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Posted By : Brian Archibald, 16-May-2004,
08:55am
So there I was, yesterday, the first hot day of the year sitting in slow moving traffic when my 1500 Spitfire throws a wobbly.
The engine decides to start to splutter and dies. Tried to start it and it fires up, splutters and dies.
The symptoms appeared to be fuel starvation. Left it for about 10 minutes and it started and I 'kangerood' down the road and then it got better.
The temperature guage hovered around the halfway mark when in the past it has been between a quarter and halfway.
The same thing happened on my way back home a couple of times and it seemed to be when the temp guage went just over the halfway mark.
I thought the problem with Spitfires was that the fuel in the chamber would evaporate when the car was left and then was difficult to start afterwards.
Any suggestions?
Brian Archibald
'79 1500
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Posted By : James Carruthers, 16-May-2004,
09:39am
Brian,
Do you have waxstats on your carbs?
Mor importantly, do you have a heatshield in between carbs and exhaust?
Also make sure your chokes arent sticking...
James
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Posted By : Chris Wilson,
16-May-2004, 10:34am
Brian, in addition to James' comments, have you got an in-line fuel filter? If not you may have got some crap into your float chamber(s)?
Regards
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Posted By : Ben Ferguson, 16-May-2004,
11:19pm
deffinately use a filter or sediment bowl if you dont already have one... Mine wouldnt run without one when I first put it back on the road
because there was so much rubbish in the tank, behaving just like your description. The sediment bowl is still filtering rust and crud out
18000 miles and about a million £'s worth of fuel later!
Mine also behaves like this when running low on fuel (but not empty!) as I think the fuel sender gets clogged with crud or something.
Ben
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Posted By : Adrian Lee,
17-May-2004, 08:35am
Clean the tank out and save the aggrevation,or replace it with a new one.The filters will soon get blocked again if there is that much crap
in the tank and your back to square one.If the rust is that plentiful check the tank for holes,it may have rusted through.
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Posted By : Tim Everitt,
17-May-2004, 04:37pm
Sounds like classic symptoms of fuel vapourisation to me. Check out the state of your heat shield and if you've got wax stats - think
about changing them.
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Posted By : Michael
Davis, 17-May-2004, 08:42pm
Yup, exactly the symptoms my 1500 had on hot days when I first got it. I changed the capstat jets and also fitted a bigger
heatshield. I think the heatshield actually made more difference than the jet change. Anyway, I haven't seen the problem since.
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Posted By : Brian
Archibald, 18-May-2004, 09:40pm
Thanks for all the advice.
I think the first thing will be to replace the heatshield as the problem certainly appeared to be heat related.
Don't think I have waxstats but will check when I get my car back - it is being resprayed read for Stafford.
Brian
'79 1500
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Posted By : Mark Stradling, 17-May-2004,
10:55am
Do you have the origonal air filters in a box, with plastic pipes feeding cold in, or do you have K&N type pancake filters?
I've noticed with my Mk IV that, since the change I bunny hop away from a traffic jam.
As it didn't used to happen, I've generally put this down to the air under the bonnet getting hot (and not being changed as your stationary). Hot air
can't hold as much fuel as cold = fuel starvation.
You only bunny hop for 50yds, enough to get some cold air under the bonnet and away you go.
I was flicking through one of my books the other day, and noticed a pic of the Le Mans Spirfire engine bay - these had a over-height engine side
valance that 'split' the (pancake) air filters from the engine, for this very reason.