Promlem in damp weather

[Anonymous]

I've got a stupid problem with my Nova!
It's an Antibes, but I've got a 1.3 SR engine in it, with the Pierburg SINGLE choke carb.
It's perfectly fine most 99% of the time, starting instantly, smooth even power delivery, mint throttle response etc, but it buggers up as soon as we get a certain type of weather.

You know that really fine rain, that wets you through, without you really noticing? Well, the problem happens when it's like that.....it's fine in very strong rain, and cold, and snow and icy weather, but not when it's like that.
Right, I suppose I out to tell you the problem !

it starts by the car suddenly feeling under-powered, and it starts slowing down, then speeding up and again and again, but very subtly, so you hardly feel it.
It then gets worse and worse until I have no power at all, and have to stop.
I've I put on gas the engine really struggles to rev, and it makes a dodgy put put put put noise, before finally dying.
If I then try to re-start, it just turns over and over, with little or no signs of firing.
BUT, if I leave it for a minute or saw, and try starting again, it's fine! I can then usually drive all the way home again, with no problems!!!!

Is it my carb, is it the ignition?? I suspect it's the carb, as I know it's not the right one for the car (from my old 1.2!), but I had this problem with my last engine, and that had a dodgy distributor. So, I've got the same carb, and the same problem, but a different engine and a different distributor! HELP! please.

[Anonymous]

i suspect carb icing but im not sure if the single choke model suffers from this (mine didnt and it had k and n with bonnet scoops etc etc

do u have massive air intake? is the plastic shite still round the radiator so the air can only travlel through the radiator from the front

if all these are there and u got the standerd airfilter i suggest u buy sum ignition sealent/engine laquier and spray all the electrics while dry to seal them of from the dampness

this will prob sort it no bother mate

[Anonymous]

might just need fuelling to be set up right? tune would do if thats the case. i had same problem with my SR and ive got GSI vents and i set up fuelling wrong so it lost power after 40 mph so i got it set up right. my carb was frozen too though.

hope this helped

dave

[Anonymous]

i had similar prob - try taking ya fuel pump off and loosening it up......that was my problem anyway

good luck

[Anonymous]

i've had that probelm with my 1.2, it has only happened once but it was the carb icing up!!

[Anonymous]

I've had similar miscellaneous problems with various cars, vans and other different engines from things like honda water pumps thru' to petrol donkey engines on earth movers. I've come to the conclusion that u might as well start off by replacing plugs leads and distributor cap etc. first before u do anything else as it is nearly always all or one of these things if the engine was OK until damp cold conditions came along. Expensive yes but it takes a lot of the fucking about out of the job and allows you narrow down the other possibilties much quicker. When stuff freezes and then thaws moisture condenses in all nooks and crannies even if covered - also freezing can break down the insulating properties of things like plugs and distributor caps and then allow moisture to do its thing. Spraying with damproofing spray can help but if the plug leads etc are'nt in good order in the first place I've found that it's only a short term thing. I found this out when I got hold of spark lead after i had spray it!!!!

[Anonymous]

Well CP was the closest!! Its ur leads gettin wet m8, this cuases miss firing! Does it sound like a tractor m8? , well its becuz only 2 or 3 of ya pistons r firing! U need to stop the water from gettin to ur leads!!! !st clean em off! Then cover in water dispersant, such as WD40 or damp start if poss!
If ur leads have been on for over 6k then change them also!!
I have this prob all the time, when it snows, or when its bloody cold and im on the motorway, only short term fix is to stop and wait 20min for the damn things to dry off!!

Dicko

[Anonymous]

It's weird, 'cos I have no probs at all when it's freezing cold - only when the weather is this really fine misty rain.
My whole ignition system is new - coil, plugs, distributor and cap, but my leads are older (should be ok though, as they aren't that old).
I had this problem with my old 1.2 engine, and that was with the standard air-box.
This is with the same carb, but on my 1.3 and with a K&N.
I've got some damp-seal spray stuff, so I'll spray that on my leads and the rest, and see if it does it again.
It's only happened as well on fast roads, where the spray obviously enters the engine bay at a higher speed.
It's only done it twice - on the same day, so it's not a major problem.
I had this happen with my old engine, but that was in the middle of last summer, and I believe it was caused by my dodgy distributor, so the ignition seems to be the culprit, and not the carb freezing? I'll check everything, and have it tuned in case it is the carb at fault, and spray on moisture barrier spray, and see what happens.
Cheers for your help guys.

[Anonymous]

Next time it happens flick the dizzy cap off and see if there is any moisture inside. If not it sounds like a stray spark so it must be the leads. You can fit the dizzy cap in a marrigold rubber glove like the rally boys do with the leads comming out through the finger bits.

[Anonymous]

tell u waht u got them daft metal things on the leads next to the plugs? take em off there shite