will it never end

[redmatt]

i was driving today sun shining roof down listerning to the sound of the v8 then splutter splutter made it home slowly couldn't restart at all the car seemed to run only on two then four cylinders then picked up again would rev then wouldnt seems to be a fuel thing anybody got any ideas? i only wanted half hour in the sun now its dark and couldnt even get the car in the garage

[jim meehan]

One pain in the arse innit?
Usual things - check everywhere, from visual of wires.
Did you go over any bumps before Missy reared her head?
the ubiquitous "earth connections"
Check connections behind wallet under glove box.
It could also be fuel filter or sender unit.
If still not smoothe this morning, get tested by rescue / mobile crypton if poss so they can see what it is showing up (mechanics always tell me that anyway; when it's an intermittant fault "We'll have to keep it for a few days cos there's no point testing it when it's running ok..."

All the best

[rev-erend]

Check out the obvious - fuel (empty ?) ..
sparks - low tension wire / high tension leads OK.

Earth straps etc..

Hope you find it !

[redmatt]

tried the whole fuel thing, was a bit unsure as my gage is as dodgy as the rest of the car, i blame my partner, she said as we were happily doing the first two minutes of the journey ( when things were ok )what if it breaks down ? i said no dont be silly !!!!! just changed the spark plugs. thought id bought the right ones and it ran ok for a while after i put them in, would the sparks stop the car from working completely i thought it might be a cloged fuel filter. was hoping it wasnt wires. still all this hassle is worth it when you hear that engine

[wedg1e]

Have a look over by the airflow meter for a single bullet connector in a wire that comes from the distributor. It's the ONLY thing that tells the ECU to start pumping fuel. If it's loose or goes resistive (ie corroded or damp) then the fuel can kick in and out.

Ian

[redmatt]

thanks ian that sounds like it could cause this sort of problem ( i hope it is because it sounds very simple to fix and im keen on simple )ll let you guys know how i get on

[wedg1e]

It could even be water in the petrol...

Ian

[redmatt]

how would it get in there the cap is sealed i must admit i washed the car really well before i went out and alot went inside the car where it leaks, including the area behind the seatbelts ( where the large feed for the fuel tank goes )

[jim meehan]

Some 'smaller' petrol stations round our way have had reputation for supplying petrol contaminated with water

[montegogt]

If your car has been standing with a small amount of fuel in it, condensation can form on the tank walls and end up under the petrol. It's quite a common occurance on light aircraft and they all have drain taps at the lowest point on their fuel system to drain the water off. A full tank prevents it happening.