Need help with my 1.2 urgently please.

[Leeboo]

I've got my 1.2 carb Nova up for mot in one week. It is running a bit rough. It will start fine on the choke, warm up, then choke off, idles for a while and then cuts out. It will start again ok.

If you plant your foot to rev it, it will hesitate and splutter, but sharp jabs of the throttle work ok. Then on the road, taking off in 1st, it will bog down and hesitate, and then pick up and take off, on good full power. Its usually ok if you take it up through the gears fast.

I gave it a service this evening (timing belt, oil, oil filter, plugs) and I changed the coil for a spare one that I know is 'good'. But the car still runs rough.

It will pop and spit a little bit while holding revs etc, what is this a sign of? It may need tuned? I don't want to take it to be tuned before I get it running on all four, constant.

I have a spare distributor and maybe leads that I think will fit so I might try those.

Any advice is gratefully recieved, I'm sure soem have had this problem before.

Thanks, Lee

[matt_vaughan]

I have a very similar problem. Putting it down to a goosed dizzy on mine.

Will be changing it with service soon.

[Leeboo]

Well mine runs a black type dizzy so I might swap mine for a spare one i have to see if that will help! prob fecking won't though knowing my luck. Thanks matt.

Anyone else with suggestions fire away.

[Leeboo]

Oh I also forgot to say, it seems to be covering the plugs in soot?

[~~joycey~~]

My new nova is exactly the same and i planned to change plugs ect but you say its not helped? :(

[burgo]

hmmm im saying fuel. might be worth checking the jets

[jimbob-mcgrew]

try changing the dizzy cap and rotor arm, then checking the timing and possibly tuning the carb to suite. are the HT leads all good too ? sounds like a fuel or ignition prob to me.

[Sloth]

if its sooting up its fuel, its running rich. you need to adjust the carb to factory settings (in the haynes-buy one!!!) using a tacho and gas analyzer. any good old skool garage can do it.

[Simon 1867]

This has happened to me....It sounds like carb, clean the jets and adjust the carb settings back to factory.

Also i took my plug out and gave them a clean with a stiff brush.
Maybe do a compresstion test on your cylindes, if one is failing it will show up, then it maybe your head gasket is on its way out.

Goodluck matey

[Leeboo]

burgo, seems like fuel... I sprayed a good bit of carb cleaner down it when I was trying to get it going. Think it may have helped a little bit not didn't cure.

jimbob, I will swap those for spare ones I have. May have a spare 2nd hand set of leads also.

sloth - I thought that. I cleaned the old (unknown age) plugs with sandpaper and after a mile or two they were black again. I do have a haynes manual but I don't know much about carbs. I am planning to take it to a guy near me who tuned my 1.0 for mot, I just thought I'd better have it running on all four constant. But I suppose the carb could be causing it to go off a cylinder anyway?

simon, I just sprayed a good bit of carb cleaner down the carb at a rev to try to clear out any shoite. I will book it in to a fella near me later then to get tuned. It does pick up on all four cylinders out on the road, and has good power for a 1.2!

Something I didn't mention - when you have it warmed on the driveway, idleing, it wil dip the revs way down and when you press the throttle to to keep it alive, it will just fight with you and die out. But it will start again fine with a turn of the key and tap of the throttle.

Thanks fellas

[slim23]

sounds like it might need valve stem oil seals posibleley burning touch of oil common problem with 8v

[Leeboo]

Ehhhhh! I haven't got time to do that lol!

Dipping off a cylinder, thats not a sign of valve stem oil seals is it? I hope not :(