Anyone out there got an idea whats wrong with my car?
I'm normally pretty good at diagnosing and fixing probelms having owned my GT6 for 16 years and rebuilt and replaced most of it but a current problem is
driving me crazy!!!
The car starts really easily from cold, it also starts really easily when it's fully warmed up. If however I leave the car for about an hour anfd it's semi
warm then it's a real pig to start and quite often ends up flooding and then I have to leave it a while before trying to start her again.
It let me down totally one evening last week when it wouldn't start on Tesco's petrol forecourt after re-fuelling. It flooded, I flattened
the battery and had to have the RAC out (Tesco's provide free RAC breakdown cover if you breakdown on their premises as a customer).
I've tried all the obvious fixes, I'm getting a good spark on all 6 plugs, the points gap is spot on at 15 thou, the ignition timing is set at 6 deg BTDC
(which I've always used for 4 star/LRP)as checked by a strobe at idle. The mixture is OK when the car is running after warming up as checked by a
colourtune. The carbs are in balance as checked using a carbalancer. I've rebuilt the carbs and checked the obvious such as torn diaphrams, damaged floats
and float height is spot on at 18mm. The fuel pump, coil, plug leads, ballast resistor, plug , points, rotor arm, dizzy cap, conndenser etc have all been
replaced.
So what else could be wrong?
I want to fix it ASAP as I'm intending to take it to the IOW camping weekend next week and I can just see it failing to start if it's been sitting in the
ferry queue for an hour or whenn disembarking the ferry at the other end, well embarrasing
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Posted By : William Davies, 24-Apr-2004,
11:20am
Hi Andy,
Wht fuel are you using? Do you normally use Tesco petrol, and do you use LRP? While I occasionally use Tesco, I would never put LRP in any vehicle
(except when there are fuel blockades, then needs must!). I would suggest trying Shell Optimax, a fuel well suited to the Triumph 6 cylinder
engine.
Cheers,
Bill.
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Posted By : David Rumens,
24-Apr-2004, 08:03pm
Bill, I have use TEXACO LRP in my Vitesse for 5 years and some 20,000 miles with out a any problems. Plus there is no loss in performce against the
four star leaded fuel.
But I would say that not all brands of LRP suit our cars.
I guess time is now catching up as LRP has all but disapeared in this area, so it will be over to the Super unleaded or leaded with an additive
soon.
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Posted By : Andy Cook, 24-Apr-2004,
10:07pm
Bill,
Yes I have been using Tesco LRP but have used this in the past without any problems. I do tend to use LRP rather than Super unleaded just because
it's cheaper but have used Super unl;eaded on accaisions. I guess Shell Optimax is just a variation on Super unleaded as is the BP ultimate brand.
I may just give Optimax a go next time I fill up, I've got a full tabk of Tesco LRP at the moment though!
I do think that my starting problem is something a bit more fundamental than petrol type though. If it was down to petrol type I'd expect poor
running or pinking. But when thecar starts and has warmed up it runs well pulling smoothly from low revs up to the redline and ticking over
smoothly. Sure there is a little bit of pinking if you give it too much gas from very low revs in top or o/d top but this is to be expected.
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Posted By : James Carruthers,
24-Apr-2004, 10:35pm
I have to say, my car runs horrid on LRP...
I'm an Optimax only person (drive miles to get it if I have to - luckily I don't) - I tried BP Ultimate in the hope that it was BP's "Optimax"
(therefore not needing to hunt for Shell garages the whole time) - and its not quite the same thing - at least it doesn't feel like it to
me...
James
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Posted By : Nigel Gibbins,
27-Apr-2004, 08:25am
FYI... Superunleaded and BP ultimate are the same thing (basically), BP ultimate has better cleaning properties and they are both rated at
97 octane.
Shell Optimax is a completely different thing, it has the cleaning properties of BP ultimate, or rather BP ultiamate has the same as
Optimax. But Optimax has an octance rating of 98, which is why I use nothing else.
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Posted By : Steve Cureton, 25-Apr-2004,
12:34pm
I once had a problem with a dodgy condensor giving very similar problems to what you've described except that it occured if the car had been stood more
than 2 or 3 minutes and would fire again after after about 15 minutes, and believe it or not it was a new condensor that gave me the problem, put the
old one back on and away it went.
I also once experienced an intermittent starting problem which later developed in to a misfire under normal running conditions and that turned out to
be the condensor had worked slightly loose and the earth connection was breaking down
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Posted By : Andy Cook, 04-May-2004,
04:45pm
Thanks Steve,
It appears to have been the condenser. I had already ruled that out as I had recently fitted a recon distributor ( the old one had knackered
bearings). I therefore assumed incorrectly that the condensor must be fine. I changed it the other night and the car now starts easily from semi
warm.
I've also tried the Shell Optimax petrol and although I'm sure that this has no relation to the starting problem I can report that it has reduced
pinking considerably and alos removed an annoying run on that I had when turning off the iginition afetr a run.
Cheers!
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Posted By : Nathan Gabbott, 26-Apr-2004,
03:11pm
I would suggest that it sounds like fuel vapourisation. When you stop the heat from the engine soaks into the fuel turning it into gas, this doesn't
pump very easily so the engine won't start, it could be happening on one or both carbs.
It could alo be electrical, a condensor as previously suggested or a damaged coil would be the most likely culprits, but check the ballast resistor by
jumping it (only do this for a short time to check or you will kill the coil). Look for a spark from the HT leads when cranking(I use an old plug
against the engine block), if its there then its fuel, if its not then its electrical...
Nathan
