Car not starting

[Alice Minor]

Lucy is up and running , as I suspected Steph had flooded her , I asked her what she was trying, she had the choke fully out and giving her gas when she was trying, I’ve just gone in about 5 ish , half choke , the 1st and 2nd try’s she only turned over , the 3rd try she almost started and the 4th try she fired right up , I’ve even been out in her , felt weird driving her after all this time , btw I don’t know if I’ve ever told you guy’s but Lucy doesn’t really like full choke , she will start on full but you have to push it into half immediately otherwise she tends to conk out and either won’t or very hard to restart

Alice x

[gtt1951]

Now you tell us

Well done for persevering and all done without Easy Start (my 1950 Series MM started without this chemical about 3 days ago, but the Traveller was cranking over for too long yesterday, so had to have a squirt).

All the best, George.

[simmitc]

And are the plug leads definitely in the correct position and order, or have they got mixed up? To check, follow these steps:
Remove all the plugs.
Place your thumb firmly over the hole for No.1 cylinder (nearest radiator).
Using the starting handle, turn the engine over until you feel pressure building under your thumb.
Remove thumb from hole, shine a torch into the hole and continue turning the handle until you can see the piston reach the top of the cylinder. Do not turn it too far.
Remove dizzy cap and note position of rotor arm, and at which terminal it is pointing to on the cap. This is the position for No.1 lead.
Refit dizzy cap and spark plugs.
Connect No.1 plug lead to the terminal that you identified on the cap.
Working around the cap anti-clockwise, connect the remaining leads in order 3-4-2.

Good luck.

[myoldjalopy]

As Alice reports 'Lucy' is 'up and running' and that she's 'even been out in her', its doubtful the leads are mixed up, or Alice would have reported that the car was awful to drive. I still think this car needs a good service by someone in the know, using quality components from the Distributor Doctor. A Minor in good tune should not be difficult to start......

[simmitc]

Agreed, but my previous post was made in response to the last couple at the end of page 2, when posted, these on page three were not showing when I looked. Never mind, useful for anyone else having problems.

[Alice Minor]

Now you tell us

Well done for persevering and all done without Easy Start (my 1950 Series MM started without this chemical about 3 days ago, but the Traveller was cranking over for too long yesterday, so had to have a squirt).

All the best, George.

Hi there George

I have managed to source a tin of easy start for emergencies, when you said your 1950 MM started without easy start a few days ago , how long had she sat and how many try’s before she started , yet your traveler refused to start, how long had she sat and how many try’s did you try before using easy start ? , and did she start 1st try with easy start ?

Always handy to know incase I ever leave Lucy

Thx

Alice x

[Alice Minor]

Hi guys

Just to give you an update on Lucy

Sunday teatime cold start was 2nd try on half choke, Monday morning and this morning she started 2nd try on half choke , after work today 15 minutes ago , it’s been damp all day , tried her on half choke twice and she wouldn’t quite start so pulled it out to 3/4 choke and she started 1st try but I had to keep the choke out a bit longer to stop her stalling

Alice x

[gtt1951]

Hello Alice,
How old is the petrol in the tank?
Two of mine (I try to start them every so often) needed to have the choke out a bit longer than usual (just a couple of clicks) as the petrol in those tanks has been there a few months.

George.

[Alice Minor]

Hello Alice,
How old is the petrol in the tank?
Two of mine (I try to start them every so often) needed to have the choke out a bit longer than usual (just a couple of clicks) as the petrol in those tanks has been there a few months.

George.

Hiya

The petrol is fresh , she is my daily driver and only car I have now so I usually let her run down to 1/4 tank then top her up

Alice x

[SteveClem]

Alice, there’s something needs sorting. It’s probably not a serious issue, but you must get someone with experience to check it over.
The whole point of driving these cars is to enjoy a,relatively, stress free retro experience. And a well sorted Minor is a delight to drive. There’s really not much point in messing around with choke settings etc, it probably just needs a good service by someone who knows what he or she is doing.
Get it sorted and enjoy your car... it doesn’t have it in for you

[Alice Minor]

Alice, there’s something needs sorting. It’s probably not a serious issue, but you must get someone with experience to check it over.
The whole point of driving these cars is to enjoy a,relatively, stress free retro experience. And a well sorted Minor is a delight to drive. There’s really not much point in messing around with choke settings etc, it probably just needs a good service by someone who knows what he or she is doing.
Get it sorted and enjoy your car... it doesn’t have it in for you

Morning

I know Lucy doesn’t have it in for me silly , it’s just her nature , just to make you aware Lucy isn’t a massive choke fan , she hates to much , that’s why she flooded when Steph was starting her , for the past year I’ve used half choke 1st thing in the morning and also after work and it’s usually 2nd try that she starts and I’m over the moon with that, honestly I am , yesterday morning from home I tried something different, I tried 3/4 choke and she actually started 1st try but once she was running I had to push the choke into half way to stop the chugging and smooth her out , I tried the same after work and once again she started 1st try and again I had to push the choke into half way within 5 seconds to stop her chugging and was fine after that , I was giving one of the girls from the office a lift home who was intrigued in all I had to do with her in all the little bits of adjustment with the choke as I was driving, even to the point where I came to a junction about 1/4 mile from work and cos I’d pushed the choke in to far she stalled , I needed to pull it back out a touch to restart her, she was intrigued , she even asked if she could have a try at driving her one day so might have somebody else hooked on a classic

Thx hun

Alice x

[gtt1951]

Alice,
Do you have any means of checking the revs - should be about 900-1000 at tick-over, otherwise known as Idle Speed (this would be a special meter)?
It could be that the 2 adjustment screws, on the side of the carburettor, need adjusting.
One does the throttle stop (for Idle Speed) and the other is the mixture adjustment (choke) that is applied, by the throttle, to the carb when increasing revs.
Could be that one of these has slackened off (or been slackened off).
What size engine have you got?
Regards,

George.

[myoldjalopy]

George may well have a valid point regarding the carb settings and I would suggest that the mixture setting is also worth checking. Is there are local MM club near by, Alice? I do think it is worth having an experienced Minor owner/mechanic checking 'Lucy' over to make sure she is tuned nicely. A well-tuned Minor is renowned for starting straight away and, whilst use of the choke does require a certain amount of experience, it should not be considered one of the dark arts.

[Alice Minor]

Alice,
Do you have any means of checking the revs - should be about 900-1000 at tick-over, otherwise known as Idle Speed (this would be a special meter)?
It could be that the 2 adjustment screws, on the side of the carburettor, need adjusting.
One does the throttle stop (for Idle Speed) and the other is the mixture adjustment (choke) that is applied, by the throttle, to the carb when increasing revs.
Could be that one of these has slackened off (or been slackened off).
What size engine have you got?
Regards,

George.

Hi George

The engine is 1098 , I’ve booked her into the garage that dad used, he used that garage for years and said they were really good and clued up on old cars , funny enough he did mention these 2 screws on the carb , he asked what was happening, after telling him about how cold starting issues he said exactly what all you have been saying, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t start 1st try every morning from cold providing you use enough choke , he also said in summer there’s a good chance they’ll start without choke , in winter they won’t start without choke but will probably cough and splutter but he did say he’ll get it sorted for me

Thx George

Alice x

[gcook]

Hi Alice,
Have you learned to use the handle for when the battery is tired or the engine is cold?

[geoberni]

Hi Alice,
Have you learned to use the handle for when the battery is tired or the engine is cold?

Despite the fact that Basil starts easily on the Starter, often within about 1 second of turning over, I've never been able to get him to start of the Handle. I've no idea why.

[gcook]

That's strange. It's obviously physically a little more challenging but in terms of sharpness the handle is usually much more reliable. A battery can sometimes have enough oomph to turn the starter motor over and fool you into thinking it's sharp enough. With the handle the battery can be flat. I think it's true it mustn't be actually dead (unchargeable). It's more about technique than strength btw. Is it that it starts but doesnt stay running??

[geoberni]

That's strange. It's obviously physically a little more challenging but in terms of sharpness the handle is usually much more reliable. A battery can sometimes have enough oomph to turn the starter motor over and fool you into thinking it's sharp enough. With the handle the battery can be flat. I think it's true it mustn't be actually dead (unchargeable). It's more about technique than strength btw. Is it that it starts but doesnt stay running??

I must admit to not having tried it for about 18 months, but from what I remember the 3 or 4 times I tried, there was nothing, as thought the Ign wasn't even on... but it was.
I'll have to try it again sometime.

[gcook]

I think it is a useful trick to have up your sleeve because there is never a convenient moment to find your car won't start, is there? It may be a little like kick starting a bike or scooter. It seems to take loads of tries to get the knack but once you get it, it seems to click somehow and you find you are able to do it easily. If I may offer a tip or two practice later in the day when the car isn't cold from overnight. I used to rest a brick on the throttle ( not flat on the floor) so that it had a few revs when it caught. Don't mean to patronise anyone - you know your own car better than me. Best wishes

[Alice Minor]

Hi Alice,
Have you learned to use the handle for when the battery is tired or the engine is cold?

Hi there

I know Lucy has a starting handle, I remember seeing dad use it but I don’t think it’s for me , I have some jump leads incase , not to sound to cocky but is the choke not for when the engine is cold and not the starting handle ??

Alice