Issues starting - turning over fine

[The_Mini_Ken]

I'm having problems starting the car but am losing my mind as to what could be going wrong with it. Its been off the road (well parked at the side of the road since November) and have been trying to get it running for spring. We were able to get it started a few weeks ago but at the time wasn't able to take it on a proper drive due to time and the fact half the dash and steering wheel was missing but the engine once started seemed fine and we drove the car back and forth on the street. Since then there's been more issues and I have since replaced the spark plugs as they were quite worn and fixed the airbox up so it doesn't fall apart whilst driving along the road.

Currently we seem to have spark on all 4 leads, we have a fresh battery, we have fuel apparently going into the carbs - my knowledge of carbs is lacking so we looked at the jets and the idle jets at least seemed to be clear and we removed the progression drilling cover? on one of the idle paths and saw that there was at least some fuel residue in there after cranking (no idea if this is a reliable test I was just curious to see if we could see any fuel in there). I have decided not to mess further with the carbs with doing things such as turning the idle mixture screw as I have no idea what to do with it. Just wondering if anyone has any idea what could be stopping it starting. It appears to at least get the engine sparking with easy start and the engine revs up (this worked over the weekend but on testing it today we noticed we had wet plugs so have left it for now whilst the battery charges) however it seems that its only the easy start that's igniting in the engine as the engine doesn't stay running.

Just wondering what we should be looking for next what could be causing the issues if anyone has any suggestions as I'm at a loss?

[MetBlue]

Was it running regularly before the winter park up? Just wondering about stale petrol. If you know tank was filled mid to late last year it should be good, but if age of fuel is unknown, I'd drain it out.
Do you get a ticking from boot when first switching ignition on? It's the fuel pump building up pressure. You can also check fuel pressure to carbs by cracking open the fuel line at the carbs, but do it carefully.
Sounds like a fuel issue to me, but no short cuts to all the normal diagnostic checks.

[Hawaiis0]

try easy start in the plug holes prior to normal start

[Marten]

remove airfilter and check the carbs are not flooding (and fuelpump stops ticking after a while )

check you have enough current to power the ignition during starting. (eg connect a decent bulb to the coil, and check it stays properly lit during cranking)

[bash]

Check the cambelt hasn't jumped or lost a few teeth.

Bash

[The_Mini_Ken]

So we managed to get it going again after the previous message using a bit of easy start and some better throttle control and once it was going it seemed to run fine however there was quite a bit of what sounded like popping coming from the carbs when off the throttle and it did feel a bit lurchy when accelerating. This was earlier this week. Today I went to attempt to start it again without easy start and I'm not even getting the engine sparking. (The fuel is not igniting the spark plugs seem fine). I'm just wondering could this all be down to the ratio of the air fuel mixture going into the engine from the carbs?

To answer some questions too yes the fuel was from September time last year so should be good enough for the car and I did notice the fuel pump didnt seem to stop ticking it seemed to just continue.

[Lotus-e-Clan]

If the pump is ticking continuously it could be a float valve stuck open / dirty. You might see fuel dripping from the inlet ram pipes if this is the case (and the 2 plugs will be wet fed by the offending carb).

[John]

Hopefully it's the carb float. If not, here are a few other possible causes of poor starting;

I would put some fresh fuel in the car. Modern petrol will start to become stale after 6 months. I had similar problems with mine after a long time off the road. It would only fire up with easystart until I put some fresh petrol in the tank.

If you can get it started also check the ignition timing and make sure the wiring between the distributor and AB14 unit is in good order - thats often proved to be the cause of bad starting issues. Mine had a poor contact or broken wire and would cause cut outs if jiggled whilst the car was running. I replaced the connectors.

I've recently stripped my starter motor and it's in a very poor state. The commutator and brushes are scrap, so it's no wonder the car has often been a poor starter in the 12 years I've owned it. A worn out starter will draw excessive current and may affect the performance of the ignition, I'll post again when I've rebuilt my starter.

Good luck.

[MetBlue]

did notice the fuel pump didnt seem to stop ticking it seemed to just continue.

That's not right. I'd start by fixing that and hopefully your problems go away.
What frequency is it ticking at? About 2 per second is normal until pressure has built slightly, then drops to about 1 per second and should stop totally after max 5 or 6 seconds. - It does depend on when carbs were last primed though.
My suspicion is you are not getting fuel to the carbs.

Tony

[Alan_M]

As Tony has said, your fuel pump is not working as it should.
There are a few basic reasons it will keep ticking
1. Floats not shutting off supply into carbs - stuck float, stuck valve or float leaking and full of petrol

2. A leak somewhere between the pump and the carbs

3. Not being able to pull fuel from the tank - blocked in tank filter/gauze, blocked pipe or blocked filter if there is one fitted between the tank and pump.

[The_Mini_Ken]

Would a broken fuel pump be causing the issues I seem to be having? Both the carb bowls seem to be at the correct level so I'm not sure if its that that's directly causing the starting issue it could well be a fuel leak or blocked filter though as the tank was quite low so was most likely pulling crud through from the bottom of it.

The starting issue seems to be more of a carb problem more than anything as once the car is running at higher rpms there doesn't seem to be an issue. I think it might be a lean fuel mixture at low rpms that's causing it to not to start and causing it to make popping noises when off the throttle.

[Marten]

Would a broken fuel pump be causing the issues I seem to be having? Both the carb bowls seem to be at the correct level so I'm not sure if its that that's directly causing the starting issue it could well be a fuel leak or blocked filter though as the tank was quite low so was most likely pulling crud through from the bottom of it.

The starting issue seems to be more of a carb problem more than anything as once the car is running at higher rpms there doesn't seem to be an issue. I think it might be a lean fuel mixture at low rpms that's causing it to not to start and causing it to make popping noises when off the throttle.

Unscrew the fuelhose from the front carb, stick the end in a clear plastic bottle, and connect a lead with crocodile clips between battery plus and the contact with two wires on the pump in the boot. You should hear a solid clunk from the fuel cut off solenoid and the pump chugging away. Walk up to the engine, you should observe solid squirts of fuel exiting the hose. Walk back, shut off the pump and you should have collected a teacup's worth of fuel in the bottle

[Lotus-e-Clan]

The following will help eliminate air leaks as a cause.
Get yourself a labelled diagram of the DHLA.
Remove the jet covers.
Remove the two idle jet holders.
Check the rubber o ring on each is present and unmarked.
Check the tiny bottom jet hole is clear (don't enlarge it by drilling or forcing a wire through it) - soak and blow if necessary.
Remove the two front idle adjustment screws, noting the number of turns so you can preserve the setting.
Check the rubber o ring is present on each and undamaged.
Check the carb mounting flange O rings are not leaking air by spraying around them with a light oil. If the idle \ low revs improves, then the o rings are the problem. Misab type o rings are known to easily deform and tear.

There's much more to check carbwise. Best to buy the DHLA book by Des Hammil (spelling!).

[John]

I refitted my rebuilt starter motor and what a difference, I wish I'd looked at this years ago. The engine spins so much faster. Having thought the problem was battery or ignition, and resorting to easystart on several occassions, the answer was fresh petrol and sort out a very worn starter;







The brushes and commutator were in a very poor state!