hc emissions failed, couple of other mot bits ..

[xpress]

van failed mot hc emissions, (2000 instead of 1200). i think it's a couple of things but mainly hunting idle. the van battery was a bit weak might have affected spark too as with the dizzy cap and rotor arm probably needed replacing.

i think either carb rebuild kit i need or vaccuum advance, but what do i need to check for vaccuum advance? is it a pipe i need to check? any ideas for a procedure, haynes is a bit sketchy.

any ideas to get her through the emissions? a good thrash up and down the motorway?

i wanted to have a look at the vacuum advance pipe, before i drop 30 quid on a carb rebuild kit .. could i visually inspect it to see if there's an air leak or do i have to spray a bit of carb cleaner to see if the idle goes down ..

maybe i should hose out the exhaust pipe.

i also have to replace a front brake hose and might replace some front pads lol. when removing the hose i am going to try to block off the brake pipes with elastic band and a couple of pieces of shopping bag does this sound feasible?

lastly, front both headlamps not working on dipped beam, and on main beam, and offside rear fog lamp not working. are they all bulbs and not sealed units?

are they classed as not working if not bright enough? i am going to clean up the contacts and earths and see what happens. might be a bit of rust/tarnishing.

[ermie571]

eeh that's a fair few questions...

how did you put in with all those lights not working??? Don't you check the basics b4 it goes in?

Oh - we only have one rear fog....but I'm guessing that didn't come on either!!

Bulbs at the rear easy enough to get to....front ones more fiddly - grill off, light out...wiggle bulb out of back, replace and refit etc....


Good luck
xx

[kevtherev]

van failed mot hc emissions, (2000 instead of 1200). i think it's a couple of things but mainly hunting idle. the van battery was a bit weak might have affected spark too as with the dizzy cap and rotor arm probably needed replacing.

yes a good service might help there

but what do i need to check for vaccuum advance? is it a pipe i need to check?

any pipe attached to the carb, and manifold (brake servo, hose and vacuum pipes from the dizzy to the carb, and from the carb to the air cleaner box)

any ideas to get her through the emissions? a good thrash up and down the motorway?

er.. no

maybe i should hose out the exhaust pipe.

would serve no purpose

i also have to replace a front brake hose and might replace some front pads lol. when removing the hose i am going to try to block off the brake pipes with elastic band and a couple of pieces of shopping bag does this sound feasible?

yes

lastly, front both headlamps not working on dipped beam, and on main beam, and offside rear fog lamp not working. are they all bulbs and not sealed units?

fuses? ...and all bulbs

[Ian Hulley]

Other than the reply to your PM the best advice I can give you is to use your van more. These things do NOT thrive on neglect, they are NOT a Saxo.

Run it, service it, enjoy it

[xpress]

good advice, thank you all you are all so helpful!

i wrote this to ian but i will put it here .. plugs are nearly new. battery is poor, after a few cranks won't start could that affect it? my guess is that it could. thanks will check diaphragm.

previously had no air filter in, now has a new one. dizzy cap probably needs renewing, it's had a scrape on the terminals. ht leads might as well be renewed too.

vacuum advance to check that, basically if the diaphragm not working then it would cause high hc emissions and hunting idle?

lol i bet it's the carb gaskets

i am just going outside to get the number on the carb, there's a place up the road i can get a kit from.

any advice when doing the carb? is it straightforward? i hope it comes with instructions lol.

[Strides]

Mine has just failed on emissions too - but more spectacularly than yours!

Some recommendations from the garage - among other things - were to clean out the crankcase breather, check spark plug gaps and change oil before returning it to the testing station. I've also chucked a load of Redex in, for what it's worth. Any other suggestions more than welcome...

I did refurb the carb and fit new gaskets last year and it wasn't too tricky an operation, even for a novice like me. I do have wear on the throttle cable spindle though, which causes an air leak with flat spots, lumpy running etc. Can't help emissions at all I wouldn't have thought. The vac advance on my distributer is definitely shot as well.

Good luck.

[xpress]

just been outside. you should see the state of my rotor arm, worn through the gold coating quite a bit and the same with the dizzy cap! will be replacing those.

it's a pieburg 2e carb i have. going to get a carb rebuild kit to be on the safe.

how much is a new vacuum advance if it's needed?

i really don't get the lights fail. i checked them all, one indicator front left not working night before i scraped it up pesky rust from a loose seal on the windscreen bringing water in. time to go shopping before dusk.

any advice for carb rebuild throw it my way, hopefully it's a case of undoing it taking it off replacing the sammich gaskets and nipping back up!!!

[Strides]

Pierburg 2E3 - same carb as mine. I took it off the manifold and cleaned it thoroughly on the outside with petrol and a paintbrush over a bucket before taking the top section away from the lower piece to avoid washing any crud from the outside into the smallest holes inside.

Flushed out all channels, fuelways and the little cone filter on the fuel-in pipe with a tin of spray carb-cleaner. Some nasty looking deposits flew out of some places (mind your eyes!). I did replace most of the components in the kit but recall having a couple of bits left over at the end. Nothing proved too difficult - just keep an eye on what came from where.

When refitting I also put on new vacuum hoses throughout. I did have to re-tighten the mounting screws after a few miles as it had worked very slightly loose for some reason.

I'm sure I worked from some useful stuff either on the tech forums or Wiki; have a search around.

[Aidan]

porous hose to vacuum servo from manifold often causes high hc as carb set up with co right is running rich one side and lean the other

[fullsunian]

porous hose to vacuum servo from manifold often causes high hc as carb set up with co right is running rich one side and lean the other

What he says ^^^^ rebuilding the carb will be a waste of time me thinks. High HC normally means air leaks and like Aidan says vac hose is favorite

[xpress]

forgive me for being a dullard, but where exactly is this hose?

also, how often in the service schedule should you replace ht leads?

would a weak dying out battery cause high hc?

[CovKid]

Its normally on the left of your engine bay Xpress (midway to rear) - the hose between bulkhead and inlet manifold.

[xpress]

ok thanks, i am going to go mad covering up hoses with a rag and see if it helps the idle/hc lol.

[kevtherev]

a rag???

you need to seal it, if it's leaking.

[xpress]

testing to see if it affects the idle and which hose(s) are the culprit if any.

i can't find any reference in the haynes to vaccuum advance diaghragm for replacement and testing, any info or pics anywhere?