Club 80-90 Forums

Yesterday and today, I've had a nightmare starting my Caravelle. It's been really cold, but it just didn't want to start at all. Eventually it fired and when running, it's great - very smooth and powerful. Starting when it's warm is no problem at all.

I've also noticed the temp light has started flashing - this seems to happen randomly and turning the engine off and starting again makes it go out. There's plenty of coolant and the engine's not overheating.

So:

Are the poor cold starting and flashing light related?

How does the "choke" work? (I know it's not a choke per se, but I couldn't think what else to call it)

I guess it's a faulty sensor for the light, but where is it?

Any help would be very gratefully received... I had to endure the "told you not to buy it" from the present Mrs Veedweeb this morning

Does the starter turn over OK, Does it try to run or is it just not catching.

Once started does the van accelerate smoothly from cold or does it struggle?

I suspect the red light is a cruddy connector on the expansion tank or the temp sender.

T

It turns over and over, then eventually it fires, but wont catch, then finally it fires and runs. Once running, it pulls like a train. No flat spots, hesitation or anything. And once it has started, I can turn it off and it starts straight away, without even touching the accelerator.

I should add (I forgot to put it in the original post) that I cleaned and remade the connectors on all 4 injectors - that made a big difference to how smoothly the engine runs, and I did the same with connector circled in yellow here. One end of the lead for that goes to underneath the throttle body - I don't know where the other goes to.



It's been VERY cold here, and I thought it was something to do with that, but thinking about it again, the starting problems have coincided with me interfering with that connector.

mine was a bugger to start in the damp, new dizzy cap and rotor arm, old one was pitted.

I think the circled connector is the throttle closed / fully open sensor.
I wouldn't have thought it would stop the bugger starting.

T

try changing the switch on the thermastat housing,its the lower of the 2 as the top one is the temp sender,the bottom one controls the cold start,cj.

Just been messing about with it...

I was starting to suspect that sender too... I'll get a replacement and fit it anyway.

It might have been a coincidene, but I messed with the connector on the ISV and the engine started without any problems (Turned over twice and immediately started idling at about 500-600 rpm, very smoothly). It started a few times like that too.

However, when trying to start it before, I could spend 5 minutes turning it over on the starter and then once it had started, it would restart without any problems. It might just be that it had reached the point where it was going to start anyway.

I'm leaving it for half an hour and then I'll try again.

Bah! It wasn't the ISV connector.

I've now replaced the temp sender (£14 ) and I'm waiting for it to cool down before I try again.

Wish me luck...

Just to bring this to a conclusion...

It now starts and idles really well. It was the temp sender in the end.

The temp light is still flashing though I'll clean the contacts on that tomorrow

Thanks for the replies, everyone