Car wont start by key, have to tow it

[sven360]

If you were running a poll I'd vote for carb/fueling issue being the problem.

[cheshire190e]

I have fitted a new manifold and made sure there are no air leaks. I have also tried fitting 2 different carbs and still no joy.

All i can think is maybe the timing has slipped or a burnt valve or something. ill try to get a compression test done.

Cheers
Matt

[germ]

LoL mine does that now- since diesel was put in by my mum... also that spiting through the carb was how i set the garage on fire and my expansion tank lol so be carfull!!

now the things i thought were wrong (still havent taken the engine apart been too cold) the jets in the carb blocked and it over flows and dribbles in. dead valves, timing , hole in piston , and leak on the inlet manifold. - all great things to happen lol . not.

If i can get my arse into gear and some good thermals il lift the head and have a lookie.

[morgan105]

Silly question but is possible, have you checked for any moisture in the dizzy cap?

Only a small amount needs to get in to stop the car firing up (not even visable at times). My wifes car started doing this on a weekly, even a daily basis when stood overnight in the cold and damp at the start of winter but I cleaned out any moisture and siliconed under the plastic shield and on top of it then put the cap back on. It has never given any problems since.

morgan105

[cheshire190e]

Cheers for the reply,

Yeah we tried cleaning the dizzy out last time we tried to sort the car but not the most recent.

Ill clean it out again next time im there I was just wondering if anyone would know of anything else it could be causing the problem?

I was sure it was the inlet manifold as a few weeks ago the car would start but only after you towed it for about 500m. I thought this was due to the car heating up slightly and expanding to fill the air gaps, but as i have a new inlet manifold now this cannot be the problem.

ill do a compression test and hope everything turns out ok.

Cheers

Matt

[morgan105]

Fuel pump faulty or is the little filter at the carb fuel inlet blocked.

[cheshire190e]

its got an electric fuel pump and have tried pouring fuel directly into the carb but still no joy

[morgan105]

Is it a points type dizzy or renix type unit?
Are there any vacuum pipes to dizzy?

Have you checked for any loose earth leads going to the engine block?
Did you change the condensor?

[cheshire190e]

its a renix unit and have tried two of these on it. ill try and clean out the dizzy again but apart from that im clueless as to what it could be.

Cheers for your help

Matt

[morgan105]

Was the car laid up for some time before this happened or was it just a next day happening?

Had you put fuel in the car just before this happened if car was used daily?

Are the plug leads in the right order?

[cheshire190e]

the car had a lumpy idle and would not start easily but then when it got warm it was ok. This i think was due to the stripped thread on the carb letting in air. once when out driving it then overheated badly. We got it home and since then its been started a few times but only after towing it quite a fair way. its only been started a few times since then though and this was a good few weeks ago. When i last went to look at it it wasnt even firing but we checked everything over and got it to fire but it was only spitting back through the carb, since then we have tried a new carb but still no joy. I will do a compression test and clean the dizzy out and hope for the best.


Cheers
Matt

[germ]

Over heated? frazzled headgasket/ warped head??

[cheshire190e]

I was thinking possibly head gasket but it didn't just break after it overheated. It has been getting steadily worse over the past few weeks. first of all it was fine, but then the thread stripped and made the idle lumpy. It then got harder to start. Then it has to be towed to start. Then it had to be towed a long way before it would start. then it just wouldn't even attempt to fire.

Now i have been able to get it to try to fire from the key but it just spits it back through the carb, I thought this was weak mixture from the stripped thread so I got a new inlet manifold, which didn't sort out the problem so I tried a different carb and that still didn't sort it out.

I don't think its the head gasket because when it was running after it overheated (a few days later after a tow) it wasn't smoking at all and no vapor was coming from the exhaust. There is also no mayonnaise like gunk under the filler cap.

If cleaning out the dizzy cap and all the leads then is there anything else I could try?

Cheers

Matt

[morgan105]

Check for split or pinholed fuel hose and fuel filters
Check vacuum pipe from renix is connected and not split
Connections at Renix are clean and dry and in right place
Check all connections at carb are working as they should
Checked, cleaned and gapped plugs

Do you smell fuel when cranking car over for long periods (as if flooding)?

Did you fill up with petrol just before problems started?

[morgan105]

A lean fuel mix can cause spit back through the carb, even a valve stuck open.