Club 80-90 Forums

Newbie owner, just bought a loverly 1985 1.9 water cooled pickup.

I have a few "issues" which I need to work through before I put "Bob" to work moving house and emptying gardens and garages!

Issue 3 - Half way home on saturday (20 odd miles travelling), just as I am abotu to pull away from a round about.. nothing! Engine has stopped and refuses to start! Spins on the key.. but no chugging popping or banging.

So.. after pushing the thing out the way and calling the RAC out, it decided to start!

Mr RAC couldn't see anything wrng. Not that he checked much, given that it started as soon as he turned up! There was a crack in the breather hose which goes into the carb from the black cycliner at the front of the engine. So he cut out that but (not far from the end of the hose anyway) and reconnected it. Sat idling for 5 minutes.. no problem.

So, the assumption we have all made is that being sat for a few months, and having started with virtually no fuel in the tank, may have resulted with some crap in the carb. However, i am obvioulsy concerned that this issue may reoccur, and I would like to try and find a way to prevent this.

I'd prefer to not take the carb off/apart seems a fairly major job. But, inline withthe other issues I have already mentioned in other posts, any ideas would be appreciated!

O.. as an aside.. the afore mentioned breather hose is still kinked.. would this effect the idle/running of the engine significantly?

Thanks in advance.. again!

Adam.

If you crawl underneath (its on the offside on mine), just behind drivers wheel, you'll see a fuel filter - get that changed. Theres also a smaller filter (tiny in fact) just inside the brass fuel inlet on the carb (see carbs under WIKI section on here). Otherwise you might consider checking all electrical connections to carb are sound and in good order.

I had similar issues myself this week but a new set of plugs and a retune seems to have solved it - fingers crossed.

OK, time for an update now that I have spent the afternoon playing with Bob and his recalcitrant engine.

Filter in the pipe line from the tank to the carb looks clean and clear to me.

So taking on board the advice from CovKid I located, extracted, and cleaned the very messy "carb filter" which is hidden inside the inlet pipe connection ofthe carb (read the Wiki on how to extract it).

Sprayed carb cleaner everywhere,in the carb, round the carb, mopped up the bits of crap I could get to, put everything back together, sprayed carb cleaner round the outside of the carb. Couldn't see any bubbles when running. Couldn't hear any hissing or such above the noise of the engine (I tried to listen honestly).

So, I left it running whilst I tried to investigate the cooling system... and whilst now it idles quite well, and isn;t backfiring (now I have temporarly fitted an exhaust gasket and connected the exhaust to the engine!

Only for it to cut out again! No visible reason. Just died. Started again... and striggled to idle.. then it runs for a while.. then died.

So.. any more ideas? The previous response mentioned checking the carb electrics.. unfortauntely, I wouldn't know where to begin on that one.

Having only just taxed it, I am only now able to use the thing. But I dont want to take it for any "long runs" for fear of either doing serious damage, or just stopping in the middle of nowhere - or worse!

Thanks

Adam.

Couple of things you could try and at least eliminate things on the carb side. Firstly, try removing the air filter and see if it will idle fine. Mine looked fine but was that full of dust the engine was sucking air through a straw and wouldn't idle at all. Also try spraying WD40 around inlet port gaskets, carb gaskets and throttle flap - anywhere air could get in along inlet side if a gasket started to break up (or in the case of the throttle flap - wear is introduced). Too much as well as too little air will cause these probs. Also check all vacuum hoses are on and a reasonably snug fit - including any to the air cleaner.

Providing ignition is in good form (and it may need investigating if the following doesn't help), in laymans terms for the engine to idle succesfully, it likes a very predictable and even 'suck' through the inlet manifold and carb body (as a unit) to ensure it recieves just the right air/fuel mix. Its finely balanced and relies on the free flow of air and no leaks along the way. At idle, its this vaccum (or suck) that pulls in a small but steady trickle of petrol through passages in the carb (carb is basically inactive at idle remember). Therefore if theres a leak below the carb (inlet port gaskets, bottom carb gasket, brake servo pipe etc), the suck through the carb is seriously reduced and the mixture goes weak - weak enough to kill the idle but possibly not when revving the engine as fuel is injected down the carb throat at that point and then the engine doesn't give a fig really.

Insufficient air (ie through a clogged air filter) won't supply enough oxygen and again the suck through the carb is reduced, mostly at idle although it'll probably pop and bang too on deceleration. A worn throttle flap also messes up the idle since air then gets sucked in through here (often randomly) and kills off the 'predictable' vaccum I mentioned earlier and often causes a 'hunting' idle or even sudden stalling as you approach junctions. A mixture screw set too lean can also do that but I don't advocate resetting mixture if its run ok up to now - find the cause first.

The carb itself can become full of foreign bodies too which can clog the tiny passages/jets that supply the idle mixture. The above applies to all carb engines from Type1 onwards. It also applies to 2ltres with twin carbs which technically are one carb split into two and merely act as one carb when its running correctly.

Sudden power loss at high speeds (ie forcing it from 60mph to 40mph) is usually due to level in float chamber falling below demand, caused by blocked fuel lines, filters, a worn fuel pump pushrod or indeed a tired fuel pump. Carbs in a nutshell really....

Guess I should WIKI that really In fact just have..