K10's vs Damp

[Arnold]

Well the K10 loses everytime, but is there anyway i can prevent dampness from taking over my car? Its been raining a bit recently and i've not been driving it much, but when i go to use it, it takes alot of WD40 and over 10 minutes to get the car going...

Once it is going, it stumbles and shudders pulling away from lights, junctions etc... and its quite dangerous, aswell as embarrasing!

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Thanks
Arnold (the real mini pool king)

 

[kev_mono72]

Slap a nicely rebuilt Ma12 in there, thats what i done and it starts first time every time, its like new! And i live in ireland!!

however, it may be your timing... also thers a thing called damp start that you can get, its a spray, although it may just do the same thing as WD40, worth a try tho...

 

[Arnold]

I dont think it matters if its a MA10 or MA12 mate!! I think its due to the fact the K10 in general is an old car. I cant be the only K10 driver to suffer from this surely!?

Anyway, Ed did my timing not long ago.. Runs like a beauty when shes dry. Recent full service too. There's got to be more preventative ways of making sure dampness / drizzle etc cant get into the engine.

Anyone!?

 

[Pete]

don't think i've ever had a damp problem with a K10 all of mine tend to live outside, tho I supose I do live in the tropical paradise known as Yorkshire.

 

[Slim]

sounds like a dizzy cap/HT lead fault as the dampness is causing tracking which in tuen means the engne isnt sparking as it should.

 

[crogthomas]

When the points start to get worn I find my K10 runs really badly in the damp. In the dry its fine. Clean up the points or replace them and everything goes back to running perfectly.
You said it recently had a full service? Were the points and condensor replaced?

 

[James]

Arnold's is a post facelift so has electronic ignition, not points

 

[K10Daz]

ENGINE STARTER START YA BASTARD - SYB Start Ya Bastard brings stubborn engines back to life. If you've ever experienced the frustration of a truly hard-to-startengine, you'll be amazed at the transformation just a couple of short bursts of Start Ya Bastard into the air cleaner or air intake from a distance of 5-10cm will make. Simply spray whilec ranking the engine, and you're away. Start Ya Bastard is totally harmless to engines and can be used on all petrol (two-strokeand four-stroke) as well as diesel engines. The instant enginestarter is a high potency, highly concentrated formulation designed to instantly start stubborn engines. Benefits:- Reduces 'start-up' wear.- Works quickly.- Effective on 2 and 4 stroke engines.- Suitable for petrol and diesel engines.- Easy to use aerosol.

This is Australia's answer to WD40 - although the people at WD40 dont like you saying that Eh Jeremy "im not curly " Clarkson!

Worth a look into Arnold!!


Daz

 

[Pete]

Just a thought, not micra related but... DO NOT USE AN ENGINE START SPRAY ON A DIESEL ENGINE... yes it works but your engine becomes dependant on it. The army lost many engines this way, they require more and more of the stuff each time.

 

[K10Daz]

Didnt know this MA12 I take it the engine becomes a junkie and requires a bigger "hit" each time?

 

[Pete]

I presume so, I don't know the ins and outs of it but I remember reading an article on it. I believe your fine using it on petrol engines, I've used it myself on a petrol engine.

 

[Andrew]

I'd check the automatic choke as well, that would cause poor performance and stalling once the engine is hot. Give the distributor cap a good wipe, and make sure the connectors on the HT leads are all good.

There are loads of products for starting cars... Wet Start displaces water, and you give it a spray in the distributor cap and on the coil. Damp Start is a flexible plastic coating which should stop the damp coming back. Easy Start is really flammable ether which will help start most engines, even ones with ruined rings. Not for daily use though, it causes serious detonation the first few turns, and is supposed to cause damage as it interferes with the upper cylinder lubrication.

 

[Herr_spl1ff]

As Slim says, check ignition parts before using sprays etc. Could be a loose connection on your leads or some of the insulation having rubbed off them etc. Personally I'd rather find the cause of the prob rather than just spraying a temporary fix. I've not had a problem with mine in nearly 2 years of grey Yorkshire fug!

 

[Arnold]

As Slim says, check ignition parts before using sprays etc. Could be a loose connection on your leads or some of the insulation having rubbed off them etc. Personally I'd rather find the cause of the prob rather than just spraying a temporary fix. I've not had a problem with mine in nearly 2 years of grey Yorkshire fug!

Thats what i was thinking mate.. I'd rather get it working properley than using sprays. Earlier on i took it for a quick short burn into town and it struggled to start each time, even though its boiling hot out. It was idling at 600rpm - a bit low me thinks, but yeah i'l check all the other stuff when i feel up to it.. Got glandula fever at the mo and really cant be bothered trying to fix it.. Just need it to get me to the doctors and back!

thanks for the replies guys

 

[Fordy]

sounds like your carbs air n fuel mix and idle needs adjusting

 

[Arnold]

Well i just had a quick look, nothing too major. The leads etc are all in ok, and the dissy cap cover has one of those rubber covers to protect it from dampness etc. It was a bit dirty inside but no signs of fluids or moisture.

However the oil was below L, infact it barely registered on the dipstick at all.. not sure why that's happened as it was changed not long ago. Topped that up enough and gave it a quick burn, but still not sounding too great on startup. She ran ok on this occasion though.

One other thing, i say full service however the plugs weren't changed as they were done last year. Im not sure how often these should be done.

Im assuming the air / fuel mix is on the carb... How about carb cleaner (No not lighter fluid James!! tut tut... ) i've heard people have used that before and it seems to work wonders, i guess a shot of that cant do any halm. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Fordy]

yes theres a mixture screw the drivers side of the carb but you need a gas anaylzer to set the mix but first i would check the plugs first

 

[kev_mono72]

If the plugs are a year old replace them, try cleaning them first but for the sake of a few quid just get new ones!

 

[Mark]

I drove hope from work in very heavy rain and my car died for a good 45 minutes.

had to drive ht leads etc for it to fire up again/

 

[kev_mono72]

hmm, is it possible for water to get in if the plugs are at all loose? You should check your seals on your HT leads if you had to dry them before the car would start, maybe some grease around the seals would help...

 

[Arnold]

Ok well this issue has returned. I dont believe its anything to do with damp now as it hasnt rained or anything & my car just wouldnt fire up this morning at all. I had to get a lift, grrr bloody thing.

A few days back, i changed the plugs, dizzy cap & rotor arm. The plugs i removed were in exceptional condition, good clean burn on all 4. The cap looked pretty mint aswell.

Would a nackered carb or distributer cause these sort of problems? what about fuel issues.. dodgey pump or filter. I really need my car to work and despite changing all the halfords available bits, i cant think what else i can do! Further advice apprechiated

 

[Slim]

could be the dizzy. the electric ones have been know to be unreliable at time.

Mark - did yours pack up before or after i did the engine.

 

[Arnold]

Thanks for the reply slim

I bumped into my regular mechanic today and he believes the issue is not fuel related in the slightest.. You either have fuel, or you dont.. and i do. i had a butchers inside the carb whilst the engine was running, pulled on the throttle cable and it was definitly flowing in there ok. Also once the car started, it went to 2000 revs before i disengaged the auto choke, so im assuming that means the choke works (unless its stuck open even when cold?) something i can check at the weekend.

After that, i pulled out each HT lead one by one, to rule them out. they were all fine. The mech said that it may be the ignition coil thats nackered / faulty. He suggested i try start the car with one of the leads removed, stick a plug on the end of it and see if it sparks. If theres no spark, then its definitly electrical. Something else for me to try at the weekend.

Once i got the car started, it sounded ok. Drove it round for half an hour without any problems. It only seems to suffer when starting after a 'long' pause, such as being left untouched overnight.

Rarr, bloody thing!

 

[Andrew]

I bumped into my regular mechanic today and he believes the issue is not fuel related in the slightest.. You either have fuel, or you dont..
and i do. i had a butchers inside the carb whilst the engine was running, pulled on the throttle cable and it was definitly flowing in there ok. Also once the car started, it went to 2000 revs before i disengaged the auto choke, so im assuming that means the choke works (unless its stuck open even when cold?) something i can check at the weekend.

You can't really diagnose fuelling problems by looking in the carb. It just squirts a shed load of fuel in there when you move the accelerator, and after that you shouldn't be able to see any fuel flowing as such, as it should be mosting vapourised in the venturi. But apart from the choke, there is little in the carb to cause intermittent problems like you describe, except maybe a sticking float.

After that, i pulled out each HT lead one by one, to rule them out. they were all fine.

You'd seriously notice if one of the cylinders wasn't firing. The car loses more than 1/4 of the power when this happens, making it undriveable. It also sounds like a V8 instead of a straight 4...

The mech said that it may be the ignition coil thats nackered / faulty. He suggested i try start the car with one of the leads removed, stick a plug on the end of it and see if it sparks. If theres no spark, then its definitly electrical. Something else for me to try at the weekend.

That's not a great test really. First off, it's an intermittent problem, so you'd have to sit there for a while. Secondly, a loose spark plug in air is not in the harsh environment of a cylinder, where you need a lot more power to develop a reliable spark.

Once i got the car started, it sounded ok. Drove it round for half an hour without any problems. It only seems to suffer when starting after a 'long' pause, such as being left untouched overnight.
Rarr, bloody thing!

The quickest way you are going to solve this is go to someone who has spare bits and knows what they are doing. Swap bits around. It's not normally much of a problem.

 

[Arnold]

Thanks for the reply andy.

Your right about the vaporising fuel in the carb... it was barely noticable, it was only when i had higher revs you could see it streaming into the carb, otherwise, it looks like nothing is coming out at all. (so that sounds ok).

Everything that is off the shelf replacable has been replaced (except the fuel filter as i couldnt get the hoses off!) In terms of replacing bits, the next stage is to move onto the more critical engine parts such as dissy, carb, fuel pump, ignition coil etc! Luckily, Mr Ed has offered to have a butchers when i go round on saturday, and we'l hopefully figure it out!