Peter.S Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I have a problem with my 1993 Vauxhall 2.0 HPC on carbs for which I need help/advice. The first problem was when it wouldn’t start at all, this was traced to the crankshaft sensor which was replaced and all seemed to be well. However after around 15 mins it cut out (on a roundabout) and would not start again. The car stood for a little while and it did eventually start and drove. The problem repeated and whilst trying to gently get the car back from Mold to Warrington it cut out and would not go at all. The car was recovered back home and it did start again, by now it had stood for a couple of hours. The problem initially seemed to occur on RH bends/roundabouts but this time it was on a straight whilst accelerating, it also seemed as if it was hitting the rev limiter at around 3500 to 4000rpm. (a similar thing happens when water gets into the connection between the crankshaft sensor to the coil pack, when it is dried out it is ok). I have changed the coil pack and again all was ok for around 15 mins and the same thing happened, again it was a couple of hours before it would start again. I am afraid that my mechanical knowledge is about as limited as my patience when it comes to problems such as these, I am assuming there is heat involved somewhere (one of the HT leads shows signs of melting where it connects into the coil pack) or that it could be a corroded/loose connection but don’t know where to start looking. The car has the factory fitted immobilizer and this beeps like mad when it does cut out. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Your crank position sender is close to the connections on the alternator. On my crossflow loomed car these wires if loose or dried out caused interuption of the ignition circuit. If this arrangement is the same on your car you may have dislodged something when fitting the crank sender. Clean and refit the connections and try it. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie. Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Could be a dodgy coil or fuel filter. Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard bradbury Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hi, The wiring is an obvious place to check and if what you have is original, it may pay to think about replacing old wiring. However, have you checked the fuel pump which is located on my 1992 car up against the rear bulkhead, on the passenger side near the wheel arch. If this is an original SU type pump check that it is ticking when the engine cuts out. If not this is likely to be the culprit, and should be replaced with a modern facet pump. bradders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Nick Chan Posted January 12, 2009 Area Representative Share Posted January 12, 2009 Had a similar thing happen to my HPC when it seemed to run out of revs or misfire around mid-revs. Used to be very intermittent when it was hot but would be fine if left to cool for a short while. The car felt woefully underpowered and would have to be revved massively just to keep it trickling along at 20-30 mph... and then it would catch and be off fine again It started to happen when it was cold and finally just wouldn't tickover properly in the garage and just ran on two cylinders. In my case it turned out to be the MBE ECU with one of the capacitors failing hence one pair of cylinders being a problem. I rectified it the expensive route by upgrading to a DTA 48i 3d system for £650 but found out a long time after you can send the MBE unit back to the manufacturer and they could have fixed mine for a fraction of the price.... Hopefully its something cheaper and simpler than mine was but at least you have a bit more information about it. Nick Back in a BEC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Simon Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I've never experienced the phenomenon you are describing, but there is one thing you might want to check/remedy that can lead to strange electrical malfeasance. The lead to the crank sensor was cleverly routed under the spark plug cover by Caterham. Although the routing makes for a neat looking package, the electrical interference from the high tension leads can cause lots of hard to diagnose problems, especially with the MBE 906 ECU. Reroute the cable down the offside engine bay brace. -Bob 94 HPC VX Evo III Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Also consider a lot of cars of that era have had trouble with their alternator wiring (The last foot or so of it, where it plugs in) due to it being baked by the manifold, and leading to various electrical gremlins. It might be worth giving that a thorough check as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie_Hki Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My vote goes to fuelling, my logic being that when I experienced something similar what was happening was I was running on the surge pot (IF you have one fitted) - fuel pump struggling but you have a reserve of fuel in the surge pot. This will feed itself through gravity if the tank has a modest amount of fuel and the car is left to stand. So, the car runs fine initially, then starts to fluff as it struggles to get fuel (fuel pump not keeping up - surge pot emptying) then gives up altogether until the surge pot is somehow refilled. The cycle just keeps repeating until you replace the pump or solve the pumps problem which could equally well be a clogged in-line fuel filter. If there is no surge pot it could be someting similar with the fuel pump but it's the float chambers in the carbs that are holding the modest reserve, but this would be nowhere near enough to run more than a few miles. If it's not the fuel, dodgy wiring around the alternator and crank sensor would be my next port of call, as has been stated, if these wires are not shielded (Thermally) then they tend to get brittle and fail. Finally, you mention an HT lead showing signs of melting. Seems unlikely to be the cause of this issue as it would de facto leave you with three cylinders and that would at least run, even if it felt horrible. But it is a failure waiting to happen if it hasn't failed already so should obviously be replaced. Vinnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter.S Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks for the responses, will give them ago and let you know how I get on. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Mupferit Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 As you are on carbs, if when it cuts out it does so very suddenly with no fluffing or misfiring beforehand then I would be inclined to discount fuelling and continue looking for an electrical fault. Brent (aka Arfur Nayo) Toyota power It's the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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