Engine mounting issues.

[akuchanny]

Hi I have a midget 1275 that I am fitting to a 1098 box. To make the starter motor clear the chassis I have needed toput a nut on the engine mount first and then attach the mount plates and bolt it down. everything turns over freely, although the engine hasn't been started yet. and I havent had a sprit level out on the rocker cover to check the angle.

I just wanted to know if this will cause a problem with the engine / box? I have never had this problem before, but thought it would be better than cutting the front chassis leg to accommodate the motor, and run the danger of destroying the brake lines as I do not have the tools to refit. The car is my daily driver so am currently without car to run for parts until its back on the road.

I know the a series is a tough on bird, so wondered if this would be withing the tolerances as its level across both front mounts.

thanks

Andy

[mike.perry]

Not sure why you have a problem. I have run a 1275 Midget engine with 1098 and 1275 A Series boxes and have not had any problems with the starter motor
I would suggest that cutting the chassis is probably not the best solution

[akuchanny]

Hi mike, forgot to add, its a high torque starter as its a high compression engine with a maxed out valve head double springs and such. Its only just maybe 3mm to 5mm that needs clearing but the brake lines are too close to safely get an angle grinder in. Which is the main reason I haven't.

Does anyone know if a nuts worth of height on the front mounts will cause me issues?

Thanks again

Andy

[don58van]

Can you take a picture of the area where the starter is fouling and post it here?

Don't forget that you will be moving the gearbox a little closer to the rack, so check your clearance there.

It is not unusual to bend the chassis rail flange and tie plate to make clearance for the engine/ancilliaries. This is commonly done for the oil filter, for example, with no adverse effects on strength. This seems a better compromise than the extra nut on the engine mount to me.

Don

[philthehill]

For any one else considering the purchase of such a thing I can assure them that there is absolutely no requirement to fit such a thing to a Minor or 1275cc Midget engine no matter how maxed the head is or the engine is tuned.
My Minor which has a highly tuned & very high compression 1380cc engine has only the standard Minor/Midget starter motor fitted and that motor is perfectly adequate and turns the motor over without any problems.
Only when the standard starter motor, battery, electrical connections and wiring are in poor condition will problems occur.
As above if you can bend the flange to clear so much the better and re-route the brake pipes to clear.
Phil

[IslipMinor]

Our 1380 would meet most ideas of 'maxed out' and it runs a standard A-Series starter, with no problems at all.

The original starter failed a few years ago and the Lucas replacement has a 10-tooth pinion against the original 9-tooth. When questioning how it would mesh, the Lucas agent assured me that is would work fine, and a few years later it still is. I also have an 075 battery 60Ah battery. The combination spins the engine over noticeably quicker than other A-Series that I have heard.

[bmcecosse]

As above - absolutely no need for a 'high torque' starter - it's a con trick - save your money! I suggest a 'nut' is not a great idea - if you really must lift the front end slightly - a piece of flat bar will surely be a better idea. But with the taller block - I imagine the head must be v near the battery shelf, and (as mentioned by others) the gearbox must be v near the rack.

[panky]

Could it be that the engine mount has had it on that side?

[akuchanny]

Okay so the engine turned over at that angle; it even ran, but not long enough for me to get the timing and mixture set. I have found that the fuel pump keeps running, and flooding the carb. I pulled the needle and damper unit and a fountain of fuel shot out and didnt stop until the ignition was killed. Once turned on the carb did not have the same fountain of fuel but as soon as the needle was inserted it started ticking away again slowly but not stopping.

I orginally thought it might have been the HiF44 I had put on as I havent used this carb since i rebuilt it a few years ago. I swapped to the 38 i had been using but found the same issue with the 38.

I am going to bite the bullet this week and cut out a small section of the chassis to level the engine, but am still not sure if that will solve this new issue. Do you guys think that the angle (about 3 degrees of so) is causing the carb issue, or is it a fuel pump issue, which has delightfully cropped up during the engine swap? The pump is an electronic type not a points type, and hasnt been run for around a month, but has worked faultlessly since installing it.

[bmcecosse]

I doubt 3 degrees would make a difference - especially with the HIF carbs which are designed to be tolerant of mounting angle. Can't see the pump being an issue - provided it's not a 'high pressure' pump. I would fit a normal starter rather than hacking into the chassis !

[akuchanny]

I would normally agree with you, but as always this has happened at a time when I really need the car, to get back home and help solve a few family issues. I'm only going to remove a few mm's from the chassis leg, maybe 10 at most.

The fuel issue seems that the pump is not regulating itself its just spurting fuel when its no longer needed in the float chambers and leaking out of the overflow pipe. or turning into a fountain when there is no needle in the carb body. I know its not the carb as I have tried two, so it has to be a fuel pump issue.

The engine now smells flooded when you try to turn it over. There is a spark and the engine had great compression when it was last used and has been stored inside.

If you dont think the angle will be the issue, then what could be cause of the new pump problem. Would either a fuel regulator or a new pump slove this?

Thanks for all the advice so far.

[panky]

Sounds like the float valve is passing or float is stuck down. A sharp tap with the handle of a screw driver sometimes does the trick.

[bmcecosse]

Fuel pipe is probably connected to the wrong intake port on the carb...... It can't be the pump.....

[akuchanny]

Ill try the tap on the pump, the fuel line is attached to the top port by the breather hose, which is the inlet, and was attached the same way on both carbs. I will double check but am fairly sure that is the correct line as its worked like that in the past. As far as I know the lower brass hose port is the outlet, as this is the one near the adjuster screw and lets the overflow out on to the manifold. but please correct me if I am wrong. Still stumped as to why the pump has decided to over fuel on both carbs tried.

[bmcecosse]

The pump can't 'overfuel' - it is the port connection. It will take you 10 seconds to try....

[akuchanny]

BMC, thanks for the hint, you where infact right, i guess being out in the cold for so long and frustration lead to a silly error, and the waste of a fair amount of fuel and time. I will swapp the carbs back once I have the car running.

So fuel pump now behaving itself, but the engine is now really slow and sluggish to turn over, as if it is resisting something. I orginally thought that this was due to the battery, so have tried starting it on a another battery (a mobile jump pack - without the battery as it is out to charge) and still slugish. and the leads where starting to heat up with the resistance after only a few tries. There are no metal on metal sounds or bangs or clunks, just seems as if its stuck in toffee or mud. The engine had none of these problems before it was pulled. Its only issue was a warped front plate so that has been sorted. Will if nessacary pull the timing gears again to see if that has caused any issues. But as it wanted to run orginaly feel it might be electrical / angle based.

I wasn't able to do any further work on the car, as daylight became an issue and I only had around 30 mins today to work on it. So hoping tomorrow I will be able to make some time to attack it. First call is to drop the engine lower, and see if that and a fully charged battery helps.

Any ideas of pointers would be greatfuly recieved.

[philthehill]

When you put the engine back did you fit the earth strap between the engine and body?

[bmcecosse]

Is the timing perhaps over advanced - and kicking against the starter ? But poor earth (as mentioned above) is also quite likely, although warm leads suggest current is flowing ok! How does it feel when you crank it on the handle ? And if you take the plugs out -does it crank easily then?

[akuchanny]

last time it turned over by hand smoothly earth strap is still intact and secure. I think the timing is a good start, I will adjust that and see what happens. just to refresh is counter clockwise advance or retarded timing?

Thanks again

Andy

[bmcecosse]

If it is the timing - you will hear it 'firing' against each piston as it reaches the top. Could there be so much fuel in there it is hydraulically locking ?