Club 80-90 Forums

Engine was running fine.
1.9petrol.
Suddenly, doing 60mph and backfired. BANG
Now loses power at all engine revs, backfires,chuffs, then stops.
Checked the plugs, got a full tank of fuel.
Help please I am at a loss !
Ta

It is probably dirt in the carburettor. One or more of the jets will be blocked.

But it may be something else, but I would start with the carb

fuel starvation, contam fuel, blocked filter/fuel supply lines/tank exit.?

Well,
Just changed all the plugs, screwed back in jet screw in the top of the carb that was loose, blown through all the fuel filters,taken out 1 pint of oil that was higher than the dipstick maximum mark!!!
Looked at the oil and it smelt of diesel ! I think maybe "friendly" white van man up the road who moans about parking spaces had chucked a pint of diesel or two into the oil filler.
Drained all the oil out and refilled with new.
Then burnt off half a tank of fuel by revving it around for an hour and a half.
Does 80mph now and seems much happier !
But, would love to know what the cause was !!

Would diesel down the oil filler have caused the symptoms ?

could it be you put diesel in instead of petrol at last fill up?
keep an eye the fuel pump isant lettinf fuel into the sump!

No, I definately put in petrol, at least, thats what it says on the receipt.
Could be that the petrol station had just switched over a pump from diesel to petrol and it was contaminated.
Trying to prove that one isn't even worth the effort.

How can the fuel pump put fuel into the sump ? Genuine qustion, not being funny.

the internal seals go on the mechanical pumps,although was more of an issue with beetle engines, i have seen it on t25's though

i doubt putting diesel in the sump would cause the above symptoms....

no but maybee more than 1 fault?

Strange,
Something I have done seems to have cured the symptoms,
Don't know which "something ".

Just changed all the plugs, screwed back in jet screw in the top of the carb that was loose, blown through all the fuel filters,taken out 1 pint of oil that was higher than the dipstick maximum mark!!!
Looked at the oil and it smelt of diesel ! I think maybe "friendly" white van man up the road who moans about parking spaces had chucked a pint of diesel or two into the oil filler.
Drained all the oil out and refilled with new.
Then burnt off half a tank of fuel by revving it around for an hour and a half.
Does 80mph now and seems much happier !

Something I have done seems to have cured the symptoms,
Don't know which "something ".

looks like you have serviced it, and fixed a carb jet problem. strange that you think it had too much oil in, only to discover that the oil dint seem quite right too. is it possible that you had dirt in the carb and have given it a proper clear out with the high revving?

Yes it is strange.
it definately had too much oil in it, I measured it on the dipstick which was above the max mark and also when drained it came to 5.5 litres.
I thought of a blown head gasket letting water into the sump but the water level is OK.
maybe the service and a rev helped, but I never put 5.5 litres in last time I drained it all, and it was OK on the dipstick after the last oil change.
I strongly suspect sabbotage resulting in plug fouling from a thin liquid
( diesel) seeping back past the seals up to the combustion chambers.

dalmationman wrote:I strongly suspect sabbotage

Have you .... upset anyone ? After all 99% of the population wouldn't even know where the engine was, let alone the oil filler, let alone be @r$ed to sabotage it with valuable diesel.

Ian.

Well, I upset the white van man up the road in December when he parked his car across my driveway, jumped out of it and refused to move it into a vacant space across the road, thus allowing me access to my property.
The reason whilst he was upset was due to the fact that I promptly called the police to resolve the matter because as well as being abusive and refusing to a politely reuest to re park, he stank of booze.

I don't tolerate drink driving abusive neighbours very well

Another couple of pointers :
He knows where the oil filller is because he has seen me filling it up.
Also, his diesel isn't valuable, it comes from an expenses paid Council van.