Cutting out when cold

[NickD]

I have never had to work on this part of the car, but any seal has the potential to fail.

[Steve]

I don't think so.. vauge memory of it heating the wax in a seperate chamber..
BTW, you can test these by taking it off, then putting it in the freezer for 30 mins. Note where the valve is and put it in near boiling water to see if it moves..

[rustynuts]

I don't think so.. vauge memory of it heating the wax in a seperate chamber..
BTW, you can test these by taking it off, then putting it in the freezer for 30 mins. Note where the valve is and put it in near boiling water to see if it moves..

thanks for that,started the car an hour ago,clouds of smoke again,then it stalled,cranked it over for a while,then it started and drove as normal,oh well back to the drawing board. im running out of things to change,apart from the whole engine

[NickD]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_can_caus ... he_exhaust

[K10]

Just to update, she's still at the mechanics, will check in on her tomorrow and see what the prognosis is.

[K10]

Potentially good news...

Called to mechanic today, he says the fuel pressure is very low - around 1.5 bar, seems to improve as the car warms up, so may be a sticky fuel pump, on the way out but seems to free up with use.

So, going to get him to replace that.

It would seem to suit the symptoms also, so hopefully will have it sorted byt the end of the week. Just in time for some more good weather...

Just checked up there. MX5parts wants £350 for one. Hahahaaaaa.

Going to try to get one from a scrap car this evening.

[rustynuts]

Potentially good news...

Called to mechanic today, he says the fuel pressure is very low - around 1.5 bar, seems to improve as the car warms up, so may be a sticky fuel pump, on the way out but seems to free up with use.

So, going to get him to replace that.

It would seem to suit the symptoms also, so hopefully will have it sorted byt the end of the week. Just in time for some more good weather...

Just checked up there. MX5parts wants £350 for one. Hahahaaaaa.

Going to try to get one from a scrap car this evening.

Great to hear you might be getting somewhere, just a thought, has the fuel filter been changed, it might be a partial blockage there,it,ll be cheaper than a new pump

[K10]

Filter is brand new, eliminated that one early in this saga.

Only other cause for low fuel pressure is the regulator, when that fails though, I presume it's more likely to fail shut and keep the pressure high, but I don't know a lot about all this. Will find out soon...

[K10]

Right, I replaced the fuel pump as suggested, and the situation is much improved, but not quite right still.

Car is no longer stumbling or stalling, but is still a little down on power.

Mechanic says he used a timing light and it was all over the place, timing moving from aboiut 7 degrees to 17 degrees, like the timing belt was loose. There is also a noise from the engine that he diagnosed as a belt slapping its housing. All popints at a loose timing belt, but on investigation, the belt is tight.

So, in the absence of it being due to a loose belt, the only other cause I can think of for fluctuating timing is the cam position sensor.

Has anyone ever had one of these fail on them?

[Steve]

Ran your prob by a few heads, here was the reply re the crank pulley itself :


" Have him pull #1 plug and drop a screwdriver down the hole to find TDC mechanically. Then check the marks. The dampers fail, letting the outer ring with the marks rotate. We had one here where the timing marks would rotate 360 degrees every 2 minutes or so at idle. Could not budge the pulley with two hands.


Bill Cardell
TurboDog's Dad
www.flyinmiata.com
www.fmwestfield.com
Sales 1-800-359-6957
Tech 970-464-5600 Before you call, check out http://www.flyinmiata.com/FAQ/ "

[Steve]

more :

"1. Did the mechanic jump 10 and ground in the diagnostic box when checking the timing? I've never tried it without jumping it, so I don't know what he would expect to see.

2. Did he remove all of the covers, or just look at the cams? The adjustment pulley could be loose and let the belt get loose when running but the spring could hold it tight when stopped. This would also explain the slapping noise. He should be able to pinpoint this noise with a stethoscope.

Sam"

[Steve]

" I've checked the timing without the jumper when I had a stock ECU and if I recall correctly the timing mark jumps all around."

[Fergus]

" I've checked the timing without the jumper when I had a stock ECU and if I recall correctly the timing mark jumps all around."

I've seen that to

[Steve]

"I second both of those comments. The ECU can alter spark timing substantially to cause small fast changes to the idle speed."

[Fergus]

Seanie has a timing light down here in Cork, he'll be back from Ozz sometime next week so I could check the timing etc. Changed the timing on a few members cars in the club already.