Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it appears
I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been recovered to
my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine. I am not up to fixing
it myself, I can't even see where they have hidden the plugs.

Well, I was planning to change it anyway for something more suited to my
new environment of very muddy lanes and with more space for fetching and
carrying DIY stuff.

Not worth much (650?, 200 as p/e?) if it were still a running. Will cost
money just to get it to garage to look at it. I assume not worth cost of
repair. Scrap dealer will take it away for £75, but it might be worth a
bit more as a non-runner/spares.

What does the team think?





--
djc

(–€Ì¿Ä¹Ì¯–€Ì¿ Ì¿)
No low-hanging fruit, just a lot of small berries up a tall tree.

On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it appears
I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been recovered to
my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

On 28/12/2017 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

+1

Yup 10" of water does not sound like it should be that serious.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 28/12/2017 12:49, John Rumm wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

+1

Yup 10" of water does not sound like it should be that serious.



have you seen where some french cars put the air inlet?

On 28/12/2017 12:51, MrCheerful wrote:
On 28/12/2017 12:49, John Rumm wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

+1

Yup 10" of water does not sound like it should be that serious.



have you seen where some french cars put the air inlet?

Yes, but where's this one placed?

On 28/12/2017 12:59, Fredxx wrote:
On 28/12/2017 12:51, MrCheerful wrote:
On 28/12/2017 12:49, John Rumm wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

+1

Yup 10" of water does not sound like it should be that serious.



have you seen where some french cars put the air inlet?

Yes, but where's this one placed?

Down low on the left of the car.

On Thursday, 28 December 2017 12:49:10 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

+1

Yup 10" of water does not sound like it should be that serious.

When I were a nipper it was normal to drive through deeper than that. The main problem that resulted was the brakes. I know one place where it's still like that.


NT

In article ,
wrote:
On Thursday, 28 December 2017 12:49:10 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could
be pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally,
I'd just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

+1

Yup 10" of water does not sound like it should be that serious.

When I were a nipper it was normal to drive through deeper than that. The
main problem that resulted was the brakes. I know one place where it's
still like that.

In my Anglia, I went though water that came up to the headlights. A quick
respray of WD40 on the plug leads and away we went.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

In article ,
charles writes:
In article ,
wrote:
On Thursday, 28 December 2017 12:49:10 UTC, John Rumm wrote:
main problem that resulted was the brakes. I know one place where it's
still like that.

In my Anglia, I went though water that came up to the headlights. A quick
respray of WD40 on the plug leads and away we went.

In those days, they hadn't yet thought of preheating the air
intake from the exhaust manifold heat, and it was usually
sucked in at the air filter on the top of the engine.

One of my staff wrote off their car ~10 years ago in floods.
The air intake was at top of radiator grill but water rode up
that high, possibly as a result of him thinking if he went
fast enough, he might get through without stalling. It broke
enough inside the engine to mean a new engine was required,
which was almost the value of the car.

Probably 20 years ago, I drove my Ford Fiesta through some
rather deep water. It washed some grit into one of the front
CV joints, which made a nasty noise immediately afterwards,
and had to be replaced a few months later.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.

+1

Yup 10" of water does not sound like it should be that serious.

It could be on my old Rover. The air intake is right down at the bottom of
the engine bay to get the coldest air.

--
*Cover me. I'm changing lanes.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it appears
I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been recovered to
my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

It happend to a SEAT of mine some years ago. The air intake was at bumper
level! Luckily the engine was cold and the water just flooded the engine
which stopped instantly. Engine was drained, fresh oil in the sump , and
all was well.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England

I'm sure he will.
Maybe that company need to have an extra sensor that can measure the depth
of floods before entering them.

Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"GB" wrote in message
news
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it appears I
am still not old enough to know better. It has now been recovered to my
driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress? Wouldn't
that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of thing? Were
there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits coming out of the
side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd just
dry it out and try turning the engine over.

On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.


The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

On 28/12/17 8:28 PM, DJC wrote:
On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could
be pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally,
I'd just dry it out and try turning the engine over.


The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

A bad hydrolock, either bends a rod and then one cylinder has low
compression or lifts the head then the head gasket fails.

DJC wrote:

On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.


The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

Is it worth turning it over with the plugs out, and perhaps repeating
that over a few hours and trying again with them back?
--

Roger Hayter

On 28/12/17 22:57, Roger Hayter wrote:
DJC wrote:

The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

Is it worth turning it over with the plugs out, and perhaps repeating
that over a few hours and trying again with them back?



Well it might be if I could see the plugs, looks like the are round the
back beneath the air filter hose and a load of other gubbins. And it's
freezing cold and raining. I might take a look in a few days.



--
djc

(–€Ì¿Ä¹Ì¯–€Ì¿ Ì¿)
No low-hanging fruit, just a lot of small berries up a tall tree.

On Thu, 28 Dec 2017 20:28:20 +0000, DJC wrote:

On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.


The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

That doesn't prove the ignition electrics are dry. Check all the plug
leads and the whole HT side for a start.


--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

DJC wrote:

On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:

[...]

The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

That's the one thing you shouldn't have done. You can pretty much guarantee
the engine is beyond economic repair.

Take the 75UKP and move on.

Chris

--
Remove prejudice to reply.

Tim+ wrote:

Chris Whelan Wrote in message:
DJC wrote:

On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:

[...]

The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

That's the one thing you shouldn't have done. You can pretty much
guarantee the engine is beyond economic repair.

A bad idea for sure without removing the plugs but would a starter
motor have enough power to do more damage?

Tim

IME, yes.

Chris

--
Remove prejudice to reply.

On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 10:04:47 +0000 (GMT)
Tim+ wrote:

A bad idea for sure without removing the plugs but would a starter
motor have enough power to do more damage?

I imagine it would depend on the state of the engine when the starter
kicked in - if it picked up some momentum before locking then it might
bend a rod, but if the hydro-lock was pretty much instantaneous then I
doubt it. And if the water-full cylinder was on the exhaust stroke then
no harm done.

On 29/12/2017 18:00, Rob Morley wrote:
On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 10:04:47 +0000 (GMT)
Tim+ wrote:

A bad idea for sure without removing the plugs but would a starter
motor have enough power to do more damage?

I imagine it would depend on the state of the engine when the starter
kicked in - if it picked up some momentum before locking then it might
bend a rod, but if the hydro-lock was pretty much instantaneous then I
doubt it. And if the water-full cylinder was on the exhaust stroke then
no harm done.

So the engine sucks in a cylinder full of water in the flood, and stops
dead from running speed, locking the transmission as it does so.

I'll be amazed if the starter could do any more damage. My car only
cranks at about 120RPM.

Andy

Tim+ wrote:

[...]

I seen 8 valves bent by a starter turning on an engine with a misplaced
timing belt.


A piston whacking a valve isn't the same scenario though, is it?

Tim

No, it isn't. The result in terms of the potential value of the car, which
is what the OP asked, is however.

Chris

--
Remove prejudice to reply.

Tim+ wrote:

Chris Whelan Wrote in message:
Tim+ wrote:

[...]

I seen 8 valves bent by a starter turning on an engine with a misplaced
timing belt.


A piston whacking a valve isn't the same scenario though, is it?

Tim

No, it isn't. The result in terms of the potential value of the car,
which is what the OP asked, is however.

But your observation is as irrelevant as Jethro's with regard to
answering MY question.

You asked:

'A piston whacking a valve isn't the same scenario though, is it?'

I replied:

'No, it isn't.'

How on earth is that an irrelevant answer?

Chris

--
Remove prejudice to reply.

In article ,
Huge wrote:
On 2017-12-29, Tim+ wrote:
Jethro_uk Wrote in message:
On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 10:04:47 +0000, Tim+ wrote:

Chris Whelan Wrote in message:
DJC wrote:

On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:

[...]

The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

That's the one thing you shouldn't have done. You can pretty much
guarantee the engine is beyond economic repair.

A bad idea for sure without removing the plugs but would a starter
motor have enough power to do more damage?

Tim

I seen 8 valves bent by a starter turning on an engine with a misplaced
timing belt.


A piston whacking a valve isn't the same scenario though, is it?

1? 8? In this case it makes little difference. The thing is scrap. Weigh
it in and buy a proper car.

It's not that difficult to remove the plugs on even a car with COP. Suck
out any water from the cylinders with a small hose etc (a cheap oil
changing pump even better), inject some oil and spin over with the starter
- plugs still out.

If DIY, costs zero to try.

--
*One of us is thinking about sex... OK, it's me.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

DJC wrote:
On 28/12/17 11:26, GB wrote:
On 28/12/2017 11:16, DJC wrote:

Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it
appears I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been
recovered to my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine.

Really? Water inside the cylinders? Water that doesn't compress?
Wouldn't that force the head off or wreck the crank - that kind of
thing? Were there REALLY loud noises coming from the engine bay/bits
coming out of the side of the block?

Are you sure that you haven't just drowned the electrics? That could be
pretty deadly for a car of that age, too, of course. Personally, I'd
just dry it out and try turning the engine over.


The electrics function. Trunging to turn the engine over results in a
grunt from the starter motor but it does not turn the engine

Trunging?! - I rather like that.

--
Chris Green
·

On Thursday, 28 December 2017 11:16:23 UTC, DJC wrote:
Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it appears
I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been recovered to
my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine. I am not up to fixing
it myself, I can't even see where they have hidden the plugs.

Well, I was planning to change it anyway for something more suited to my
new environment of very muddy lanes and with more space for fetching and
carrying DIY stuff.

Not worth much (650?, 200 as p/e?) if it were still a running. Will cost
money just to get it to garage to look at it. I assume not worth cost of
repair. Scrap dealer will take it away for £75, but it might be worth a
bit more as a non-runner/spares.

What does the team think?





--
djc

(–€Ì¿Ä¹Ì¯–€Ì¿ Ì¿)
No low-hanging fruit, just a lot of small berries up a tall tree.

As long as it spins on the starter motor, there is no serious problem.
Water is not likely to get past the air cleaner
Probably just got water in the ignition somewhere.
Start by looking at the HT side.

On 29/12/2017 17:42, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 09:32:44 -0800 (PST), harry
wrote:

On Thursday, 28 December 2017 11:16:23 UTC, DJC wrote:
Citroën C2, 06 reg, LHD. Driving through 10" of flood water: it appears
I am still not old enough to know better. It has now been recovered to
my driveway, almost certainly has water in engine. I am not up to fixing
it myself, I can't even see where they have hidden the plugs.

Well, I was planning to change it anyway for something more suited to my
new environment of very muddy lanes and with more space for fetching and
carrying DIY stuff.

Not worth much (650?, 200 as p/e?) if it were still a running. Will cost
money just to get it to garage to look at it. I assume not worth cost of
repair. Scrap dealer will take it away for £75, but it might be worth a
bit more as a non-runner/spares.

What does the team think?





--
djc

(?????? ?)
No low-hanging fruit, just a lot of small berries up a tall tree.

As long as it spins on the starter motor, there is no serious problem.
Water is not likely to get past the air cleaner
Probably just got water in the ignition somewhere.
Start by looking at the HT side.

In decades past, when ignition systems weren't well protected, there
were always cars stuck in flood waters because water had got on the
ignition and the plugs and distributor were wet. The early minis were
particularly prone to conking out, as the plugs and distributor were
right out front and caught everything. As Harry says, check the HT
leads, the plugs and the distributor first before taking drastic
action.

Except things have moved on, where the coilpack is concentric and sealed
to the plug.

In the OP's case, damage is likely, and I can't recommending spinning on
a starter without removing the plugs.

In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote:
In decades past, when ignition systems weren't well protected, there
were always cars stuck in flood waters because water had got on the
ignition and the plugs and distributor were wet. The early minis were
particularly prone to conking out, as the plugs and distributor were
right out front and caught everything. As Harry says, check the HT
leads, the plugs and the distributor first before taking drastic
action.

But perhaps the majority of cars are COP these days. So all the ignition
bits as high up as anything on the engine.

--
*Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 17:42:33 +0000
Chris Hogg wrote:

The early minis were
particularly prone to conking out, as the plugs and distributor were
right out front and caught everything.

That reminds me of a particularly wet drive on the M1 in a new-to-me
Mini that kept cutting out. It emerged that a previous owner had lost
the plastic shield that should have sat between the front grille and
the distributor - as soon as I tied a carrier bag in its place the car
ran fine.

In article 20171230111252.442259b8@Mars,
Rob Morley wrote:
On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 17:42:33 +0000
Chris Hogg wrote:

The early minis were
particularly prone to conking out, as the plugs and distributor were
right out front and caught everything.

That reminds me of a particularly wet drive on the M1 in a new-to-me
Mini that kept cutting out. It emerged that a previous owner had lost
the plastic shield that should have sat between the front grille and
the distributor - as soon as I tied a carrier bag in its place the car
ran fine.

The shield only arrived on later Minis. Early ones had nothing - then that
rubber glove round the dizzy.

Seems the prototype(s) had the dizzy at the back. Which then caused carb
icing with the carb at the front. Which is why they turned the engine
round and had to add an intermediate gear.

--
*Indian Driver - Smoke signals only*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sat, 30 Dec 2017 12:24:36 +0000, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article 20171230111252.442259b8@Mars,
Rob Morley wrote:
On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 17:42:33 +0000 Chris Hogg wrote:

The early minis were particularly prone to conking out, as the plugs
and distributor were right out front and caught everything.

That reminds me of a particularly wet drive on the M1 in a new-to-me
Mini that kept cutting out. It emerged that a previous owner had lost
the plastic shield that should have sat between the front grille and
the distributor - as soon as I tied a carrier bag in its place the car
ran fine.

The shield only arrived on later Minis. Early ones had nothing - then
that rubber glove round the dizzy.

Seems the prototype(s) had the dizzy at the back. Which then caused carb
icing with the carb at the front. Which is why they turned the engine
round and had to add an intermediate gear.

Yes, that's right. Despite the slight loss of power.

Read "The Mini Story" by Laurence Pomeroy - the dizzy stuff is in there.
Some weird and wonderful minis in there - the Moke, of course, but also
the Twini (two engines, front and rear).



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 30/12/2017 12:24, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article 20171230111252.442259b8@Mars,
Rob Morley wrote:
On Fri, 29 Dec 2017 17:42:33 +0000
Chris Hogg wrote:

The early minis were
particularly prone to conking out, as the plugs and distributor were
right out front and caught everything.

That reminds me of a particularly wet drive on the M1 in a new-to-me
Mini that kept cutting out. It emerged that a previous owner had lost
the plastic shield that should have sat between the front grille and
the distributor - as soon as I tied a carrier bag in its place the car
ran fine.

The shield only arrived on later Minis. Early ones had nothing - then that
rubber glove round the dizzy.

I remember that too, one of my mates at school had one.


Seems the prototype(s) had the dizzy at the back. Which then caused carb
icing with the carb at the front. Which is why they turned the engine
round and had to add an intermediate gear.

On Sat, 30 Dec 2017 12:24:36 +0000 (GMT)
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

The shield only arrived on later Minis. Early ones had nothing - then
that rubber glove round the dizzy.

I don't think any of mine were old enough not to have the plastic
shield - I think they were all 1970s vintage.

Seems the prototype(s) had the dizzy at the back. Which then caused
carb icing with the carb at the front. Which is why they turned the
engine round and had to add an intermediate gear.

Indeed - an interesting approach to the problem, which could otherwise
perhaps have been solved with a water-heated manifold (but the Mini
so-called-heaters always put out a pitiful amount of heat, even when
kept clean, so they'd have been even worse).

In article 20180107005156.763fb379@Mars,
Rob Morley wrote:
Indeed - an interesting approach to the problem, which could otherwise
perhaps have been solved with a water-heated manifold (but the Mini
so-called-heaters always put out a pitiful amount of heat, even when
kept clean, so they'd have been even worse).

A Mini heater in good nick worked very well.

It's a common thing to blame a poorly maintained unit on bad design.

--
*I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 29/12/2017 17:42, Chris Hogg wrote:
In decades past, when ignition systems weren't well protected, there
were always cars stuck in flood waters

Or in the case of minis and 1100's simply driving in heavy rain
could flood the distributor.

On Sat, 30 Dec 2017 12:37:52 +0000, Andrew wrote:

On 29/12/2017 17:42, Chris Hogg wrote:
In decades past, when ignition systems weren't well protected, there
were always cars stuck in flood waters

Or in the case of minis and 1100's simply driving in heavy rain could
flood the distributor.

Happened to my Land Rover once in those conditions, south of Canterbury.
I had to get all the passengers out to stand round the engine compartment
as a windbreak while I used the silicone spray.

Then off we went again!

--
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Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor