Now, however it does not want to fire up at all. The engine does turn over quite happily though.

Is there a chance that oil could be getting past some buggered piston rings?

The battery is on charge now to be ready for round 65 tomorrow.

Any suggestions on what to try next?

P.s. this is a standard 1098 engine

You've covered most of the options it seems...... how about dizzy cap - have you a spare you can swap in? And to eliminate fuel supply problems - pour some petrol down the carb and crank it - does it fire up ?? Also worth checking if in all the kerfuffle, the HT leads have been mixed up...check for 1342 anticlockwise round the dizzy. Assuming it's not that - then a compression test is called for.

Thanks for the reply. I'll check the leads in the morning and try the pouring petrol trick!

We were hoping to do a compression test this evening, but we can't get the car to start. Is there a way of doing it with a cold, non-running engine?

You do a compression test with all spark plugs out and throttle fully open so disconnect the feed to the coil and the petrol pump.

Cold will be fine - IF you have a good battery - and/or use jump leads from another running engine. The results will be lower - but what you are looking for is similarity of readings over all the cylinders.

bmc, good thinking with checking the ht leads! We had put them on incorrectly!! Not sure how we managed this as we took it directly off our second 1098 Morris Minor and labelled each lead before removing...

Anyhow, after changing those around he is up and running nicely. Will have a proper drive tomorrow evening to see how he goes. Hopefully this is the end of this issue

Thanks for the help

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