newbie needs help engine wont idle

[VERAT25]

hi.
gotta go with kev here.
adjust idle screw to fast tick over/ then back off.
also check vacuum hose, i had small crack in mine and engine was running like a dog.
(take hose off and blow thro,with one end sealed??
sealed off hose / re adjusted idle speed , now runs like a top.

vera t25

[kevtherev]

I'm sure you appreciate we can't see or here whats going on, and can only help in a limited way, so persevere and we'll help where we can..

when you have it ticking over steady, a gas anylizer will help to check the emmissions, they will tell you what's happening regarding mixture and air leaks, rather than an uneducated guess.

if your sure the idle solenoid is working and the carbs are squeaky clean, then you can start eliminating other stuff.

[spike blonde]

yup appreciate that and all the advice given, this and other threads have already given me a major insight into how ma van works, know more bout it after2 weeks ownership than i ever have of any vehicle ive owned in the past 20yrs haha
so general consensus is keep givin idle screw a twist till will fast idle on own n adjust from there?

[kevtherev]

yes..

then you can tell us if the exhaust smoke is black or blue or none.

bye the way when you changed th fuel filter was there any water in the old one?

[spike blonde]

think u onto somethin with the idle adjuster, not quite runnin right yet but its gettin there, need to do some more tinkerin to get the idle setting right (kicked into idle at one point, fast? i thought the engine was gonna shake out) unfortunatly run outta time today, gotta consider the neighbours lol.
can tell u its blowin blue/white outta the exhaust tho?
i dont think there was water in the fuel just horridly clogged filter turnin the fuel black but its new filter and fresh clean yummy fuel going through now.
will carry on tomorrow n post any developments thanks to all for advice n tips so far, dont feel quite so stressed about it now

[kevtherev]

Shake?....you mean as in rocking engine?

idle speed is the same as most petrol cars.. it's a case of "sounds right" without an RPM clock

as you turn the screw in does the engine quickly take off into a fast idle?

[spike blonde]

todays update, fast idle screw deff makin a difference, freind of mine has suggested the auto choke is not workin as it should n needs coaxing along till it kicks in, he has that prob on his camper.
started her up this morn n caught without havin to pump gas which is a big improvement ran round back n just had to keep gassing it a bit till fast idle kicked in, obviously i had it turned in way too far, stepped it back bout 4 full turns till it settled to a reasonable speed but had to fine adjust didnt i? kept turnin back till it cut off, no big deal i thought, half a turn forward n itl b right, jumped in.... and battery is flat, beginin to wonder if i have an alternator prob too, was runnin long enough to put charge back in surely? any thoughts?
on a side note would i have used a huge amount of fuel runnin at too fast idle? by neccessity cuz i cant get to a petrol station am fillin 5lt at a time, fresh 5 this morn only ran it about 5 mins n can see in filter under van theres very little in it, i kno the tank is very flat and wide, is it more likely the fuel in it is just too flat across bottom of tank to be flowing into filter? gonna go buy battery charger and more gas b4 i do anything else, dont wanna screw it up so close to havin it runnin.
as ever all advice/ suggestions gratefully recieved
spike

[sandwedge]

Sounds like a defective regulator or a duff battery, if it only holds charge after running.

If you want some help getting the engine set up and your prepared to drive to near market drayton (shropshire), I will help you get it set up correctly.

If the van is new to you I would replace the HT lead, dissy cap and rotor arm, and get some new plugs, unless your are sure all these have been recently replaced.

[spike blonde]

Sounds like a defective regulator or a duff battery, if it only holds charge after running.

If you want some help getting the engine set up and your prepared to drive to near market drayton (shropshire), I will help you get it set up correctly.

If the van is new to you I would replace the HT lead, dissy cap and rotor arm, and get some new plugs, unless your are sure all these have been recently replaced.

thanks for the offer n if i could get further than the end of the street id prob take u up on it, tho it might b something to consider once i got her runnin reliably if only to give her a first long run
as to the other stuff ht leads r good n fairly new dizzy cap n rotor arm could prob stand to b replaced if only to have peace of mind of em being new, have got one question tho, have noticed mines fitted with 4500rpm cut off rotor arm rather than a bog standard one is there any particular reason for fittin one of these or is it standard on a 1.9 petrol?
spike

[CovKid]

Just (in theory) stops it over revving but plenty run with standard ones.

[spike blonde]

Just (in theory) stops it over revving but plenty run with standard ones.

k thanks for that,
latest situ with my prob is this, can get engine to tick over and idle once engine is warm so learning towards an auto choke prob, which i can live with at the min, ive noticed this tho... once its running let it run on its own for a while but seems to b really drinking up fuel, stopped it n had a quick check over n noticed there is fuel/oil mix going into the air filter through the inlet trunking, is this normal or indicative of some other problem?
would appreciate any thoughts people have
spike

[Mocki]

its asmatic, its got breathing problems.

the oil breather tower could e blocked, or the reather pipe from it to the air intake blocked, they commonly go "soft" and squeesh down.
one thing to check, may not be much to do with your running issues, but wont be helping if your air filter is clogged.

[spike blonde]

update to engine prob
missus had had a mechanic round to have a look at prob.
he reckons carb is shot and the dizzy too.
anybody give me an idea as to how much it will cost to sort? im no mechanic so will prob have to go to garage
can anyone recommend anyone in the liverpool or manchester area?
thanks for all the help given so far
spike

[ermie571]

Spike,

those service items listed above gonna cost less than £50. Change them. make sure they are fitted correctly. Pull your plugs and post a picture....the what knows will tell you whether its rich, lean or ok. Then at least you will know the dissy cap, rotor arm, HT leads, spark plugs are all good. If you go to Just kampers, they do next day delivery, and the plugs are free with the leads.

I was lucky enough to have two friends show me how to strip down the carb, clean the float bowl and check the nozzle for dirt - mine had a fine hair in there....I have no idea, thought best not to ask, but this was making it fart aboput sommat dreadful on petrol. Just need a bit of confidence and a spanner set.

then you have timing. Boy, thats fun. I am no mechanic - but watched while a bolt holding dizzy in place was loosened, and the dizzy gently moved - until you could hear it running better! Again, can only do it roughly, but it can help. get it idling and see if this makes any difference.

What Mocki said abouve about the breathing fantastic advice too. Look for a black hose from the flat cover on top of the carb, going down to a black plastic chimney. Does the hose look old....has it collapsed. If the engine can't breathe, it won't be happy!

You have done so well so far.....keep it up!!!

All the best to you

Em
x

[spike blonde]

first off thanks for all the helpful advice, followed as mch as i can.
stripped out carb, cleaned fitted all the new gaskets n diaprhams that come with a brickwerks carb refurb kit n refitted 2 days ago. checked all pipes n fittings etc n refit met with some success struggled to start up but figured that was due to no fuel in carb, managed to fire up n ran briefly and idled straight away, knew i only had a small amnt of fuel so decided to go back to it next night with 5liters n followin wot ive read on other threads drop some fuel in the carb b4 turnin it over.
did that last night n althought is struggled to turn over when it finally fired ran and idled straight away. huge clouds of blue white smoke which scared hell out of me but settled down so im guessing that was due to all the carb cleaner n wd40 on the carb?
was actually able to drive the van so yay sucess of a sorts.
drove around works carpark to try burn all the crap out of the carb n pulled over to fine tune the idle as it was runnin a bit high got it pretty much right n figure i just need to get a garageman to help me adjust co emissions so its blowin cleaner out of exauhst.
problem is this after doin all this n being reasonably confident carb is good now, went to start up again and nothing could hear it trying to turn over and could hear starter clicking but just wouldnt turn over, have previously checked that plugs are sparkin so i kno they r ok but the worrying thing is after a few mins of turning key n trying to coax it to start my buddy at the back tells there is smoke coming out of engine bay.
i run round back keys out ignition off and the alternator is still trying to turn theres smoke comin off the starter motor and smoke seeping out of the hole where u can see the flywheel(driveshaft? i dont know what that bit is) panic panic vans on fire buddy rushes off to find an extinguisher n i run around trying to find the right spanners to diconnect battery before the van goes up in flames lol.
noticed the cables connecting to the battery are mad hot and the insulating on the neg cable has actually melted,
desparatly need some opinions as to whats happening here, quite happy to have a go at mechanical side of things but kno nothing of electrics,
is it a short? or have i burnt out the starter? or possibly an alternator fault?
any ideas as to what i should b lookin at first?
while i dont hope anyones has experianced this hope someone might have an idea whats causing it
cheers, spike