starting problem with 92 cooper spi

[plimerick]

hi was driving mini earlier and it just cut out while driving
now wont start when i twist key nothing atall happins no turn whatsoever
checked wires for loose connections
still no joy
there is a clicking noise from the big black relay box (dont know name of it sorry)
any suggestions
would fauly battery cause this even though i have igniton lights
tks

[keith]

there's an fuel cut-off on those cars, i know cause it caught me out one night after i went over a speed bump.... near the wiper motor, a little rubber covered switch.
also listen for fuel pump when u turn the key to the first position.. the clicking you hear is a good sign, coming from the relay box above the brake servo.

[plimerick]

reset the cut off switch
cant here fuel pump
yes box above servo
tks

[keith]

what are the headlights like? good and strong? check if the starter is getting current when u turn the key... if it was driving fine then suddenly stopped with no warning, its most likely an electrical issue rather than fuel. have u the wiring diagram? that and a multimeter should see you sorted.

[ian o B]

there's an fuel cut-off on those cars, i know cause it caught me out one night after i went over a speed bump.... near the wiper motor, a little rubber covered switch.
.

exact same thing happind me

[plimerick]

its deff not the cut off switch
note there is nothing atall happening when i turn the key

[keith]

got to trace out from the starting switch the path of current. assuming the battery is in good shape

[plimerick]

where is the starting switch ,behind the ignition?
battery is fine
changed it just to be sure
same story
went through all wiring and fuses in engine bay they seem fine
is the black relay box gave trouble would that be linked to starting it?

[keith]

yes it would... the start relay is in there.. the box can be opened, the cover slides off, the circuit board is attached to the connectors so a bit of care is required.
when i had mine open i used a very fine emery paper to dress the contacts. have to stress that in my case it was just preventive work as there was no fault with it - i was going through a phase of suspecting all the wrong things.

with a wiring diagram & colour code its possible to discover which of the four relays inside does what.

[woody]

The cut out switch only controls the fuel pump so wouldn't prevent the engine from cranking. The fact that it cut out when running and now won't crank would sujest to me the relay box.Was it raining when this happened. I have a spare relay box.

[keith]

and now mine is not cranking either.... fairly sure its the starter relay in this case, as it was running fine till i parked it.

[plimerick]

[quote="woody"]The cut out switch only controls the fuel pump so wouldn't prevent the engine from cranking. The fact that it cut out when running and now won't crank would sujest to me the relay box.Was it raining when this happened. I have a spare relay box.[/quote]
Wasent raining but washd car earlier that day
love if you could spare it let me know how much
could it be posted to limerick ill pay u for it

[woody]

PM sent

[plimerick]

sorry for late reply
changed relay box and still no difference
cant figure this out
is front wiring loom difficult to change

[keith]

changing the front loom is messy, as i think the split point is behind the dash, so the dash has to come out. i wouldn't change it unless you were *sure* thats where the problem is.

trace out the current from the key to the starter. with the key at "on* is there 12v at the plus side of the coil?

with the key at *on* can you start it by putting a screwdriver from the battery side of the solenoid to the large spade terminal which usually has the feed from the starter relay? if you can start it that way then check to see if the starter feed at the solenoid has 12v when u turn the key to start.

in my case when it wouldn't start it was the starter relay in the relay box.

[daniel garry]

the spi loom is a nightmare to say the least, just took the loom out of the cooper and trust me, you dont want to take into that job!!
were you getting ant voltage at the fuel pump??

[woody]

The alarm imobiliser controls the starting motor relay but I don't think it controls the ignition so wouldn't have caused the car to stop in the first place. Try turning the ignition on and jumping the solinoid wire directly to positive.
When you say the front wiring loom do you mean the main front loom or the seperate engine loom. I have an engine loom if you need one.

[plimerick]

fron engine loom
i have one of them but afraid to fit it lol

[plimerick]

tryed jumping the solenoid and engine turned
does this maybe mean that the solenoid is in trouble yes

[keith]

trace out the current from the key to the starter. with the key at "on* is there 12v at the plus side of the coil?

with the key at *on* can you start it by putting a screwdriver from the battery side of the solenoid to the large spade terminal which usually has the feed from the starter relay? if you can start it that way then check to see if the starter feed at the solenoid has 12v when u turn the key to start.

[woody]

Was the ignition on when you jumped the solinoid. Maybe immobilizer.

[plimerick]

turned out the loom was burn near where it joins starter
replaced loom
all sorted
tks for the help guys