Big problem please give views, or advice!

[woza]

So here is the story

Around april time of 2002 i bought a nice 1.3 sr nova. It was in nice condition although it had 119,000 miles on the clock it was in good condition. My mum as i hadn't pass my test took it for a test drive with me in it and we decided to buy it! We had bought it from a friend who had sold us many cars for the family, all at good prices and at good quality.

The car had been sitting in my drive for a few months until i was old enough to drive and until i had enough money to pay for the M.O.T, tax and insurance e.t.c. The car was taken to the M.O.T centre and it failed. It needed the brakes aligning, needed some welding and it had bad exhaust emissions! (possibly due to the big bore 4!) The M.O.T cost me ?39.50 and all the jobs including labour cost me ?120! I had the money so i wasnt too bothered and payed up!

I started whizzing around getting as much practise in as i good for the big day. I decided to make a 40 min or so drive to see my girlfriend, my car was cutting out whilst i was driving and wasn't accelerating. It eventually broke down and we were towed home. I took it to the garage and they fitted a new distributor cap and a whole new set of sprak plugs! This cost me another ?54.90.

The following week i decided to make the drive again, the car wasnt cutting out but again at exactly the same point in the journey it wasn't accelerating and was being a bit annoying. I decided to pull over and give it a rest, i did this and it started up again. I got to my girlfriends drive and it cut out. I was furious! The battery eventually ran out through me trying to start it up which i didnt think was right. We were towed home again and the AA man made the assumption that it could be the alternator!

The car was taken to the garage and they said that they drove it around and about (wasting my petrol) and it was driving fine. So they took a deeper look, they said the alternator was fine and that they couldnt find anything was wrong with the car! I honestly can't believe this! I today was assured a mechanic would come round to look at the car so he asked me to leave the car running for an hour before he came over incase it was a coil or something like that. He didnt show so i am very angry!

I phoned him and he also said that if the car has been left idle for an hour and hasnt conked out he cant think that anything is wrong with it!

Please guys have any of you had the same problem and do you know the solution! Could it be a dud battery or is it something serious? Another thing.. i have an alarm and this used to run the battery dead when it was left on over night, i am now to scared to leave it on incase it runs the battery dead!

Any replies would be much appreciated thank you for taking the time to read this.

Woza

[Dicko]

is this recent?

sounds like the carb is icing up. common problem

[woza]

yes this is a recent problem, within the last month or so. Also i forgot to add that it can run around town and on short runs fine without any problems. It just seems to be long journeys and im now worried about trying! And seeing as the garage say they cant find anything wrong im pretty stuck!

[Euan]

do you have an aftermarket air filter??

[woza]

not sure what you mean about the air filter, the engine is completely standard apart from the new distributor cap and all new spark plugs.

[ade]

I cant believe you paiod ?55 for plugs and dizzy cap! Caps cost about ?10 from Halfords and a 1/2 decent set of plugs will set up back ?12!

Mental

I reckon carbs icing up or some sort of fuel starvation. If is happens mid way throgh a journet (like if your flying down a dual carriage way at 60) then slow up to a roundabout, it will cause condensation and ice up the jests cutting off fuel (or reducing it) - this will in turn cause car to splutter, idle eratically and even cut out. Takes about 10 mins for it to reset itself (ice to push off etc).

After market air filter will sit on the top of yer engine - replacing that big black dustbin lid thing that usually sits there (on your carb which is right bang in the middle of the engine as you look at it). A K&N for example will look like an oval box with a redish ribbed bit of material sandwiched between 2 metal plates.

Icing is caused by no warm air getting to the carb (standard air filters fitted by factory have a metalic tube running from the engine exhaust manifold at front of car into the air filter and when you rev/accelerate warm air is drawn in with cold air thus preventing this from happening.)

If it dont do it on short jorneys and idles ok once warmed up then this will prob be yer problem - especially if happening in last few months.

To fix prob (if you have K&N etc), is to run a piece of metal hosing (get it in halfords) from the exhaust manifold at the front (there should be a hole where old one went) to the K&N (or equivalent) and attach it to it with a bracket or similar (make sure any tie wraps arent near hot bits or theyll melt).

If you have no after market air filter and just the standard air filter then dunno? Could try cleaning carb with carb cleaner?

When was it last serviced? Is it overheating when it starts to splutter?

Check out the sticky posts at the top of the forum to see how to survive winters...

Hope this helps

Ade
:wink:

[woza]

thanx for ur reply ade, it was serviced 2 weeks ago. the garage said they drove it around and said they couldnt find anything wrong with it. they told me it was bad luck (bollox) i have the standard air filter! do u reckon it would be worth my while getting a k&n? or do you know wot else i cud do? im not sure on what to do with the carb as i dont know how to work my way around a car very well! all i know is how to drive it! im not sure if its overheating either.

It just went funny on both long journeys and it cut out whilst driving once and before then it sorta cut out! i jus kicked the accelerator and it was back to running again but not for long cos it happened again. between this it wasnt accelerating!

its really frustrating thanx for ur help more suggestions and advice please!

[MattyWoo]

I had a similar problem with mine, i kept taking mine out on small journeys and when i went for long journeys i ended up nursing it home each time.
What i did was remove the spark plugs and look at the ends of them, mine were caked in black soot on the end, this might be worth lookin at as if they are brand new plugs they should be immaculate. If they are black on the end take a wire brush to them and scrub the ends.
Obviously taking it out on short journeys meant the choke was never fully in, which meant it was using lots of fuel hence the black plugs!!!
This obviously doesn't cure the problem, i changed my HT leads as well and took it to a garage and had the timing and mixture set up, it ran like a dream and (touch wood) hasnt given me any problems like that since.

[learchnovavan]

probably the carb m8. my 1.4 used to do it and thats what it was.

[Anton]

you havent added a k&n on without chaging the mixture of the carb?

Sounds to me like a carb problem, try some carb cleaner and see if its any better then, failing that get a cheap second hand carb from the scrappy.

[woza]

hey guys just got off the phone with my garage and they have said to me that they think i shud get the battery checked out first cos it may be sending the wrong signal to the alternator e.t.c? and may be causing it to cut out?

i still don't understand how it can drive around town with no problems and i take it on a long drive and it buggers up! oh well

thanx for all of your replies, im off to get the battery checked on saturday and i hope i get this problem sorted out! really dont want it to be the carb, havent got the funds!

woza

[rgv_stu]

carb icing thats what it sounds like

[brian]

defo carb icing, it's happened to us all, don't be listening to that garage. soon they will have ya buyin a new battery and alternator!!!
I got so sick of that problem one time on my 1400sr i put a 1600 gte head on and ran the injection! pure chance tryin it but it ran perfect

[ade]

lol at garage - I dunno how they reckon the batteries szending the wrong signal! If the car starts and runs then batteries fine - if its fine around town then batteries fine (it would be the alternator at fault as this keeps battery topped up).

You have new plugs, dizzy cap and standard air filter (big black dustbin lid on top of engine) - that pretty much leaves the carb (or major engine fault) - if you stab the accelerator and the car comes alive that suggests that the accelerator cable isnt operating the throttle properly and its sticking.

Take off the dustbin lid (3 screws in the top) revealing the carb - if you get someone to rev the car (in neitral obviously) you will see the cable move operating the throttle on the carb (left side as you look at it I think) - blast it with wd40 or similar. You can get wynns carb cleaner from halfords or similar - with carb off simply have someone rev car medium revs (2000rpm or pull choke right out if you have a manual one) and spray carb with cleaner - all round, down throat (the big hole in the top).

Also check that the air box is ok - at the front, if the box (dustbin lid) theres an air intake and underneath this there should be a metal flexible silver looking hose (about 4 inches across) sitting from the exhaust manifold to the underside of the air intake - this supplied the warm air into the engine from the manifold. Make sure the hose is not missing and also if you look underneath the air intake bit where the hose goes, you will see a metal flap (this is the bit that controls the warm air intake) - give it a blast with wd40 and make sure it moves.

If all else fails take car to a vauxhall garage and explain fully to them.

I'm on msn (just click the msn symbol on the bottom of the post) but I'm not usually in it coz i usually post at work nowadays and we get told off if we have it up (security or summut)

Ade
:roll:

[Ben (lurk75)]

Whatever you do dont take your car to that agarge again they are taking the wee wee out of you.

[snapper]

probably carb icing up or choke sticking. happens to everyone! take your car to a garage who's properly clued up on carbs and things.

[brian]

Whatever you do dont take your car to that agarge again they are taking the wee wee out of you.
L.O.L :lol: :lol:

[mr_tricky]

mate i had this prob on my nova sr when i had it years ago. is yours an automatic choke like mine was? cos this gets stuck open causing loss of power.a few other people i know had the same problem. start the car up and let it tick over for a while until its warm enough that the choke should be closed and take off the air filter so that you can see the carb and check the choke flap is closed, if its not give it a good clean out with carb cleaner grease the rods moving the flap and make sure it closes properly. im nearly 100% sure thats the prob.

[nova dosed]

other way round m8 it needs to be open when warm and closed when cold as too much air will get into the engine on cold starts.

If urs is closed when its warm it wont go anywhere

[woza]

thanx guys i remember looking at the choke flap the other day whilst the engine was running, i had some advice of spraying the carb with wd40 i hope this has the same effect as carb cleaner.

I will take the car on a journey today and will take off the filter when i get back and i'll check the choke, if its warm the choke flap should be open. if i take the air filter off before i have started the car should the flap be closed? or should it be closed when the car is cold and running? Thats the bit i don't understand can the car be cold when its running! especially when ive taken it on a long journey when these problems occur!

woza

[nova dosed]

right auotmatic chokes

Engine off probally open

Start engine when cold will be open for a few secs untill it closes

Engine running cold closed

engine running normal temp OPEN

engine running to the point of blowing up cuz its 5000 degress cel still open

The choke works on the temp of the water in ur radiator etc. When it goes in the choke bit of the carb it expands a spring when it gets hot and this spring then slowy opens untill its full open hope this has cleard a few things up

[Aragorn]

ade u dont need to have someone else

he can just push the throttle linkage from under the bonnet :D

and i'd say carb cleaner instead of WD40

sprey the top of the carb then start it up

rev it a little using the lever at the side of the carb (or get someone else to rev it insdie) as tho you were pulling away and spray the carb cleaner into the top of the carb - u should get loads of smoke out the exhaust - spray untill it stops smoking heavily then take it for a drive and see what happens