| PClay |
| Total Posts: | 334 |
| Last Post: | 06-17-08 |
| User Since: | 12-11-03 |
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Posted: May-07-2008 04:38AM
 Edited: May-07-2008 04:46AM
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Doug / Chris, Many times an aerosol can propellant is a gas such as butane or propane, isn't this the case with WD 40 ?? It sure as heck flames like crazy if you light the spray directly from the can. Edit: My point being that using WD 40 is no different than a propane cylinder. Still, doesn't seem very unsafe to me as Doug said, there is plenty of dispersion of the gas. 
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| jeg |
| Total Posts: | 5126 |
| Last Post: | 07-04-08 |
| User Since: | 04-25-00 |
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Posted: May-06-2008 04:46PM
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What was the solution?
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| dklawson |
| Total Posts: | 5834 |
| Last Post: | 07-08-08 |
| User Since: | 06-05-00 |
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Posted: Aug-27-2007 05:07AM
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No worries Chris. I was just passing along what I was told. I've never had to use this method myself. However, with the engine and fan running I don't think you'll find that the propane pools anywhere. Doug L.
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| CStorey |
| Total Posts: | 886 |
| Last Post: | 06-20-08 |
| User Since: | 10-25-02 |
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Posted: Aug-27-2007 01:17AM
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Doug - sorry, don't like the propane advice at all ; use wd40 or the like which has a flashpoint well above exhaust temperature and will not sink to form a pool low down in the engine bay which can cause an explosion with propane if you get ignition of any part of it
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| dklawson |
| Total Posts: | 5834 |
| Last Post: | 07-08-08 |
| User Since: | 06-05-00 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 06:04PM
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Regarding the starter fluid as a leak finder.... I believe several members of this board have over the years suggested a safer alternative. Use your propane torch with the flame turned off. The propane will get sucked in and burned if there's a leak. It's less likely to burst into flames, and if it does catch fire there will be one big eyebrow removing burst but your car won't be sitting there burning in front of you. Doug L.
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| mascherk |
| Total Posts: | 615 |
| Last Post: | 07-06-08 |
| User Since: | 08-08-02 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 05:54PM
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It won't hurt to get a little starting fluid on the exhaust manifold. But if you'd rather you can use water instead.
Kelley "If you can afford the car, you can afford the manual..."
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| shorn |
| Total Posts: | 156 |
| Last Post: | 04-18-08 |
| User Since: | 12-08-04 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 04:45PM
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No vac take-off from the intake manifold. There is a plug, presumably for a brake booster, that is "sealed" but its on the 3-4 side of the manifold. Doug, neat plug test; will try to do that this week. As far as sniffing for a leak on the 1-2 branch, I doubt that I'll be able to hear anything, even with a stethescope. Seems like I read where you can squirt starting fluid around the inlet manifold area (must avoid exhaust, must avoid exhaust) and if the RPM goes up (or changes) you've found a leak. Sound plausible?
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| dklawson |
| Total Posts: | 5834 |
| Last Post: | 07-08-08 |
| User Since: | 06-05-00 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 04:21PM
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Shorn, there's a minor point about reading the plugs, particularly if you've got an idle related problem. You need to take the car out for an extended drive at speed and when you think you've gone far enough, switch off the ignition and push in the clutch. Come to a stop and check the plugs then. The conditions of the plugs at that moment will indicate what's going on while you're driving. Then take the car home and let it idle for a while. Check the plugs again to see if the condition occurs both at speed and at idle. This should help you narrow things down. (For example... if you're having float problems like Spank had, you may not notice the rich plug condition as much after a high speed run as you will it idle.) Doug L.
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| BruceG |
| Total Posts: | 460 |
| Last Post: | 06-10-08 |
| User Since: | 05-07-02 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 01:24PM
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Agree with CupCake on this one. Do you have any vacuum take-offs on the 1/2 branch of the manifold for vacuum gauge, brake booster, emmission gear, etc which are leaking? I've seen similar symptoms from a torn brake booster diaphram, when the carb has been richened up to compensate for the air leak. BruceG
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| shorn |
| Total Posts: | 156 |
| Last Post: | 04-18-08 |
| User Since: | 12-08-04 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 01:11PM
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I took him on a long drive today and will reinspect the plugs once its cool. But I don't expect much of a change. I thought about an air leak on the right side of the manifold and will check that out - its a distinct possibility, because when I got the car it had an exhaust manifiold leak. And I've had the inlet off but I thought I had it back on tight. Maybe a bad gasket. The carby float is an interesting hypothesis. Also will do a compression test - been meaning to do that anyway.
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| Spank |
| Total Posts: | 3202 |
| Last Post: | 07-08-08 |
| User Since: | 03-09-99 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 11:03AM
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I actually had readings like that from a car with a Howley inlet manifold with 1.5" HIF carb. The float was at the wrong level for the new angle of the inlet, so fuel was pouring out of the jet and down into the 3&4 intake. Took me a while to figure that one out. --Spank
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| Cup Cake |
| Total Posts: | 5187 |
| Last Post: | 07-08-08 |
| User Since: | 05-13-01 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 10:26AM
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BUT it's a single carb.
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| itsmejto |
| Total Posts: | 1237 |
| Last Post: | 05-25-08 |
| User Since: | 06-27-05 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 09:24AM
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Wait wait wait, wait, wait, yes you can with a twin carb setup.
Minis don't drip oil.
They are marking their spot.
If it ain't leaking.
It's empty !!.
LUCAS "prince of darkness".
itsmejto@nc.rr.com Apex, NC.
USA
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 07:03AM
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id say air leak on that half of the manifold.
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| rotbox |
| Total Posts: | 2280 |
| Last Post: | 07-05-08 |
| User Since: | 01-10-00 |
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Posted: Aug-26-2007 04:17AM
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Before you drive yourself nuts doing plug cuts, I would suggest a compression check on all cylinders to rule out leaking valves and the like. If you have a couple of valves not sealing properly the incomplete combustion would show up in the colors of the plugs. If you can rule this out, then you can look at other issues.
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| Cup Cake |
| Total Posts: | 5187 |
| Last Post: | 07-08-08 |
| User Since: | 05-13-01 |
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Posted: Aug-25-2007 07:37PM
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Can't look like that unless you have a motor issue. You can hope that there is a air leak somewhere on 1 and 2 and they a running lean while 3 and 4 are rich. Otherwise you need a rebuild.
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| mascherk |
| Total Posts: | 615 |
| Last Post: | 07-06-08 |
| User Since: | 08-08-02 |
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Posted: Aug-25-2007 05:49PM
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You could have bad intake valve seals on 3 and 4 along with some wear on valve guides. Three looks worse than 4 and the other two look a bit lean to me but it's hard to tell from pictures. It also looks like you idled for a little while before you checked the plugs. The base of the plug where the threads end near the insulator are black on 1 and 2 while the electrode is white. That's usually a sign of idling a bit rich but isn't anything to worry about. You may have a small bit of oil from the valve guides that is causing the black stuff at idle.
It's also possible that you have bad ignition wires or a bad distributor cap causing the occasional miss on 3 and 4.
The best way to check plugs it to do a plug cut. Find a stretch of road where you can run a consistant speed. Pick an rpm and hold it for the duration. At a safe and convenient spot switch off the ignition and coast to a stop. Check the plugs. Their condition will give you a fairly good reading of the mixture at the rpm you were running.
Cheers,
Kelley
"If you can afford the car, you can afford the manual..."
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| shorn |
| Total Posts: | 156 |
| Last Post: | 04-18-08 |
| User Since: | 12-08-04 |
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Posted: Aug-25-2007 05:21PM
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I pulled my plugs today to see what the mixture looked to be like. Here's what I found: http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x23/SHorn54588/Classic%20Mini/Img0028.jpg Plugs 1-2 looked like I think they should: light tan. Plugs 3-4 are sooty. Reading Vizard ("Tuning The A Series..." , didn't tell me how the plugs could be different. But he mentions that tempurature might be a factor in reading plugs. So I'm thinking that, obviously, plugs 3-4 are rich... but how can that be? Cyl 3 and 4 running too cool/hot? This is a 998, with single 1-1/2" SU, and a Minisport inlet manifold. Manifold poorly designed - not enough air flow to 3 and 4? Plugs are all NGK BPR6ES. Car uses some oil, but my suspicion has been that most was via valve stem seals (of course, it also leaks - rod chg, etc.). Aside from the above, the car runs good. Any ideas?
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