NZ road trip

[Station]

If nothing else had worked, I'd say take it to a reputable garage who actually knows what a carburettor is. It'll be something silly like an airleak somewhere - as I've found, they can play hell with carburettors.

If you feel brave, buy a service kit (gaskets, jets, etc) and try it yourself. I found the only difficulty is actually remembering where all the bolts go, which isn't a problem if you photograph everything.

[willswitchengage]

I drove to work today!

 

Good news: Car is definitely a lot better, no longer violently hesitates with the car shuddering forward and backwards like it did before. Renewing electrical gubbins has definitely helped so cheers all for suggesting that. Car otherwise feels fantastic. Handling and build quality are brilliant, so quiet all I could hear were my tools gently ringing away in the boot like a wind chime.

 

Bad news: Still does hesitate, you just have to drive gently as there's no real power if you put your foot down.

 

Old but unreported news: Engine doesn't warm up. Well, if you've been stuck in traffic for ages or are bezzing up and down the cul-de-sac test driving then it will, but otherwise the needle doesn't move. The heater is also on warm-day-in-Scotland mode, so I doubt it's the dial that's borked. Conventional wisdom would suggest thermostat stuck open, so I've mail ordered a new one today for a mind blowing £6.

 

Any comments on the heating problem? Basically I've been driving constantly with the engine cool, but old carb cars I've had still worked through the warm up phase, so I imagine I still have carb issues. I'll post on that later.

 

Bought all three belts to do this weekend and a few other bits, fun times.

[Parky]

I still think the timing is slightly off! When sitting in neutral does it rev cleanly? If you put your foot down and it feels as if it needs a second to clear itself that would suggest retarded ignition to me. It would also affect acceleration but would cruise OK.

 

When it was new the world was full of 99 octane leaded fuel so I reckon it got knocked back to prevent pinking when 95 unleaded was the best a man could get. I remember my Dads renault 18 ran beautifully on Elf and Jet fuel, but pinked like a Bastard on Esso and Shell. A couple of degrees of ignition retard sorted the pinking but the performance disappeared.

[mat_the_cat]

It may be late advice, but bear in mind that the plug condition only gives an idea of the mixture just before you cut the engine. Much like the MOT emissions readings only tell you what is happening at idle, which is not where you have problems.

 

You can better get a snapshot of mixture by cutting the engine and shifting into neutral when the problems occurs. Then whip the plugs out to look.

 

Also remember that a misfiring cylinder may appear rich, as if it's (say) only firing 50% of the time, next time it fires it has twice as much fuel to deal with. (Can't make out the picture too well on my phone screen.)

 

Problems can occur if a misfire is misdiagnosed as a rich mixture, and leaned off. You then have two problems to sort...

[Forty-two]

Sounds like an air leak to me, especially as it only seems to happen once the car has warmed up.

 

I have seen on a few cars with carbs that had poor running when warm, it was simply down to the carb not being screwed down correctly onto the manifold.

 

Take the air box off and see if there is any play in the carb body, then pinch up and screws or bolts you can see except mixture screws!

 

This process fixed a MK2 golf, Sierra and a Volvo 340.

[Station]

More advice : spray loads of water onto carb area. If it stumbles, it's sucking in 'unmetered' air. Like the opposite of carb cleaner but cheaper.

[Geep]

Meant to reply to this a while ago but forgot.

 

As others have said, the CO reading on that for a carb is way too low. In the days of carbs, we were looking at CO readings of around 3% and even the newer stuff was 1.5% at idle. Hesitation is a classic symptom of too lean a mixture, assuming it's not actually a misfire. The idle side is used up to about the 3000rpm mark when it then relies on the main jet. The enrichment device for acceleration is normally a diaphragm based pump which is operated by the throttle linkage and squirts extra fuel in to the carb (venturi) when throttle is opened quick. There is some times a spring arrangement on it to slow down/stop its function on more gentle throttle opening. Check diaphragm isn't holed or gone hard  and/or that the enrichment device works. Simple way is engine off, filter off then peer down carb whilst opening throttle up. You should see fuel squirted in.

 

Air leak could well be the reason for a weak mixture as could a blocked jet or drilling in the carb. Carbs are simple things to deal with, much easier than new fangled injection stuff.  Get a new base gasket and whip the carb off. You can see the vac lines easier with it off and check there is no connection underneath the carb where a hose should be connected. Then whip the top off and blow through the drilling's. Remove any jets you can see and blow through then a dowsing in carb cleaner watching where it comes out would be good. No need for a top gasket normally if you are careful, then reassemble and refit. You can screw the mixture screw in and out to see how it responds, it should speed up at idle when you richen it. (normally screwing out but can be opposite on some carbs) Just use a screwdriver and turn it slowly until it is running quicker and evenly. It's nowhere near as sensitive and important as an injection mixture such as the jetronic on 80's Fords. We used to tweak carbs by ear most of the time but a check at your friendly MOT station can be arranged, just take your screwdriver with you.   (can be small allen key as well, tamper proof bungs are binnable)

[willswitchengage]

I still think the timing is slightly off! When sitting in neutral does it rev cleanly? If you put your foot down and it feels as if it needs a second to clear itself that would suggest retarded ignition to me. It would also affect acceleration but would cruise OK.

 

This is basically what happens, revs low at idle (~600rpm when warm) and yes that's for all intents and purposes the driving experience.

 

 

This was my fun of the day, finding out that the internet had sent me the wrong fan belt (but correct pump belt) and then ultimately I had to abandon ship as the pulley bolt was stuck. As in, literally stuck. Propping the pulley against the ground with a crowbar and turning the bolt with a breaker I could actually lift the car off its stands! So it's going to a garage next week where they have air guns and things, otherwise I can just see somethign getting broken (on the car and/or me).

 

Alternator and PAS pump are a daft design though, no wormscrew to tension the belt you just need lots of arms and assistants to hold it all in place as you tighten them up

[willswitchengage]

EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG

 

Main task today was to replace the thermostat and coolant. Thermostat came off fine, yep as expected it was stuck open too.

 

Put new one in, screwed the housing back on and then disaster strikes, one of the securing bolts sheared off!!!!!!!111 So now it's going to be held on with just one forever. Also, it's leaking now too so it's another fun filled trip to Clas Ohlson for some liquid gasket. Getting a bit dark outside too so I think these will be jobs for tomorrow 

[willswitchengage]

EVERYTHING IS GOING CORRECTLY

 

Somehow a combination of replacing the thermostat, air filter and fuel filter has today made the car run PERFEKT to the extent that the tax disc holder continually falling off is my biggest gripe right now.

 

Turns out that the gasket supplied with the new thermostat (Circoli - shit eurocarparts) was naff, but I put the old one back on and it no longer leaks. Still a little concerned at how well the assembly is secured with only one screw, but hey ho drove around the block a few times and the idle has stabilised at 800 (depending on how loud you have the radio on) and the temperature sits nicely in the middle of the gauge.

 

One oddity but even when the car is hot, shiuld the bottom rad still be cold to the touch? It is, the top is very hot, and the radiator is gradually cooler as you brush your hand down it. Never knew radiators were so efficient, unless something is wrong again 

[hauserplenty]

Could be a clogged radiator, or a weak water pump. Generally the lower hose should at least be warm, so a clogged radiator is likely. It will need to be removed and checked by a radiator shop, or you could just bin it and get a new one. There are DIY methods but they may involve spilling coolant on the ground. It might be a good idea, since you've already changed the thermostat, to just change the radiator...cheap insurance for your new (old) motah. You can also attach a pressure gauge and see how much pressure is building up in the system; this will tell you how well the water pump is (or isn't) working.

Or you can flush the cooling system using a garden hose...but of course, you'll need to prevent OMGCOOLANTSPILLKAOS from ensuing...

[willswitchengage]

ALL IS WELL (ish)

 

Done 500 miles or so since last post (turns out my AS bookmark was dead), car returns a useless 40mpg but tbf I only really use it for commuting, which is carpooling too.

 

Well it'll do over 100 on the motorway, I do love that really long hill on the M4 between Bath and Bristol.

 

Cooling system in ship shape, got RESPECK at work the other day for how spotless the interior is. I've even figured out how the radio works!

 

Still hesitant under about 3000rpm, but such is life. Given up now. It's perfect other than that, but I do want a Justy again 

[Shep Shepherd]

Great little cars. I had a go in Jasper Foxx's example last weekend and was impressed by how easy it was to drive and how well it went:

 

 

I'd definitely consider one if I was looking for a small car

 

 

[willswitchengage]

Wellz bored of general sluggish performance still at low RPMz. Do any of those fuel system cleaners actually work? That or the garage get an extra half-monkey around MOT time soon?

[Parky]

Have you checked your timing yet????????

 

Give it a couple of degrees of advance...........

[Station]

Red-X and the like will clean out your tank and pipes and the whole lot will end up in the jets in the carbs.

[willswitchengage]

Have you checked your timing yet????????

 

Give it a couple of degrees of advance...........

 

No. Shall.

 

Hopefully this will still be part of the 99% of carburettor problems which are actually the ignition.

[willswitchengage]

TOTES DONE OVER 20K NOW! Conveniently it did that as I stopped for petrol. Success!

Still doesn't work though. Given up and I will just ask the garage to clean out the jets when it goes in for MOT in a couple of weeks. Got to the "money no object" phase now of frustration. Yes, sorry I'm still whining about something that to the majority of you here would be a very simple fix 

[red5]

Whereabouts are you will?

[willswitchengage]

Nomadic but usually Reading, would be happy to travel with beer tokens to any AS helper outers.

 

I also found out - Aisin carb

[willswitchengage]

Bonus! Car and bike both passed their MOTs this week, with the only advisory between the two being that one of the Corolla's indicator lenses is cracked. Result. Bike not in great nick these days but the car was complimented by the MOT man on how clean it was underneath.

 

CO 0.182%

HC 110ppm

[willswitchengage]

 

Fail

 

That's supposed to be taking me 1300 miles across France in two weeks!

 

http://www.bikersoracle.com/er5/forum/showthread.php?t=10337

 

[twosmoke300]

What's wrong with the eeeerrrrrr?

[willswitchengage]

Was fucking around with the fuel tap (normally vacuum fed) and left it on "prime", flooding the engine. One of the floats got stuck. Extremely helpful AA man managed to wiggle it out so all is hopefully good now..

[twosmoke300]

Fairly regular problem with my wife's one iirc. Rebuild kit for the tap isn't too dear.

[willswitchengage]

Well I've just been on an impromptu driving holiday...

 

So after a couple of weeks' commuting on the bike, and a service later, yep, the engine flooded itself again the day before I intended to go touring for a week with a friend. Rang the AA again, man turns up "oh I don't know about bikes, we only do bike recovery in London, SOZZA, you must have been super lucky last time, you have wasted money taking out breakdown cover with us". Needless to say I was not happy at all. Holiday cancelled? Carole Nash will be receiving a letter soon asking for money back on the breakdown policy I bought through them and my holiday expenses repaid. Maybe. 

 

Anyway, in the spirit of the moment I rebooked my ferries at vast expense to do the same trip in the car, following my mate John on the brand new £10,000 BMW that his parents bought for him. It's easy for some, huh?

 

Did a fairly simple route as he was moaning about the mileage so had to change the plan that we had agreed many months earlier, but here are some snaps of the car in some places.

 

Dover

 

OMG THEY STILL HAVE NETTO ABROAD!!!1

 

Black Forest

 

 

Col de la Schlucht in Les Vosges

 

 

 

OBLIGATORY BREAKDOWN PHOTO LOLZ!

 

Yeah, still running the original tyres. Dick move really.

 

So it's in the garage for four new tyres next week, but othewise came back unscathed. Brief hissing sounds from the clutch but that's gone away a bit now. Impressively also hit 54mpg doing 70-75 everywhere - what does your Bluemotion get?

[Skizzer]

Brill.  It's very AS to do a motorbike tour of Europe in a 1980s Toyota Corolla.  (Plus I know which I'd rather have a blowout in, given the choice of that or a Kwakker.)

 

Europeshire appears to be empty, interestingly.  Might have to go there.

[Lacquer Peel]

54MPG at motorway speeds seems quite SPURIOUS.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've been over that Col de Whatnot. Gr9 work!!!!

[willswitchengage]

Got two consecutive fuel ups doing that. Bear in mind it's only a 1.3 weighing less than a tonne and it sits at about 3200rpm at 70. I stick around the speed limit on the motorway and do drive light footed elsewhere.

 

...Except in the mountains where I razzed it, and am quite happy with its performance and am still baffled why people buy daftly powerful cars; unless they always have their family weighing down the car with them. It was dead fun.