Whining and stuttering

[kbj149]

No, its not my new partner - its the wedge (which I suppose is a mistress of sorts).

It's started to make a whining noise that pitches depending on the hesitation of the engine, I drive it and its fine for 5 minutes then it starts to stutter and kangaroo, as if running out of fuel but its not running empty. I took the car down a kerb the other day, a little too hard but not sure if thats just me being paranoid. So, there is a constant whining noise and when driving the car stutters, if I give it full gas in neutral there is this hesitance that I describe. I suppose it could be something to do with the fuel? A dodgy spark plug maybe or is it something more serious related to the transmission? I think the whining noise is coming from the rear and not from the fan under the engine bay but I can't be sure, if it were transmission related I suppose I wouldn't get the hesitation when revving stationary?

Sorry I can't be more specific, I don't really know where to start with this (other than here).

Thanks in advance.

Kevin.

[wedgewood]

The whining could be the fuel pump cavitating, when you dropped down the kerb you may hve disturbed something, have you checked for fuel leaks,is there anything touching the pump which could resonate? ie heatshield etc. Next to check would be fuel filter, swirlpot then fuel pressure. Does the whining reduce or disappear when you put the engine under load?

[grahamw48]

Air leak ?

[jeff m]

In addition to the above replies;
CIS loves clean fuel, the bump down the kerb could have shaken up the tank and disturbed some cr@p that was sitting on the tank bottom and the fuel pump gobbled it up.

Although the Fuel Distrib does have that nice big filtre to protect it how old is the filtre?
Give it a good dose of fuel additive (Techron or B12 Chemtool), can't hurt.

Hopefully it's just an air leak, spray some WD 40, carb cleaner round the hoses to see if you get a rev change.

As for the whining, unless you got one of the female 84s, I would check the water pump and alternator first then gearbox mounts if you feel it is directly related to the drop off the kerb.

[kbj149]

Thanks everyone.

http://bayimg.com/hAcIEaacK - number 2 on this diagram, its leaking fuel from here and has been for some time. Do you think this has maybe worsened and is causing the problem? I took it out today and the problem is now severe, I can't go more than a mile without it jumping like a kangaroo and stalling. When I fire up I can here a whining noise which gets louder the longer you drive it. It happens when in neutral so thankfully not anything to do with the driveshaft - so I'll get the mechanic to look at it tomorrow, would you suggest he starts at point 2 on my diagram :-)

Thanks once again all, very much appreciated.

[jeff m]

Yep,
When the car is sitting it will leak gas at UK prices
When running it will pull air and reduce your system and control pressures.

No damage, just fix the leak. After a few minutes idling it should get back to normal.

[kbj149]

Hi all - where can I find a pipe to replace the one thats leaking? I assume it'll be a small piece with jubilee clips either end?

Thanks in advance.

[rev-erend]

I'd put my money on the fuel filter !

Has it been changed recently.

If it's clogged - the fuel pump will not be able to push the petrol .. hence the stutter and the puel pump whine.

[kbj149]

I'll change the fuel filter yep but I think the main cause is this leaky pipe ...... I've a bowl under the car, in the past 2 days its just filled with petrol, near a litre .... now the car won't start .... its out of fuel!

I was amazed at how clear petrol is when you put it in and how filthy it was when its leaked out of that pipe - the fuel is now yellow and has bits floating in it. Safe to put back into the tank? This is all assuming of course a naked flame doesnt find its way to my undercroft car parking space . . Can anyone smell crispy fried fibreglass?

Thanks in advance all.

[kbj149]

Ok - I'm going to buy a piece of pipe to connect from 13 to 15 (http://bayimg.com/hAcIEaacK) via 2 and 14

I assume its from the fuel filter to the fuel pump (forgive my ignorance). I've identified the problem, though the jubilee clip is tight, the rubber at 2 is perished and fuel is leaking from around the clip. Can anyone tell me how long this rubber pipe is, where I could get it and what width I should buy. I'd remove it, shorten and affix but there's just not enough slack.

Thanks in advance everyone. I'm going to attempt this job myself, I think its pretty straightforward (though I'm dealing with petrol) - I will drain it first but should I disconnect the battery also just in case.

Cheers all.

Kev (noob)

[kbj149]

I think I need 2 feet of 5/8" (16mm) fuel hose - can anyone confirm?

[GreenV8S]

kbj149 said:

the fuel is now yellow and has bits floating in it

Perhaps the bits have come from elsewhere, but if you have dirt actually in the fuel there's a problem that needs sorting out. If this seems likely then I suggest that while you have the tank drained down and the hose off, you tip a few gallons of petrol through it (collecting at the outlet, of course) and see whether it comes out dirty. You can use a filtered funnel to collect it and strain the debris out allowing you to reuse the petrol afterwards.

[kbj149]

Thanks GreenV8 - I'll do that

Have I supposed the correct hose at 2 feet 5/8" (16mm)?

[GreenV8S]

kbj149 said:

Thanks GreenV8 - I'll do that

Have I supposed the correct hose at 2 feet 5/8" (16mm)?

I don't know what hose you're referring to. The items labelled '2' on your diagram are hose clips, and they're used all over the place. Is it the hose between the collector and the fuel pump that you're after? I don't know what size it is on a wedge, but you should be able to measure the length easily enough and also find the internal diameter by measuring the size of the spigot at the fuel pump. 12mm bore is a common size for the pump inlet but there are alternatives. Also watch out for a reducer in line with the hose - it's possible that the two ends are different sizes.

Unless you know the hoses have been replaced in the last 5 years or so I suggest you think about changing all of them while you have it drained down. The hoses don't last forever and when they start to fail can be a fire hazard. It's relatively cheap and easy to replace hose as long as you can get to it. Consider the fuel hoses at the front of the car too while you're at it. I don't know whether you have solid pipe or hose down the length of the car, but if it's hose it would be sensible to replace the whole lot. Getting at it can be awkward, and you don't have to replace all the hoses at the same time if it's not convenient, but I suggest you do bear in mind that they will all need replacing every few years.

I'd also suggest that you use new hose clips as a matter of course, don't be tempted to try to reuse the rusty old ones even if they do still seem to work.

Fuel filters don't have to be replaced very often but if you're replacing the hoses, a new fuel filter while you're there would be a no brainer.

[kbj149]

Yes, the hose from the filler to the fuel pump. I wondered if anyone new its length and diameter before I jack it up so I could go and buy the pipe.

Thanks for the info, I'll add to the list of 'things to do on the wedge'.

[rev-erend]

Best method is to pull the hose off a little and then measure the diameter of what the pipe attaches to with a pair of vernier guages. They can be bought pretty cheaply now days.

[kbj149]

Cheers Rev!

Bless you father.