Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

So our 1.9DG has decided not to start for over a week now.

Using E5 fuel (has half a tank)

Battery under a year old

Starter motor, fly wheel, clutch friction plate and slave cylinder replaced November 24.

"New" Pierburg pull down fitted at the same time.

Replaced the little broken bit of plastic at the same time.

Was running and starting without issues since November.

About two weeks ago went to go for a drive and she started but very lumpy and kept stalling as trying to pull away.

Has a good spark, fuel is getting to the carburettor feels/smells as if too much fuel is getting to the carburettor?

Checked the vaccine on the pulldown and as not holding I removed the vacuum pipe and the little brass valve, sprayed with carb cleaner put back on and she started after the second turn, so thought that was it as I had run the fuel down low.

So got to last Friday, went to go out and she won't start. She is turning over but not holding on the idle, not able to rev, so stuck now.

Have replaced all vacuum pipes and the vacuum advance unit on the dizzy today, still nothing.

So I'm left thinking it's the fuel pump? Or fuel line to the carburettor, tried looking for leaks or smell of fuel but can't come across any.

Fuel filter perhaps?

The fuel lines all look ok and appear pretty new.

Plugs look good and producing a good spark.

No "mayo" in the oil.

Going through the Pierburg manual, there's mention of a cold start flap? In the/near the air filter that should be closed when the weather is below 15 degrees, I have taken the top off the air box and can't find any sort of flap. Also noticed that the vacuum line from the top of the air box has been blanked off ( mine has two, I'm guessing one in and one out?) It's the one that would be coming out and goes to, not sure where it's meant to go.

TIA

Andy

Just to add to the post.

So, thought I would try to adjust the idle mixture to see if that would change anything.. Not sure what's meant to be there to adjust, I was thinking that there might be a screw to turn, but couldn't see anything to adjust/turn.

Also noticed that white smoke is coming out of the exhaust and a lot of soot/carbon in the tail pipe as well and a little bit of white smoke? From the left rocker cover.

Hi,
Have you removed the brass emulsion jet from the top of the carb and cleaned that yet?

Take pancake off and you'll see two brass jets, only one will have cut outs for a screwdriver.... get a good fitting flat bladed screwdriver
and take it out. You should be able to see a dot of light if you look through it, but it is a very small hole. give it a good clean and blow through.

  This has been the culprit a couple of times for me.

diabolov wrote: ↑05 Feb 2025, 18:15 Hi,
Have you removed the brass emulsion jet from the top of the carb and cleaned that yet?

Take pancake off and you'll see two brass jets, only one will have cut outs for a screwdriver.... get a good fitting flat bladed screwdriver
and take it out. You should be able to see a dot of light if you look through it, but it is a very small hole. give it a good clean and blow through.

  This has been the culprit a couple of times for me.

Hey,

Didn't think about that jet. That's the first thing I'll be looking at tomorrow, got one more idea to try before leaving it to the garage.

Thanks

Andy

Confirm if it's fueling by either a squit of "Start ya bas...d" or a thimble of pertrol down the carb. 

Hi Rob,

I'll give a squirt of "start you bas...."

Thanks

Andy

Don't be tempted to keep squirting , a backfire through the carb can set the can nozzel on fire 

2e3 carb? Have you checked the cone filter in the carb inlet spigot ?

Hi Steve,

Have checked that filter. Gave it a good clean and have also cleaned that jet out, as well as a spray of "start ya ba*****! and she still won't start .

When going through things today, I did notice that the throttle cable hadn't gone all the way back, so when starting if.I keep the key turned onto the last click and foot all the way down, she'll rev at full pelt, the moment I let the key so or take my foot off, she dies.

At a real loss now as she also our daily and we live quite rural.

Andy

if there is no life even with starting spray then you have an ignition problem or even a compression problem.

 

check the static timing, the dizzy clam may have worked loose and rotate.

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the advice, any pointers? Not got a strob light though.

Static timing , you make the piston no1 at TDC , aligning the pulley to the tdc mark and the rotor ar should be at the indent mark on the dissy .

if your dizzy is alrady moveable in the above, then thats an indicator.

It's also possible that the spark is good in "Free Air" but not in compressed mixture, a little more difficult to diagnose you need  the strobe light to confirm your spark is actualy sparking in the cylionder. closing up the plug gap may aid reaching a spark in situe as a diagnostic test. 

When I have been through this I usualy pull all plugs , clean and bake at 100C for 30 mins to dry them out ( also lets the bored evporate for a while ) .

If you have been "Checking" plugs/leads do check the firing order is correct and aslo not 180degrees out of rotation.,


If after confriming the above, having cheked with easy start, and still no joy it's compression test time.