BETA 35 not starting - help!

[dor]

Have you checked the oil for water contamination?   If the oil looks the slightest it milky it is due to forming an emulsion with the water.  Also shows up as a sludgy cream deposit inside the oil filler cap.

[tree monkey]

On 15/02/2019 at 11:18, WotEver said:

When I recently changed a brake servo the last bolt was undone with me upside down on the seat with my head in the footwell with a long extension and a uj on the socket set, done entirely by feel. Great fun. 

Been there replacing a steering column on a mini after the splines stripped, now that was an interesting journey home.

Head in the footwell, feet over the seat

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

Been there replacing a steering column on a mini after the splines stripped, now that was an interesting journey home.

Head in the footwell, feet over the seat

Wasn't that a bit dangerous ?

Did you have a 'look-out' telling you which way to turn ?

[system 4-50]

8 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

Been there replacing a steering column on a mini after the splines stripped, now that was an interesting journey home.

Head in the footwell, feet over the seat

Position 473?  Minis are famous for it.

[tree monkey]

5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Wasn't that a bit dangerous ?

Did you have a 'look-out' telling you which way to turn ?

Very dangerous,  I was young, I was carefree, I was skint

 

Actually that would have been a safer way to drive it at the time

2 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

Position 473?  Minis are famous for it.

475 I thought but it was a long time ago

Edited February 16, 2019 by tree monkey

[system 4-50]

2 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

475 I thought but it was a long time ago

Sorry, you're right.  473 was the normally aspirated mini cooper.

[imranino]

32 minutes ago, dor said:

Have you checked the oil for water contamination?   If the oil looks the slightest it milky it is due to forming an emulsion with the water.  Also shows up as a sludgy cream deposit inside the oil filler cap.

No I haven’t! I checked the oil level on the dispstick and that looked normal. Should I find it to be as you describe, should I do an oil change? 

 

[dor]

1 minute ago, imranino said:

No I haven’t! I checked the oil level on the dispstick and that looked normal. Should I find it to be as you describe, should I do an oil change? 

 

Definitely!

 

ETA: the oil will sit on  top of any water, so may not show on the dipstick.  It depends really on whether the water rose higher than the dipstick hole, which will be the lowest point water can get into the sump.

Edited February 16, 2019 by dor

[RLWP]

29 minutes ago, dor said:

Definitely!

 

ETA: the oil will sit on  top of any water, so may not show on the dipstick.

 

It gives really nasty readings. The dipstick measures to the top of the oil floating on the water, and coats the dipstick as you pull it out. So you can have a sump full of water with a thin layer of oil on top and think you are OK. I found that out with a sunk engine, not a partially immersed one

 

Just do an oil change, the engine probably deserves one anyway

 

Richard

[Boater Sam]

For the price of a can of oil and a new oil filter, just do it for peace of mind.

 

Thanks for telling us the satisfactory end to the post, many never do.................