Stoneleigh

[Rich]

Ok then, hands up who's going to be there on the Sunday?

[manifold]

Hopefully me, if I change my clutch. Still using it daily but I can feel it starting to let go on high load. Need to buy 7 metres of 35mm battery cables and some anderson connectors anyway.

The missus is off to Kiev to see her mum in April, so I should be able to change it then when I have her car.

[Rich]

Hopefully me, if I change my clutch. Still using it daily but I can feel it starting to let go on high load. Need to buy 7 metres of 35mm battery cables and some anderson connectors anyway.

The missus is off to Kiev to see her mum in April, so I should be able to change it then when I have her car.

Would this stuff be any good as battery cable? They do 35mm stuff as well.

http://www.thewelderswarehouse.com/Welding/50mm_.html

[manifold]

I think welding cable is basically what it is anyway. It has to be decent copper cable.

To get the equivalent resistance of a car body earth (like the boot in the back of a mini) it has to be 35mm. I have found out to my cost. I bought 25mm as recommended by a battery company, against my own thoughts and it wasnt enough, car was poor to start as the voltage pressure drop was too much over 7 metres over 2 cable.

When I did the Coupe I went up to twin 35mm cables, even via anderson connectors, it is bang on the money. During this cold winter I had no problems turning the engine over, even at minus 12-15 degrees C

[DavidL]

I think you may have solved a 25 year old problem for me.

My Bronze had the battery in the boot, I used the same size battery cables as the standard Mini/Metro for both pos and neg, terminating at the bulkhead with half inch AF bolts (IIRC) through to the underbonnet cables. I thought that was enough.

However I had a problem with hot starting; a cold start was no problem, but if I stalled the car in traffic, restarting attempts made me think I had a flat battery (or a partially-seized engine!). The starter would barely turn the engine over.

Do you think heavier battery cables would have solved that problem? If so, I wish I'd known...


(edit) My reasoning was that I used the same gauge of cable as the Mini, in which the positive cable ran all the way from the boot to the engine. The idea of there being a voltage drop significant enough to be a problem when doubled never crossed my mind. Stupidly.

[manifold]

Its certainly a possibility. All I can tell you is that the extra 10mm definitely makes a difference. But then again, the girls say that too.

I also proved the theory by fitting a short cable close to the engine from the battery to test and that worked fine.

You would know if the engine overheated. water boiling and all that...hot engine smell etc..

Its difficult to say as I dont have a 5 port anymore which use to vapour lock now and again when hot. The 7 port on the coupe has never had a hot start problem. Also I have an override switch that bridges the thermostat in the radiator. If I am in traffic for more than a few mins in summer I flick switch and don't worry about temperature creep.

One of the reasons for the extra 2 vents fitted in the bonnet was vapour lock.

[DavidL]

Its certainly a possibility.

You would know if the engine overheated. water boiling and all that...hot engine smell etc..

Its difficult to say as I dont have a 5 port anymore which use to vapour lock now and again when hot. The 7 port on the coupe has never had a hot start problem. Also I have an override switch that bridges the thermostat in the radiator. If I am in traffic for more than a few mins in summer I flick switch and don't worry about temperature creep.

One of the reasons for the extra 2 vents fitted in the bonnet was vapour lock.

Despite having inner wings fitted, I was never aware of any overheating problem with the Bronze (engine was a basic 1.3 out of a Metro HLS), although the only "tuning" was a water heated inlet manifold (did that actually make any difference?) and an LCB exhaust manifold. I don't even know if the bonnet vents on the Bronze actually did anything - I have a vague memory that they were purely cosmetic, but I might be wrong about that.

[manifold]

the vents were there as chimneys for the exhaust to vent off. well they are on the mk3's.

[DavidL]

the vents were there as chimneys for the exhaust to vent off. well they are on the mk3's.

I do remember initially the Mk 3 only had 2 bonnet vents, then all of a sudden they had 4. But the 2 on the Mk 2 bonnet are further back than the outer 2 on the Mk 3, which IIRC actually uses one of the outer vents as the air intake for the heater. But you'll know all this so I'll shut up now.

[manifold]

yes thats right. I have an early bonnet with the 2 slots and a late one with the 4......plus I have the bonnets that only I have... and Rich now.