Morris Minor Owners Club

Alice I wonder it it could be a bit of damp in/on the Ign system allowing your 'Spark' to track away. It's not very easy to buy these days as demand has dropped off a cliff with modern cars rarely having such problems, but years ago 'Damp Start' as opposed to 'Easy Start' was a very common thing to...

My tip is not to let the battery get discharged too much and most certainly don’t leave it like that. Lead acid batteries soon fail, if not kept fully charged, by the plates becoming ‘sulphated’. Starting these older engines can be a bit of an ‘art’. Assuming one set of conditions fits all is not l...

You say that the fuel pump ticks and then stops, so it is likely that fuel is getting to the carb. That, plus the fact that the car suddenly won't start. suggests that an ignition problem is more likely. Make sure that there is no petrol (or Easy Start) around, remove the centre HT lead from the di...

As I don't use any of my Moggies on a daily basis, I always start them with Easy Start as it saves engine cranking time and battery wear. Really? :-? Basil hasn't been anywhere this year, apart from in and out of the garage occasionally. As a generalisation, he always starts within a few seconds, w...

Hmmm.......well, I can understand you are getting fed up with Lucy but it really has to be something simple if she was starting well before and now won't. Many of the suggestions in the old thread about sparks and fuel need another look, I think. Even if the car was serviced recently by a garage, w...

I must admit that - especially as the weather is now a little colder - I have always started my Minor using FULL choke from cold. It is very rare for it not to start first time even after a few days out of use. The choke can fairly quickly be returned gradually. It always lives outside. It is well ...

A wooden clothes peg used to be the common fix to stop the choke turning it's self off, pull the choke out and put it on the shaft behind the knob, just pull it off when you no longer need the choke. Great advice btw, used a plastic spring loaded peg as I don’t use wooden pegs 😂, only thing is once...

A wooden clothes peg used to be the common fix to stop the choke turning it's self off, pull the choke out and put it on the shaft behind the knob, just pull it off when you no longer need the choke. Great advice btw, used a plastic spring loaded peg as I don’t use wooden pegs 😂, only thing is once...

Absolutely, page 1 of the topic "I'm going to go off at a tangent: How old is the battery?...". New battery, problem solved, tangents rule :lol: Hi Simon Sorry I totally missed your post , the battery that was on Lucy was approx 5 yrs old and the man at the car parts shop said “ past it’s...

OK, great. I do think you will need a little choke, especially at this time of the year, to prevent any kangerooing /stalling at first until she is warmed up. Hi Point taken , normally I wouldn’t have tried after work in October without choke , I was just seeing if the new battery made any differen...

I am glad that you have got 'Lucy' going again. Let us know if you have any more issues. She did seem to start with a bit of a struggle - a Minor in tip-top working condition should start more or less on the first cranking of the starter. I know you said she was serviced in July but, if it were me,...

I would not recommend taking the battery of your Nissan duke unless you can be sure that you will not loose all the computer settings. If you did loose the computer settings then you would have to get someone in the reset the computer and have a problem doubled. Hiya Thx for that advice , would jum...

Personally, I'd find out if there is any Spark before going further along the Battery route. It's a darn sight quicker check to do, around 30 seconds.... Hi Well I gave it a good go at trying to get her to start , zero choke, 1/4 , 1/2 , 3/4 and full , 2 try’s at each setting and not even a splutte...

I would not recommend taking the battery of your Nissan duke unless you can be sure that you will not loose all the computer settings. If you did loose the computer settings then you would have to get someone in the reset the computer and have a problem doubled. Hiya Thx for that advice , would jum...

Alice Two things. Firstly, Your earlier comments about the battery do make me think the battery is on it's last legs, while batteries can last for several years, (for example the one in my Ford is approaching 10 years, but I know it's well past it's best) most only come with a 3 - 4 yr warranty and...

Just a thought. You said it was serviced in July. Have you checked the points gap? It's not unknown for new points to close up very quickly and it would make it harder to start. Hiya Yes I have checked the points gap , and yes I have had this problem while I’ve had it , earlier this year I hit a po...

Just to finally rule out the battery, can you charge it but then disconnect the charger and leave the car to stand for 12 hours. Then check the voltage with a meter and try the tests with the headlamps on and see if it still spins fast. Once that's done and we know that the battery is OK (or not) t...

That's a really good tangent to explore. If the battery is weak and trying hard to turn over the engine, the terminal voltage will drop considerably, thus resulting in a poor spark. Though I noted on Wednesday you said you had charged the battery. :-? Did you try to start it right after you had rem...

Good to know that it's been mostly a happy partnership between you and the car :D The SU carb fitted to a Minor does not have an accelerator pump, so pumping the throttle does not have the same instant flooding effect that other makes carbs might experience. After letting the car stand for a few ho...

It does sound like you are over using the choke. I would try starting with either none or maybe 50%choke. I have never pumped the throttle on start up but gently press down to give it a little more until it fires up. I know pumping is recommended on some newer cars but as above it is not required o...