Hey All,

So its been an educational few weeks.  

1. I learned how delicate the needle seating can be and how the piston needs to be free moving inside.  Once I got that sorted...

2. I learned how to adjust a wax stat and how much easier it is with the right SU adjusting wrench. (2" long 16mm wrench).

3. I had a bad vacuum seal at the carb.  I fixed that with a new vacuum line.

So right now i have the new needle with what i think is a pretty close tune for the setup.  Haven't done any real driving yet, but I was able to go out for 10 minutes and not stall out from a flooded engine.

Thanks All for the advice and help.

-Will

From my research it looks like an HS4.

Good articles, thanks.

Yes this is my first classic car, my first A Series car, and really the first car i have worked on since AutoShop ('84 Vette). 

Not Mini specific, no.  But they do a lot of work on classic cars.  Honestly, I've looked and i haven't found someone that is Mini Specific nearby.  His logic was that I know my car and he didn't want to change multiple things if the exhuast was causing issues.  Change one thing at a time and go from there.  He didn't send me home to install my own carb needle.  He sent me home to see how it was running.  The existing needle might be worn down from use and provide the same mixture as the new needle.  He knows that I am halfway handy with the car and said i could DIY the carb needle if i wanted to.  

Thats why, if the carb needle is a such an easy install i was thinking just to put it in and see what how it goes.  If it sucks, remove it and have them trouble shoot the timing, mixture and tune up the engine as required.

Or try these Guys.... //wbo2.com/default.htm.  They can add data logging if required.  A mate has two to cater for the twin exhaust setup on his Testa Rossa..

No need for a bungs in the exhaust, just a sniffer clamped to the tail pipe.  After all once you ahve it right you don't need a constant reminder.  And its easy to switch from car to car.  

Cheers, Ian

Wow, I really like the bezel on the AEM gauge - looks like it fits in the same style as the Smiths.  I had a narrow band for years which was pretty useless, but now I've got an Innovate Motorsports wideband gauge and absolutely love it. 

Style wise, though, I should have gotten the AEM...

BTW - I bought the full version of WinSU and used to use it, but it doesn't work with Windows 8 or above.  The last time I spoke with Scott, he didn't have any plans for revising the program.  Pity... 

//www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-AEM-30-4110-A-F-Digital-Wideband-UEGO-Controller-Gauge-Air-Fuel-Ratio-4-9LSU-/261571397731?hash=item3ce6dec863&vxp=mtr

Boom!

This baby is $160 to YOUR DOOR!!!

Take your mini to a muffler shop and have them weld in an O2 bung into the area just after the collector. You could even have them screw in the sensor and route & cable tie the sensor cable while they have it on the lift for another few bucks. You could have them install the whole thing, but that would take away from half the fun! All it needs, is the O2 sensor plugging in, an ignition live, and a ground to the gauge, and you are rocking!

This baby will tell you, 100% assured, what your mixture is doing at any point in time. It will tell you if your running rich at idle, lean at cruise, overfuelling on WOT, etc. This is technology that 20 years ago was a pipe dream to us amateurs, aside from those that splurged ridiculous amounts of money for a lumenition or SUN narrow-band pile of junk.

If you decide to ever sell the car, then no problem - remove the gauge, unscrew the sensor, and wind in a ford Pinto spark plug into the 02 bung hole (or a junkyard 02 sensor) and you get to keep your new "tool" for the next project.

I honestly can't understand why more folks don't have these. They will spend thousands and thousands on an engine, but not buy a wideband 02... To me, it's an essential of a tool as a torque wrench, or a 15/16 socket...

I've heard good things, and have had good experiences myself with the WINSU software. Just input your car/engine spec and the software provides you a list of carb needle suggestions with each needle's mixure % in low and mid/high range.  It wouldn't be as perfect as a real tuner, but it gets you a good starting point. They have a free version, but doesn't give you any needle suggestions. A full copy is only $20

//www.winsu.co.uk/

BTW, you never mentioned what needle do you have currently in your carb?

I think what Mike(Spank) may be saying is that what Larry(Cup Cake) said may be true if the carb is set up properly. That is an assumption that may not be correct.

Here are some links to tuning and the SU carburetors. However you will find that they specifically say that all other components must be set up properly before tuning a carburetor.

//sucarb.co.uk/technical-hs-type-carburetter-description-adjustments

//sucarb.co.uk/technical-hs-type-carburetter-tuning-general

//sucarb.co.uk/technical-hs-type-carburetter-tuning-single

This would be a great time to get to know the car. It sounds like maybe you are new to the A series engine and maybe British cars.

In another thread someone mentioned three Ps: patience, perseverance and I do not remember the third.

Terry

You do have a Haynes manual, don't you?

Procedures such as removal and installation of carburetor needles are explained in detail; the same for tuning the carb or setting the ignition timing.  It's a fantastic resource and if you haven't done so already, check the Articles pages. 

Read the Articles and Haynes even if you don't need the information yet; it'll give some insight as to what's sitting in your driveway.

Spank's post pretty much sums it up - one of the best single posts I've read all year.

Spank, if Flyinace2000 is running a HS4 which i believe he is then what CC posted is correct.

If you want to 'tune/adjust' the carb yourself with the new needle installed buy one of these.

//www.minimania.com/part/GUNSON02/Colortune-Fuel-Mixture-Gauge

Bill,

Does the "Shop" that worked on your car have an experienced Mini Mechanic??? I can't imagine a reputable Garage having you pick up your Mini before it has even been tuned in??? If you had a 'Stage One Kit' installed, (successfully), you would be noticing a crisp and substancial increase in power, and you would more than likely be thrilled with the improvements. Why would the shop return the car to the Customer to install their own carb needle and troubleshoot fuel mix, timing, vaccum & points? That's just unheard of. All of these tips are great, but ultimately the engine needs to be set up properly, hands on, by someone who knows exactly what they're doing. Mini Estate

Thats a paragraph of beauty right there - nicely put

No! Its #7 in picture 3. A new needle is supplied because a richer mixture is necessary. It will be better than the current needle, so leave it in once you have it installed. I'm guessing you will need help setting up the carb with the new needle. Malsal is correct when he says pulling thye choke out richens the mixture but only if you pull it out far enough. Pulling it out a little does not richen the mixture. Pulling it out a little  increases the idle speed change which could give a better throttle response at idle.

I think it is worth a shot to put the new needle in, test, and if still terrible, remove.  Looking at this diagram

//sucarb.co.uk/technical-hs-type-carburetter-hs2-hs4-hs6-dismantling

Is the needle the part surrounded #2 abd below #1?

-Will

Adressing this post and not knowing your other info posted elsewhere, the stage 1 needle provided in the kit will get you Close, but by no means is it gospel.

Think of tuning an engine as a process and there is not one absolute method of hitting a bullseye. You have to sprial your way to the center of your target. It's like a math problem that you are trying to change some numbers in the number sentence but still get it to equal 100. Increase or decrease a number or add parentheses or change a function and it impacts the other numbers.(Notice I'm not a math person?)  Understand that the manufacturers of the vehicle spent thousands of hours in research and development to produce a car with a certain mix of components that will satisfy the requirements of most of the general public (let's say that's your 100 target and it nets you 35 mpg at 50hp for 10 years/100,000 miles with maintence schedules and ...).  It will continue to hit it's 100 mark if you do the maintenance to offset the normal expected wear and keep each component functioning as designed to work in that whole system or equation.

Manufacturers pick through components and throw in a mix of items that have a +/- factor ie ~50 (+/-1)+ ~50 )+/2) =100. SU carbs have a large +/- factor in them and are a complicated sub equation all of their own. But what they are beng asked to do is deliver the proper amount of air and fuel to match the demand of the engine. They can compensate and self-adjust somewhat for a small range of the engine demands. But they aren't smart about it. Fuel injection is smarter at compensating and self-adjusting. But know that the engine DEMANDS a specific amount for a specific workload. You can get away with giving the engine more or less of what it is demanding (think of over or underfeeding your child) for a short amount of time. OR you can simply avoid the situations where the engine demands something beyond what you can supply it with what you've got (my kid eats more when I take him to soccer practice all week, so I'll stop taking him to soccer practice). But eventually, it will have long lasting effects on the ability to maintain that 100 that is the perfetly designed car.

The engine you've got is NOT new, as-designed from the factory. It's, at minimum, worn. Change the camshaft changes the amount of air and fuel the engine demands. Changing the intake system (like the filter, intake manifold, carburetor, needle) is like changing the size or shape of the spoon / fork / shovel of food into the engine. Change the timing (another subequation of points gap, condensor function, spark plugs, etc) is like changing when the spoon/fork/shovel is delivering the food into the mouth. Tossing a spoonful of food at a closed mouth or before the mouth can swallow the food you just gave it is non-productive. Changing the exhaust diameter or length is like changing the availability of the bathroom-- hold it in too long and you'll cause some serious internal damage to your inner workings. If you have an over-active or inefficient bowel/exhaust it will change the energy demand on the intake side.

For simplicity, lets say 100 perfect running = 40 + 30 + 15 + 10 + 5 .  In longhand it's 40 intake (10 filter + 10 manifold + 10 needle + 10 spring + 10 jet height) + 30 internal engine + 15 exhaust (5 manifold + 5 muffler + 5 pipe length/diameter) + 10 timing (5 points + 5 condensor)+ 5 fuel grade.

[Ok, I'm lost now.]

In sum= You gotta look at it all to make it all work together otherwise your kid will be all f&*$@# up and anexoric, obese, dead, or just really too ill mannered to take out in public.

I agree with Msal - however like mentioned - its a two minunite swap in of the needle . give it a whip.  and a 2 min drop back to go back to where you were wiht NO carb adjustment, no timing adjustment technically required  - no other changes changing one thing at a time is best to avoid confusion or ' why this now.

 Adding a bit more fuel with the Choke is a great way to see that more fuel helped it run. so a richer needle that came with the kit should help = From there it may want a few flats on the carb richer or leaner . Thats carb tuning   

Overall -  Cap, rotor , wires., plugs = how old? how used do you think they are? - if you know their history  then you know their age .  Basic igniton tune up will but knowledge into the system. if they need to be changed.

Timing the dizzy is also simple- sucking on the vacc advance seeing the points move inside the cap also good. buy beyond that = One thing at a time. 

if you get into the dizzy -  - in my opinion - electronic ignition modules are the only way to go now for a freshen of the system . Points  sure have worked- but the electronic module like ignitor are set it and forget it systems.   

So far- you're deep into mini world- one project leads to another! 

 KISS - Keep it simple stupid= one thing at a time!