running problems

[tanyadavidson30]

so took the time today to put fresh fuel in car the car has electronic ignition fitted never had any problems. however started the car today its been in the garage all winter although not been out driven much has been started regular. anyway took the car round the block started coughing spluttering .not taking revs at all yet will tick over ok took out the plugs cleaned them as they were a bit sooty still the same when you give it throttle cuts out then goes then splutters anyclues as where to begin . just to add the garage is not heated . it is a council garage and is a bit damp thanks in advance

[tanyadavidson30]

does anybody have any clues as to where I should start looking . could it be the coil . it will run and drive but does cough and splutter when u give it throttle it dies some times .

[panky]

Check the carb dashpot contains some oil and make sure the carb piston lifts and drops down again, right to the bottom, you will need to take the air filter off to do that. Good luck

[simmitc]

Check that the piston in the carb rises and falls freely. Remove the air filter and the dashpot damper then lift the piston all the way up using your finger. Noe let go. The piston should drop smoothly with a satisying clunk.

Whilst at the carb, check the float chmaber for debris that could be blocking the jet and also make sure that the air filter is clean.

Uf those are OK then we can look at ignition.

[tanyadavidson30]

thanks very much I will check them tomorrow and if needed which oil shall I put in carb . as I said I have had no problems since having electronic ignition fitted 2 years ago . the car did cut out a couple of times after a few turns it then started . but its not running like it usually does . I know very little about electronic ignition etc . or distributor s. that's why I have had electronic ignition fitted but I will try . the above tomorrow and report back thanks .

[bmcecosse]

Is the 'choke' stuck on? It's unlikely to be 'the coil' (never is..) - they either spark or don't spark. Plug leads all back on right order after checking the plugs? Could be damp in the dizzy cap - or on the rotor arm. I hope the garage is well ventilated - damp garage is probably worse than leaving it outdoors....

[tanyadavidson30]

I am not shure on choke I don't think it is when I pull it out and push it back in it goes in I will check today could it be the petrol in it someone told me after a while it goes off I did put fresh fuel in .I will check today and get back on here thanks .

[bmcecosse]

Old petrol is somtimes difficult to 'start' - but once running is generally ok - certainly when only 6 months or so old.

[tanyadavidson30]

update I went round to the garage this morning . and I took the air filter casing off removed the air filter . I checked that the piston was moving up and down ok . which it was so I put the airfilter which was clean and dry back on . then I undone the plunger on top of the carb to top up with oil I put in 3in1 oil toped it up . I then checked that the choke was not sticking on it does not seem to be sticking . I then persued to start the car in which it did 1st time no problems I also checked the water level before starting and topped it up .The car started no problem and I let it tick over for about 5 minutes I got in and decided to give it a rev to see if there would be any coughing and spluttering which there was none. drove it out of the garage back and forth no problems let I tick over for around 10 minutes .sat back in the car gave it a rev fine no problems so after about 30 minutes of ticking over and revving here and there no spluttering no couching fine then I thought ok maybe it was needing some oil in carb and that's done the trick. then when I went to put the car back in the garage it wouldn't take a rev it would tick over ok when rev it will lose power and cut out restarted the car. then gave it a rev to go backwards it started shakin vibration spluttering couching and cut out again so I restarted with a few turns got enough revs to get it in garage and it cut out and will not start . there was a strong smell of petrol thanks for all your help

[bmcecosse]

Is the petrol pump ticking away like mad - indicating the carb is flooding?

[tanyadavidson30]

its the electronic fuel pump that is fitted its around 18 months old so I am not too shure it also has electronic ignition fitted so im not too shure will check again in 5 minutes and report back

[tanyadavidson30]

could it be the plug leads etc

[simmitc]

"strong smell of petrol" hints at a fuel issue. Check for leaks, particularly the flexible pipe from pump to carb as these degrade quite quickly with modern petrol. Although the choke knob is going in, is the jet moving right up on the carb? Pulling the knob lowers the jet, pushing the knob in should raise it until it stops against the securing nut, but sometimes the jet will stick further down.

Also check whether the float is leaking and that the needle valve is operating correctly. Take the lid off the float chamber (3 screws, flat blade driver) and then turn on ignition. You can operate the float by hand to check that the fuel stops flowing when the float rises. Be careful to catch any fuel and dispose of safely - no sparks or naked flames wanted! Turn off the ignition as soon as the test is complete. It should be obvious if the float is leaking as fuel will be inside. Leaking float are very unusual these days, but simple to rule out.

[tanyadavidson30]

never had the chance to test carb yet as had no time its just turning over over but not starting at all . when I get time I will take it off check but im not too shure what it is although do agree some kind of fuel problem

[tanyadavidson30]

when I turn on ignition im only hearing 1 click could the electric fuel pump have stopped working if so how can it be repaired thanks guys in advance

[tanyadavidson30]

been round took the 3 screws out lifted top off with float attached . the bit where the float sits in is nearly fill with fuel I turn ignition electric fuel pump click click click rapid with fuel coming out .so I stopped put it back together the choke is not sticking on but it will still not start just turning over and over again .

[simmitc]

OK, pump, float and valve sound OK. Whilst the cover was off, did you check for debris in the chamber?

Next simple test is (a) make sure that there is no petrol left lying around. (b) remove the thick HT lead from the centre of the distributor cap, leaving the other end in the coil. Wedge the free end near the engine block so that there is a small gap between the end of the wire and a good earth point. Now get someone to turn the key to crank the engine whilst you watch the wire. Is there a good spark in the gap? Depending on yes/no we'll move further down the line.

[tanyadavidson30]

in the bottom of the chamber pot was a small amount of brown dirt but not a lot I will check the dizzy lead just now and get back to you thanks

[tanyadavidson30]

ok been round took lead off checked it when starting theres good spark

[bmcecosse]

So - look to the rotor arm and the dizzy cap (look for the little centre carbon brush in place ok - and track marks or cracks). You SURE the plug leads are right order ? Maybe of course that the plugs are now soaking wet with petrol - take one out and check.