Huge yank shite - odd jobs.

[Junkman]

How though? The shit heap was fine before!

Should I take the carb top cover off and have a look?

 

Yes.

[danthecapriman]

Yes.

I've just been reading up on carb flooding, I've never had it happen before...

 

From the sound of things your right JM! Thinking back, the last few times I drove it I could smell petrol when driving, it cleared though so I thought no more of it and just assumed it was from filling up. This is a symptom according to some American guy on the web. His starting of a flooded car is identical to mine too.

 

Annoying really as the carb isn't that old.

[OwdChina]

 

Annoying really as the carb isn't that old.

It needs to be driven more often, they don't like being stood for too long. I'm taking it you've still got the manual fuel pump and not a leccy replacement ?

[Talbot]

Just read through this thread from start (with photofuckit irritation) to today.  Utterly epic.

 

And yes.  The latest fun and games* sounds very much like a stuck float or a bit of something stopping the needle valve from closing on the Carb float inlet.  Had very similar issues with various carbs over the years, particularly if not used regularly, as they then suffer from Varnish making everything sticky and not working properly.

[danthecapriman]

It needs to be driven more often, they don't like being stood for too long. I'm taking it you've still got the manual fuel pump and not a leccy replacement ?

Yeah still original mechanical pump (also new!).

 

Just read through this thread from start (with photofuckit irritation) to today.  Utterly epic.

 

And yes.  The latest fun and games* sounds very much like a stuck float or a bit of something stopping the needle valve from closing on the Carb float inlet.  Had very similar issues with various carbs over the years, particularly if not used regularly, as they then suffer from Varnish making everything sticky and not working properly.

Ta! It's been a hell of an undertaking that's for sure!

 

 

It's done less than 1000 miles this year. I know it needs using more, it's just having chance at the moment. This last year and a bit the full focus has been on getting the utter nightmare that is the Capri resto sorted. Everything else has gone out the window because of that.

 

Still, this's got an MOT now so all I've got to do is sort the carb out.

[SiC]

I've just been reading up on carb flooding, I've never had it happen before...

 

From the sound of things your right JM! Thinking back, the last few times I drove it I could smell petrol when driving, it cleared though so I thought no more of it and just assumed it was from filling up. This is a symptom according to some American guy on the web. His starting of a flooded car is identical to mine too.

 

Annoying really as the carb isn't that old.

*RollEyes*

[danthecapriman]

Fuck the stupid thing anyway. It's got a ticket and it's on my drive safe so I'll leave it be for a few days, else I'll just lose my temper with it. Shouldn't be too difficult to sort anyway.

If I leave it a few days it'll probably start straight up as the fuel will have drained off/evaporated. Until of course the float/needle sticks again.

 

Good job I've got a Volvo though isn't it!

[Zelandeth]

Sounds very much like there's a bit of grit in seat for the float needle or something. This doesn't need to be anything like old, just a matter of something washing its way along the fuel system. Favourite would be a bit of rubber "swarf" from a trimmed fuel hose.

 

Float height (which can be thrown off by the above) is critical on carbs of this type and will cause all sorts of nonsense if it's even slightly off.

 

Sounds very much like you need to take a few steps back for a while though and let your head clear a bit.

 

Have found myself in the same boat with the overheating issue on my Skoda. Very nearly wanted to push the thing off the nearest cliff when it overheated last time. My response was to park it up and ignore it for a couple of months.

[danthecapriman]

*RollEyes*

Sorry, I forgot that this was exactly what you'd said on the last page!

[danthecapriman]

Sounds very much like there's a bit of grit in seat for the float needle or something. This doesn't need to be anything like old, just a matter of something washing its way along the fuel system. Favourite would be a bit of rubber "swarf" from a trimmed fuel hose.

Float height (which can be thrown off by the above) is critical on carbs of this type and will cause all sorts of nonsense if it's even slightly off.

Sounds very much like you need to take a few steps back for a while though and let your head clear a bit.

Have found myself in the same boat with the overheating issue on my Skoda. Very nearly wanted to push the thing off the nearest cliff when it overheated last time. My response was to park it up and ignore it for a couple of months.

It is really getting on my last nerve now. After everything I've done to it you'd think nothing else can cause trouble yet here we are. AGAIN! All I want to do is drive the dam thing.

 

It's lethal though when it's like this as you can't control the car once the engines not running. Twice today when it cut out I lost steering - no power assist without engine means turning the wheel is incredibly hard to do.

And the brakes barely work without the servo working. If it does it at the wrong moment your fucked, you'll either rear end someone or stuff it into a roundabout or something.

I did gain a lot of confidence in the car after the work finished but now it's done this again not so much.

 

I'm going to leave it alone for a bit I think. I'll end up smashing it if not! I really wanted to get the MOT sorted then have at least a couple of months of use out of it before the bloody winter and road salt come in. Oh well.

[DodgeRover]

Is there a local mobile mechanic you would trust to have a look at it, it will just be dirt somewherr

[danthecapriman]

Is there a local mobile mechanic you would trust to have a look at it, it will just be dirt somewherr

The place that did the engine rebuild are 5 mins down the road. Getting it to them wouldn't be too hard, especially if I go early to avoid traffic.

They seemed to do a good job on this car and they know classic cars inside out. But after the trouble on the Capri I'm not sure I should? Maybe the bodywork on that was just a bit much for them. I don't know.

 

I could do it myself then get the carb set up again on a gas analyser. I just don't have the time or inclination to at the moment. I Dunno.

[SiC]

Surely must be some videos on YouTube especially as it would be a type of video popular in the states.

[danthecapriman]

Surely must be some videos on YouTube especially as it would be a type of video popular in the states.

Refurbishing or cleaning the carb out is something I can do. I've done my Capri carb a few times now and others it's just the time and tbh I can not be arsed with anymore on this car, I just want it fixed and working.

I've got stuff to do for the Capri resto and some jobs I want to do on the Volvo. This is just a massive irritation really as it means spending time and money here where I shouldn't have to.

At least if I pay someone to do it I can throw them the keys and leave them to sort it out while I do other things.

[eddyramrod]

After everything I've done to it you'd think nothing else can cause trouble yet here we are. AGAIN!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Come on Dan, the reason this forum exists at all is because all old cars will do exactly that!  All of them, and they will do it!  If anyone knows that, I do.  Take a break for a few days, give one of the others some attention, and come back to this when you feel calmer.  It'll be right.  It's nothing you can't handle; it just happened at the wrong time, that's all.  And that's something else they all do....

[danthecapriman]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Come on Dan, the reason this forum exists at all is because all old cars will do exactly that! All of them, and they will do it! If anyone knows that, I do. Take a break for a few days, give one of the others some attention, and come back to this when you feel calmer. It'll be right. It's nothing you can't handle; it just happened at the wrong time, that's all. And that's something else they all do....

Yeah I know.

This one is a special kind a bastard though I'll give it that! Never before have I known a car that's been such a pain in the arse as this one.

The Capri has been utterly faultless since day 1, it was just the rust that started to get the better of it. Other than that I can't remember it ever causing trouble. Even the others I've had over the years haven't come close to this car!

It's a shame cos when it's going it's bloody brilliant to drive and own it just seems to have a real problem with actually running for any length of time.

Thinking back, the last fuck up was the fuel tank, that was September last year. Maybe this car hates the cold and winter as much as I do?!

 

I'll sort it though don't worry! I get mad and say shit I don't mean but I've got no intention whatsoever of giving up on it.

 

It needs sorting too as I've got a wedding to do with it in May.

[SiC]

Could be worse, you could own a similar aged car to this with dodgy brakes, fuel tank that spills fuel when going up hill, can't manage a journey further than 10 miles without cutting out and a shock absorber that goes boing-de-boing. That also lives outside, so by the time it's fixed, it'll probably be rotten.

[mat_the_cat]

A 'quick n dirty' fix, IF it is is dirt on the float valve seat preventing it from shutting off is to cut off the fuel supply temporarily. The engine will then use up what's in the float bowl, then as it dies from lack of fuel, allow fuel through again which will rush in and hopefully wash away whatever was stopping the valve from fully closing. Just a bodge until you can check the carb properly, but it's helped me in the past.

[danthecapriman]

Ok it's been a week since this pissed me off by inexplicably deciding to start running like shit again.

 

I've not touched it since. Yesterday I tried to start it up, and it started on the button and ran great. That was until the carb filled itself up and then it flooded again and reverted back to its spluttering and cut out. It was then a bastard to start again!

You'd think after a week I'd have calmed down and decided to fix it but unfortunately not!

 

I've got absolutely 0 interest or patience in this thing now and I just can't be arsed pissing about now so tomorrow it's going back to the place that rebuilt the engine and they can fix it.

I don't give two fucks what it costs or how long it takes but it's getting fixed.

 

All I've got to do is get it the mile or two from home to them. Easier said than done the way it's running at the moment. I'll go really early in the morning to avoid traffic and I'm not stopping for nothing all the way there.

I've got a few overtime jobs coming up at work and did a few the last two weekends already so that will easily cover the repair costs.

Once it's back and fixed I'll be thinking over this cars future with me.

I've done literally everything to it at huge cost and it's still rewarding me with shit like this and I think I've had a gut full now sadly.

I love it when it's behaving itself but it never seems to do that for long and I've lost confidence in it now too. I'd love to keep it but it really is pissing me off immensely now sadly!

Maybe I'll feel differently once it's fixed again, I don't know?

Fingers crossed it doesn't cause too much shit tomorrow morning...

[eddyramrod]

Good luck!

[SiC]

Tricky thing is, if its the last of the problems and you shift it, you will miss out and let the next owner take all the enjoyment. I need to figure out how to get my MGB down to the garage around 10 miles away when I have the tank done too. Being late to work because of it conking out again wouldn't be good.

[mercrocker]

I have come to that place where you are a couple of times Dan.   Most recently with the T25 which after a massively expensive carb rebuild last year decided to start playing up on holiday this summer.    Because the bastard thing was showing almost exactly the running condition that prompted the carb job I was up the blind alley of cursing the van, my luck, my life etc.    As usual the warranty was just about to run out and I thought about shoving the thing in its winter shed a month or two early and forgetting about it until next bloody June.  

 

After about two weeks of putting up with it (obvs. it ran a bit better than the Mercury, admittedly) I went back to the place that set up the carb and said I intended to claim on the guarantee but wanted to be sure it was nothing else.   They kept the van for 3 days (busy, apparently) but I got it back running like a bloody sewing machine.   It was nothing to do with the carb but the timing was way out (God knows how or why) and the little cone filter was a bit cruddy.   Anyway, its ran like a top for 1200 miles since August 2nd when I got it back.   Cost?   One hour's labour.  

   

Probably.   Only probably.  I could have found that out myself but I totally see where you are at with the Mercury and handing over the car and a bit of wedge is sometimes the best way.   Sweating your own blood and skin on something you are already pissed with rarely ends well in my experience.

[danthecapriman]

Tricky thing is, if its the last of the problems and you shift it, you will miss out and let the next owner take all the enjoyment. I need to figure out how to get my MGB down to the garage around 10 miles away when I have the tank done too. Being late to work because of it conking out again wouldn't be good.

I know, that's always the danger. Mind you, when I had the fuel tank and pump done last year I thought the same thing. 'Nothing else can go wrong now as it's all been done' now here I am! Again!

I don't want to sell it tbh, and I don't have to either. But I'm absolutely seething mad with it now and I've just had enough of it causing me shit. I've got enough crap in life to put up with without this shit on top every few months.

 

I'm sure I'll feel differently once it's fixed and back again and I won't get rid. I think it's just me being a mardy fucker with no patience!

 

 

When I had the tank done on this last year I managed to get it running well enough to run by pouring fuel into the fuel line to the carb to prime it. I put a new filter on and connected it back to the tank and the fuel did keep syphoning through to the carb as long as it wasn't turned off for long. Then I drove it early in the morning to the garage for the tank and pump to be changed.

The last thing you want is traffic and other twats on the roads getting in your way when the cars playing up. This cars a nightmare when it's like this as the power steering and brakes are almost unusable if the engines not running! I'd go as far as saying it's dangerous tbh! It's quite scary actually as your just sat there and can't do sod all about it. Twice now this cars almost caused an accident by this happening, once when I first bought it home before the engine rebuild I nearly rear ended a parked car because I couldn't steer it without the pas.

Then recently on the way home from the MOT it cut out and I almost rolled over a roundabout as I couldn't steer around it!

[danthecapriman]

I have come to that place where you are a couple of times Dan.   Most recently with the T25 which after a massively expensive carb rebuild last year decided to start playing up on holiday this summer.    Because the bastard thing was showing almost exactly the running condition that prompted the carb job I was up the blind alley of cursing the van, my luck, my life etc.    As usual the warranty was just about to run out and I thought about shoving the thing in its winter shed a month or two early and forgetting about it until next bloody June.  

 

After about two weeks of putting up with it (obvs. it ran a bit better than the Mercury, admittedly) I went back to the place that set up the carb and said I intended to claim on the guarantee but wanted to be sure it was nothing else.   They kept the van for 3 days (busy, apparently) but I got it back running like a bloody sewing machine.   It was nothing to do with the carb but the timing was way out (God knows how or why) and the little cone filter was a bit cruddy.   Anyway, its ran like a top for 1200 miles since August 2nd when I got it back.   Cost?   One hour's labour.  

   

Probably.   Only probably.  I could have found that out myself but I totally see where you are at with the Mercury and handing over the car and a bit of wedge is sometimes the best way.   Sweating your own blood and skin on something you are already pissed with rarely ends well in my experience.

Agreed.

I'm at the point now with this where I just can't see the wood for the trees. It makes me so angry I'm either going to make things worse or lose it big time and smash it!

Carrying on regardless myself just isn't going to get me anywhere and I'm 99% certain if I go that route I'll just wind up giving up and leaving it untouched until next spring which won't do it any good.

It needs sorting out now and staying in a usable state.

[xtriple]

Oh mate, we've all been in tis position, It's just sent to try you, carbs are easy enough to work on (when you are in the mood) and it is definitely flooding which 'should' be easy enough to cure... Ever since I spent the gross national product of a small African nation on the Bentley I've thought: well, that's all done, cheap and reliable from no on... but no. Each year it throws up a huge bill come service time (last year it was £3000, this year 'just' £1600) and every time I feel like setting the sod on fire and at least warming my hands or cooking some (vegetarian) sausages and having a few friends round for the BBQ! But then it's sorted and running well and all is forgiven.

 

Until the next time.

 

What carb is on your car? You've probably said but I am senile! I am sure, being American, it will be relatively simple to fix, but if you are not in the mood to do it yourself, the garage sounds favourite. Sod the expense - which is easy for me to say, I ain't paying!

 

Get it sorted, drive it more and fall in love all over again. If however you don't, I've got first dibs on buying it (cheap obviously, it's a non runner    )

[danthecapriman]

Just got back.

It fired up first turn of the key early this morning. Soon started playing silly buggers though!

Someone mentioned on another page giving the carb a twat with an extension bar...

 

Decided to try that on the off chance it shocked the needle/float free and guess what?

It only fucking worked didn't it!! So whoever mentioned that, thank you!

 

I hit it with a spanner and within seconds it was running normally and well. Drove it down to the garage and it was perfect all the way there.

It still needs looking at though as it's bound to do it again at some point but at least I didn't end up getting stuck in traffic cutting out and blocking the roads.

[PhilA]

At least you know it's not an electrical problem.

 

I've also had poor results with E10 fuel left sit unless it's got a stabilizing agent in, it goes gooey with all the added octane boosters and crap that gets put in modern fuel to improve emissions. In modern vehicles it's rarely left to dry in open air apart from in the tank (which is a closed sealed system ultimately). Stick it in a carburetor with a vent open to atmosphere and all the lighter parts of it evaporate off leaving the gunge behind.

 

Might pay to swill a storage stabilizer into the next tank of fuel.

 

Phil

[danthecapriman]

At least you know it's not an electrical problem.

I've also had poor results with E10 fuel left sit unless it's got a stabilizing agent in, it goes gooey with all the added octane boosters and crap that gets put in modern fuel to improve emissions. In modern vehicles it's rarely left to dry in open air apart from in the tank (which is a closed sealed system ultimately). Stick it in a carburetor with a vent open to atmosphere and all the lighter parts of it evaporate off leaving the gunge behind.

Might pay to swill a storage stabilizer into the next tank of fuel.

Phil

I think it must be something like that causing this. The car can be left sat for a few months at a time sometimes so plenty of opportunity for the petrol to evaporate from the carb in that time.

Everything else, fuel tank, pipes, hoses, pump, filter are all either brand new or have been cleaned and rebuilt. The only thing left that hasn't been touched is the carb which itself is a fairly new Edelbrock replacement.

 

I'll ask them what they find inside the carb when they open it up. I'll also get some petrol stabiliser for over winter. Can't hurt.

[andy18s]

^Whs...you're getting a warning about

the float starting to get a bit sticky

Run some carb cleaner through the fuel system,then stabilise whilst it's only being used every now and then

If it's going away for winter I'd be pulling the carb off and keeping it nice and dry somewhere

[danthecapriman]

'Normally' I lay it up over winter and just fill the tank up and disconnect the battery. Usually it's from early November when the dreaded road salt starts appearing until about April/May time.

 

I think this year I'll get some fuel stabiliser in it and also fire it up once a week, let it run for half an hour or so to get hot and flush the system through. Hopefully that might stop the crud from old fuel building up. I've never had an issue with this on my other old cars though, just this!