Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

22,102 · November 6

12 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

The XM is still with us and in service as the Autumnal daily driver...

That’s a good calendar shot.

35,467 · November 8

Yesterday @Slowsilver Thomas and I set about the puzzle of why my 1984 Mini Mayfair did not start last time we tried. Colin reminded me that it was very low on petrol when it was driven from Milton Keynes and maybe I should put some petrol in it!

Putting petrol in did not help so we dived deeper and found there was no power to the coil under run condition. When the starter is engaged it started as the coil is fed from the solenoid instead of the ballasted supply from the non fused side of the fuse box.

I don't know if it is a 6 volt or 9 volt ballast system but I believe the ballast resistor is the wire itself from the power supply to the coil. I certainly don't want to change the whole wiring loom. I am thinking about adding a new wire with an external ballast resistor.

Does anybody know what resistance I should be looking for to match my coil?

18,441 · November 8

6 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

why my 1984 Mini Mayfair did not start last time we tried.

yeah but you bring it on yourself

BL and you wonder why

22,102 · November 8

50 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Yesterday @Slowsilver Thomas and I set about the puzzle of why my 1984 Mini Mayfair did not start last time we tried. Colin reminded me that it was very low on petrol when it was driven from Milton Keynes and maybe I should put some petrol in it!

Putting petrol in did not help so we dived deeper and found there was no power to the coil under run condition. When the starter is engaged it started as the coil is fed from the solenoid instead of the ballasted supply from the non fused side of the fuse box.

I don't know if it is a 6 volt or 9 volt ballast system but I believe the ballast resistor is the wire itself from the power supply to the coil. I certainly don't want to change the whole wiring loom. I am thinking about adding a new wire with an external ballast resistor.

Does anybody know what resistance I should be looking for to match my coil?

I did that sort of physics equations at school, sadly it was decades ago and many cases of wine have passed .

1,761 · November 8

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Yesterday @Slowsilver Thomas and I set about the puzzle of why my 1984 Mini Mayfair did not start last time we tried. Colin reminded me that it was very low on petrol when it was driven from Milton Keynes and maybe I should put some petrol in it!

Putting petrol in did not help so we dived deeper and found there was no power to the coil under run condition. When the starter is engaged it started as the coil is fed from the solenoid instead of the ballasted supply from the non fused side of the fuse box.

I don't know if it is a 6 volt or 9 volt ballast system but I believe the ballast resistor is the wire itself from the power supply to the coil. I certainly don't want to change the whole wiring loom. I am thinking about adding a new wire with an external ballast resistor.

Does anybody know what resistance I should be looking for to match my coil?

1.5-1.6 Ohm, rated to at least 25W according to ChatGPT o1 😄

13,088 · November 8

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Does anybody know what resistance I should be looking for to match my coil?

Am pished but memory says high, more leccy out than in

35,467 · November 9

13 hours ago, IronStar said:

1.5-1.6 Ohm, rated to at least 25W according to ChatGPT o1 😄

I have ordered this ballast resistor.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234778731490

The question left is, is my coil correct for that ballast resistor?

3,734 · November 9

12 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I have ordered this ballast resistor.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234778731490

The question left is, is my coil correct for that ballast resistor?

If it's a ballasted coil then yes. If it's a 12 volt coil then you will only be feeding it 9 volts and it probably won't work at all, so then you will know. Is there a Unipart number on the coil?

35,467 · November 9

4 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

If it's a ballasted coil then yes. If it's a 12 volt coil then you will only be feeding it 9 volts and it probably won't work at all, so then you will know. Is there a Unipart number on the coil?

I have seen reference to a cold start coil 6v and a ballast coil 9v but no clue to which is fitted to my car? Does a 1.5/1.6 ohm resistor suit a 6v or 9v coil?

The current coil part number is unreadable.

3,734 · November 9

I don't think BL used 6 volt coils so would expect it to be 9 volt and the 1.5/1.6 resistor would be ok. If you have a multimeter you can measure the resistance of the coil low-tension side, which should tell you what it is, see here:

www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/topic/261849-testing-coils/

3,734 · November 9

I just bypassed all this by running a non ballast 12v coil and running an ignition switched live from fuse box to the coil positive (done because the ballast resistor wire in my loom was dead and I’m not swapping it either)

35,467 · November 9

2 hours ago, Stinkwheel said:

I just bypassed all this by running a non ballast 12v coil and running an ignition switched live from fuse box to the coil positive (done because the ballast resistor wire in my loom was dead and I’m not swapping it either)

I have a new ballast coil and the ballast resistor so I think I will just ask @Slowsilver to fit that for me.

The reason the brand new coil is hand marked with "ballasted" is it was bought on spec some time ago and has no markings on it so if it is out of the box I would not know what it is.

35,467 · November 12

All fueled by Jammie Dodgers and chocolate fingers!

The Mini Mayfair runs again today thanks to the expert fitting of an external ballast resistor by @Slowsilver.

Geoff also came over and refitted the heater with a replacement core in it.

Next time my first drive?

13,088 · November 12

They are flasks, right? 😃

25,180 · November 12

5 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

They are flasks, right? 😃

155mm howitzer shells. Possibly*.

18,441 · November 13

55 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

All fueled by Jammie Dodgers and chocolate fingers!

MATRON!!

40 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

155mm howitzer shells. Possibly*.

nah just more chocolate

3,734 · November 13

8 hours ago, chaseracer said:

155mm howitzer shells. Possibly*.

Thats a bit extreme, no matter how much trouble your classic car is giving, you dont usually need a howitzer to fix it

24,973 · November 13

5 minutes ago, Stinkwheel said:

Thats a bit extreme, no matter how much trouble your classic car is giving, you dont usually need a howitzer to fix it

The cf would survive one anyway 🤷👌

25,180 · November 13

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

Thats a bit extreme, no matter how much trouble your classic car is giving, you dont usually need a howitzer to fix it

We've all been tempted!

2,324 · November 13

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

Thats a bit extreme, no matter how much trouble your classic car is giving, you dont usually need a howitzer to fix it

I think it's the perfect fix for my modern, though!

1,125 · November 13

4 hours ago, beko1987 said:

The cf would survive one anyway 🤷👌

As much as I hate that CF……I agree.

mainly as the shell would pass straight through the filler and land in the field.

24,973 · November 13

28 minutes ago, ianbmw said:

As much as I hate that CF……I agree.

mainly as the shell would pass straight through the filler and land in the field.

They'd find the cf 3 miles away through someone's roof after the shock wave hit 😬

35,467 · November 13

38 minutes ago, ianbmw said:

As much as I hate that CF……I agree.

mainly as the shell would pass straight through the filler and land in the field.

So that is why when we got it the passenger door was missing to let the missile out!

1,761 · November 13

2 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

So that is why when we got it the passenger door was missing to let the missile out!

Needs another recovery truck on the back, with toy car strapped on it. 😆

35,467 · November 13

When you have a few cars and the DVLA want to talk to you!

5,052 · November 13

34 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

When you have a few cars and the DVLA want to talk to you!

That would give me THE FEAR..

9,247 · November 13

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

When you have a few cars and the DVLA want to talk to you!

Hang on, that lot are mine!

24,973 · November 13

47 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

Hang on, that lot are mine!

Not the same speed camera each time I hope? 🤞😬

1,125 · November 13

7 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

So that is why when we got it the passenger door was missing to let the missile out!

I’ve had a few glasses of wine tonight and I’m high on lemsip…..

That looks saveable.

22,102 · November 13

50 minutes ago, ianbmw said:

I’ve had a few glasses of wine tonight and I’m high on lemsip…..

You seem to be living my life!

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