Morris Minor Owners Club

Help everyone!
Not long finished fitting a 1275 Morris Ital engine to my Minor.
Having trouble getting it running right.
Had to change the head for a 12G940 Cooper,as the old head had worn out seats.
So far so good.Still not running right.
Checked out all the obvious things,and have now decided it’s the carb.
The engine is running very lean.Lowered the jet as far it would go,still running lean!
Could it be the needle which is a BEJ. Bought carb at an auto jumble so no idea what it came off! Plug centre is white.
Any ideas more than welcome.
Cheers,
Martin.

I thought that the HIF carbs had an adjustment screw on the side of the carb body? Are you sure its a HIF44. Also check for an air leak between the carb and manifold and the manifold and head.
Check that the inlet manifold mounting flanges and the exhaust mounting flanges are the same thickness.

A BDL is a good starting point for a lightly modified 1275, obviously a few hours on a rolling road is what you really need but a BDL should get you running, unless there are other mods?

Yes mixture screw is on the side,and adjusted at it’s lowest position which should be richest,

Just to check as I am having a senior moment,what direction do you turn the screw to richen,clockwise or ant-clockwise?

Screw in to richen, however it is operated by a bi metal strip and can be over tightened. If you reach a point when screwing in makes it run lumpy yet even weaker, you will need to screw it right out until the engine is running smooth. It only needs a small adjustment.

Hi all,
O.K, still having problems getting the engine functioning correctly.
Having checked everything else it keeps coming back to the HIF44!
The running gear I have is a 12G940 head,Metro manifold with the inlet part removed,a Mini Sport inlet manifold,an ESM big bore exhaust and an 1 1/2” HIF44.
I have been fiddling with the side mixture screw,in out shake it all about,and no matter what height I set it at the car still will not pull as it should,and runs as rough as a bears behind!
But suddenly a breakthrough,if I pull the choke right out all seems well!
At last my question is(thanks for your patience) Does the mixture screw only control the mixture at tick over,or does it control the whole Rev range? Or is it that I need a richer needle. The needle I am running is numbered ADS.
Plug cuts are a misleading.
Many thanks in advance,
Martin.

Doh!
I have misslead all you kind people,The carb I have must be a HIF38,not HIF44 as stated.Sorry!
Martin

The mixture screw is connected to a bi-metal strip which alters the mixture for the choke. It should never require turning by more than a quarter of a turn in or out. If you try to richen the mixture by screwing it too far in, you will bend the bi-metal strip which will weaken the mixture.

Check that you have connected the engine breather pipe and the float bowl overflow to the correct connections on the carburettor. I have always thought that they look like they should be connected the other way. See https://www.minimania.com/SU_CARBS___Co ... __HIF_type

Hi Paul,
Yes,your post was of great help,I think I could have cocked up the plumbing!
I took the two lower pipes to be one fuel in,and the other the float chamber overflow.
It looks like the overflow is the round plastic disc,is this correct.If it is I have connected the second lower pipe as the overflow by mistake.
Many thanks again,
Martin.

Hi Martin,
Yes the black knob is the breather, not all hif carbs have them, it depends which vehicle the carb was first fitted to.

Cheers
Paul

The picture below shows the connections for an HIF carburettor - HIF 38 and 44.

The connections can be on either side of the carburettor, but the function is always the same:

7. Fuel inlet from pump
8. Vent to atmosphere - usually a length of hose is connected to this port
9. Vacuum for ignition - usually on the top, not underneath!
11. Crankcase ventilation - connected either to the timing cover cannister (1275) or the tappet cover cannister (948/1098) How is yours connected?

What is the 'sandwich' plate connected to?

A BEJ needle is VERY weak in comparison to a BDL, you will never get a correct mixture setting with it. As already suggested, the BDL needle is a very good starting point for a 1275 engine.

Hi all,
Many thanks for all your helpful replies.
I must throw up my hands and admit I have gone off on a bit of a tangent!
The cab.I have is I believe an HIF38 not a HIF44 as I originally stated,Doh!
I was led to believe this came from a 1300 Metro,but going through a lot of SU information,this came from a 1098 Mini! I confirmed this by checking the needle which is a ADS which was only fitted to the 1098.
Also all the needles fitted to HIF38’s seem to start with an A prefix,and HIF44’s start with a B prefix.Could be wrong, but that’s my understanding.
I am running this with a ram pipe,not a filter which will again affect the mixture.
So the question remains,what needle is suggested?
The pipe from the sandwich plate is blocked off,Vacuum for distributor is from small pipe at back of carb.
Many thanks again.
Martin.

Quick correction,
For Mini 1098 read Metro 1000 HLE.
That is the only ADS needle reference I could find.
I am an old codger!

I am now totally confused! How many needles are we talking about and how many 'Martin's'? There seem to be two people posting called Martin, and then two carburettors and two needles.

You started off with a BEJ, which is an HIF44 needle, and then ADS, which is for an HIF38. They are not interchangeable.

For a slightly modified 1275, you will need the HIF44 and BDL needle. What have you actually got?

The needle code is not as simple as A = HIF38, and B =HIF44. Most of the needles with 3 letter chrs, e.g. BDL do follow that rule, but not all, and in addition there are >240 HIF38 needles that do not start with an 'A', and >100 HIF44 that do not start with a 'B'.

my 1098 runs with a HIF38 carb and a ADS needle. It runs fine.

That will be the ultra-lean burn (i.e., designed to run with a very weak mixture) carb fitted only (AFAIK) to the Metro HLE.

It certainly isn't an ideal carb to use on a 1275! My advice would be to sell it on (it may have rarity value) and fit a HIF44.

Hi all,
Yes I know I have confused you all,I did say I was an old codger!
Let me try and clarify the situation.
I originally fitted a HIF44 and was asking advice regarding that particular carb.
I then met a guy at a local car meet with a similar set up,and advised me to fit a HIF38.
So let us forget all about the HIF44 and concentrate on the HIF38.
I thought this was from a 1275 but it is from a 998,and fitted to my 1275 Ital engine does not work well!The needle fitted to this carb, is an ADS,totally unsuitable for my application.
O.K hopefully we are clear after my senior moment!
I very much appreciate all the help,so what needle do I need to try.
Martin(The one and only!)

As stated in my reply above "My advice would be to sell it on (it may have rarity value) and fit a HIF44."

As someone else stated above, the BDL needle will be a good starting point, as used in the MG Metro (which had a mildly tweaked 1275cc engine).