Nova 1.2 Sting Cold Start Issues, Help Please

[Mikedav]

Right, I?m not a Vauxhall man and my mechanical knowledge is limited so I could do with some help from the technically proficient among you!

A friend has a 1.2 Nova Sting on a G, which we are having headaches with. The battery is dead, this we know, and so I have been jumping his car from mine to get things going. It needs heavy use of the throttle and lots of choke to get it to turn over?once it does, if I let off the gas it stalls. Continue this start/rev/stall/repeat process for about 5 minutes, and eventually it holds the revs but has really rough idle around 600-700rpm. Sometimes it will stall again.

If we do this for about 20 minutes, we can eventually get it running fairly smooth?he is currently doing laps of campus to see how she runs. Of course as soon as we leave it overnight, same problems tomorrow. So my question is are we just dealing with cold start problems combined with an old car here or something repairable?

Any advice appreciated; had new spark plugs and just passed MOT.

[wisewood]

Sounds like it should be repairable to me, most nova's experience problems such as this from time to time through the winter as far as i can make out from previous posts.


Have a quick scan through teh previous pages in this forum and see if you can find someone with a similar problem.

[Mikedav]

Have a quick scan through teh previous pages in this forum and see if you can find someone with a similar problem.

Yeah I noticed, posted before I looked...having a browse now but any advice appreciated

[Alex]

Firstly get a new battery as you will need this anyway. Then see if this is being charged when the engine is on. It could be a fueling problem somewhere? Someone who knows about carbs etc will soon answer that i should think.

[snapper]

i think it might be overfuelling. my old 1.2 sting did and still does and has problems starting from cold and the stalling problems. i think the idle speed needs to be turned up a bit as well. ideally it should be doing 900 - 1000rpm when warm idling.

if you get me? change battery as well and check the alternator is charging the battery.

[Mikedav]

Thanx Guys Ill have another look

[Manta Mad]

Does the sting have a manual choke, if so, check to see if the choke flap closes when operated. If autochoke, check to see this operates with a cold engine.

Otherwise it could be a faulty temp sensor in the air filter housing this switches the air intake between hot and cold - should be 'hot' ie intake via the ducting over the exhaust manifold. If this is not working and you are constantly drawing in cold air, this could give the symptoms you have.

[snapper]

they're manual choke and they don't have a temperature sensor. they just have a blend of hot/cold air going in.

flap on the airbox is manually adjustable, though.

[Manta Mad]

Are you not thinking of the 1.0 litre - it has a manually adjusted air flap for 'summer or winter' - I see what you mean about it not being adjustable between hot or cold though.

Since its manual choke I would start with this.

[snapper]

it's similar to the 1.0, except you have to take the airbox off to be able to adjust the flap! haynes reckons it supplies an even supply of hot and cold air.