Archive for the "Engine Start-up" Category

It is running, but… the clutch doesn’t disengage

August 1st, 2013
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Well everything is moving along nicely.  Finally got the car running and it sounds great.  It took a couple of hours to go through the break in process, changed the oil to take the car for a drive, and… the clutch won’t disengage.  Feels like this car isn’t going to make it on the road before the snow comes. I’ve already had one volunteer indicate they would push me around the block if it comes to it.

One of the experiments in this car was to try an RTS clutch.  This appears to be an excellent alternative to switching everything out to a pre verto clutch and was fairly easy.  In the picture below you can see the double up’d fingers on the revised pressure plate.

rts-clutch

Now the hope is that making this change isn’t want is causing me the trouble.  Unfortunately it is looking more and more like I am going to have to try and get the clutch cover off and see how exactly this thing was put together…

As an aside here is a link to instructions on the RTS clutch. http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=437563

Jeremy

Engine Build, Engine Start-up, Gear Box Build , ,

Oil pressure

June 25th, 2013
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So, first step in getting this Mini going again is making sure that oil is pumping around the engine.  We have the plugs out, etc.. and the engine is being turned over, but no oil pressure.  We are checking for oil in the various hoses, filling the oil filter, trying to dump oil in the lines, etc… no oil pressure.

I start reading online… it is kind of like reading about a symptom you have.  You search for it online and the next thing you know you have some weird tropical disease and only have months left to live.  I was convinced the motor was going to have to come out and that this car was going to take another 4 years to complete…  Some of the suggestions included bad gaskets that require you to pull the engine, an oil pump that needs to be re-primed, etc..  Some good suggestions like putting the car in 4th and pushing it backwards to re-prime the engine.

In the end… it is really helpful to make sure you setup the pressure relief valve and spring.  The spring had gone missing over the last few years.  I got a new one from our local Mini experts Miles Imports and now we have oil pressure.

Next step is still to start it and through the break in.

Engine Start-up ,