engine not well

[ssavill]

well - after trying to work out whats broken with the cerbie - given up.... the MIL light is now staying off, but the car is only idling at half speed (around 500revs) and is as lumpy as you like. pops and farts when you trying to drive it.

about to send it back to the dealer - any wise words of wisdom before I do? last things to check.

can you get in a positio where only one half of the engine is firing - i also see people talking about coil packs going wrong?

thks

stuart.

[RUSSELLM]

Have you checked how many cylinders it's running on ?

A black cable tie against the exhaust manifold outlets is a simple test

>> Edited by RUSSELLM on Friday 26th May 16:47

[marcus1970]

RUSSELLM said:

Have you checked how many cylinders it's running on ? A black cable tie against the exhaust manifold outlets is a simple test >> Edited by RUSSELLM on Friday 26th May 16:47

How does this work then?
MB

[ssavill]

to be honest - there are many horror stories of starting after weirdness happens - but will give it a go.... you have much experience of fixing this stuff? thks

[RUSSELLM]

Touch the tie against the exhaust outlet, if it's working, you'll leave a little black mark on the outlet (burn's off after a bit)

If it isn't working, you'll near enough be able to touch it with your hand (I wouldn't recommend this in case the outlet next to it is working )

for legal reasons "this method of testing to the best of my knowledge has been patented by Dom of TVR Power"

for further legal reasons "and by every other mechanic"

[RUSSELLM]

ssavill said:

to be honest - there are many horror stories of starting after weirdness happens - but will give it a go.... you have much experience of fixing this stuff? thks

I wish...to date I could have saved about £15k on this car alone

Alas no...My car's been fixed that many times, I'm starting to remember how to do things myself.....which, with my current "Magners" addiction, is quite some achievement

[ssavill]

when I get more experience - i will also save money - but at the moment, its hard....

[GreenV8S]

If it's misfiring that badly, you could be dumping a load of fuel into the exhaust and stand to do a lot of damage if you keep driving it.

[ssavill]

which is why I am not driving it... flat bed truck turning up tomorrom morning to take it to fernhurst :-(

just looking for tips on what to check - also had a few comments back saying that the coils on these are problematic...

[GreenV8S]

Well if you were going to diagnose it yourself you'd start by pulling the plugs to see whether the problem was fuel or ignition. But I thought you had already decided to have a professional sort it for you - sensible imo - so that doesn't seem particularly relevent.

[ssavill]

already checked - plugs / throttle pot connectors / injector connectors / wiring to ECU / air meter / and various other stuff - there also seems to be connections into the two distributors - but cant get my hands to them :-(

Anyone able to tell me where the coils are, and are they problematic?

[GreenV8S]

Those two distributor? They're the coils.

[ssavill]

there ya go - learning :-)

are they prone to go wrong?

[Cyclone1]

You've done the right thing getting it booked into a specialist.

Try not to worry about it too much, hopefully it will be something simple like the coil packs or plug leads breaking down, but hopefully Fernhurst will be able to diagnose and then rectify the problem.

Keep us informed.

Jules.

[GreenV8S]

ssavill said:

there ya go - learning :-) are they prone to go wrong?

Yes, and they take out groups of cylinders when they do. But unless they're easily accessible you probably want to check whether you're getting fuel and/or a spark to each cylinder before you start taking things apart.

[ssavill]

well - a happy ending after all....

Although i checked ECU - and connections, i must have been blind... apparently its a common fault for the ecu to get damp / water coming in through the scuttle somewhere - and some water was laying in the connector (altho i checked :-( ) - the guys at fernhurst did me proud, and put a waterproof bag / sealed the ecu and connector - and done it all for free!!!!

a happy ending, and even better - a cheap ending!

have a great day,

Stuart.

[Cyclone1]

Cyclone1 said:

You've done the right thing getting it booked into a specialist.

Try not to worry about it too much, hopefully it will be something simple like the coil packs or plug leads breaking down, but hopefully Fernhurst will be able to diagnose and then rectify the problem.

Keep us informed.

Jules.

Top result.....and don't worry you are not the only one to fall foul to the water ingress issue, there are a few fairly recent threads with similar problems.

We all spend too much time worrying about the car and most times it pays to just get it to a specialist to get it diagnosed and sorted.

Glad it worked out well for you...

Jules.