'91 Mitsi Minicab wont start after warmed up

That makes total sense. Now. Haha!
So what youre saying is, its quite possible, that i have carb issues, and not a timing issue?
In the little monsters defense, it does sit quite a bit from time to time.

 

I live in Missouri, so GR Imports is only a couple hours away. Ive been on their website a few times just rooting around. Ill check out the trouble shooting thing. Thanks!!

 

Uhhhhhh. I just thought of something.
I went to GR Imports website and looked at the trouble shooting thing.
I was unaware that there was coolant running thru the carb, to control the "thermostat" for the fuel inlet/choke.
Now that i now that, i did put a new thermostat in it when i got it. I flushed the cooling system before i ran it anywhere but idling in the shop. The thermostat i put in it, was the right temp, size, and offset. HOWEVER, it did not have the "bubbler" in it. So, i drilled a 1/8 inch hole where the "bubbler" should have been. And it always ran cool. In other words, it took a very long time for the engine to warm up. Much less to move the temp needle. And THAT may account for the carb trouble.
Whats your thoughts on that?

 

The wet choke is supposed to get flow before the radiator does. And, the lines to the wet choke are usually the first thing to clog. It is pretty common for them to get restricted, and not get enough heat to open the choke fully. Also, the other issue, is the carb and head are teh high points on the cooling system, and unless you bleed teh air correctly out of the head, the air will never come out of the system.

On most American cars teh radiator is teh high point, and the hole in the thermostat is there to let any air in the system bleed up to the radiator. The 1/8 hole sounds really big on these engines they are pretty tiny.

 

In hindsight, the hole i drilled should have been 1/16 or smaller. The original thermostat has a hole in it, but there is also a tiny "free floating" metal tab in the hole, and it takes up better than half of the hole. Ill post a pic of the original thermostat when i get home this afternoon.
Knowing what you guys have told me, and what i found on the GR Imports website, i will be giving the cooling lines at the carb and vacuum lines a solid going over, before i start dismantling the front of the motor for a timing belt it may not need.

 

ALSO.....
About a year ago, i took it to my local Chevy dealer, and had them flush the cooling system. I assumed, they purged the air from the system, since they used a flush machine to flush the cooling system.

 

Have you tried to pull a spark plug out when it is warm and in a no start condition to check for fouling?

 

Not yet. I was planning on doing that for sure. Been busier than i would like the last couple days, and haven't had a chance to start on the little feller. I have gotten a lot of tips and places to start looking, from all of you. Im hoping to get some time this week to get it in the shop and start chasing down all the possibilities that you guys have given me. I would be willing to bet money that the plugs are fouled for sure. Im going to start at the wet choke on the carb and move from there, i think. As much as i dont want to, im pulling the carb and giving it a once over. And that will lead to tracing down vacuum lines, coolant to the carb lines, fuel lines, etc. And try to eliminate as much of the "cheap and easy" stuff as possible.
If i find anything strange, ill post pics.

 

After replacing the...
Ignition module (Napa Auto Parts J153 $15.00)
Coil (Napa Auto Parts $15.00)
Ignition pickup coil (Amazon $23.00)
I think the pickup coil was the culprit.
Now I have another problem to tackle. If I pick up on the drivers side of the cab (right hand drive) and hold it there, as if I'm trying g to turn the thing upside down, it spits and sputters. As soon as I let it down, it runs fine. If I do that on the passenger side, it seems to run a bit better. Taking the fuel tank off for a inspection and cleaning this week. Have you ever heard of anyone using a external fuel pump, to replace the in tank pump it has now?

 

super common to do on other makes and models, would just need to modify the tank pickup to a draw straw/sock. depending on how it's laid out, could be very easy to modify the existing fuel unit as such. if it's sucking air, may just be able to repair what's there with proper rated hose though unless there's another reason to swap parts.

 

I agree! It's been done several times! Maybe a few people can chime in and re tell their story!
Limestone

 

Awesome! Thanks!! I took the fuel tank off this evening. Had a few barnicals in it. Tomorrow night is fuel line night. Going to check for and cracked or otherwise mucked up fuel lines. Im still working on the timing business. I want to make sure everything else is in order first.
By the way... I discovered it does not have a internal fuel pump. So I think it will be a easy modification when the time comes.
Thanks again!!

 

Jigs is correct timing Mark's on flywheel

 

I was recently having the same problem. In my case it ended up being corroded terminals in the fuse block screwing with the electronic choke. Once I got better connectivity the symptoms went away