tech_guy Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 The wife has flooded the engine in her petrol Ford Estate - she started it yesterday just to move it on the drive then left the manual choke out all night. I floored the accelerator this morning and kept the engine turning over but no joy. Any other suggestions? Btw it's on a sloping drive facing downwards will that make a difference?
elsiegee40 Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 The wife has flooded the engine in her petrol Ford Estate - she started it yesterday just to move it on the drive then left the manual choke out all night. I floored the accelerator this morning and kept the engine turning over but no joy. Any other suggestions? Btw it's on a sloping drive facing downwards will that make a difference? With my antique mini, you just had to leave it standing for long enough after flooding the engine and it would settle. I'm not a car expert, but with the tank at the back and the engine at the front, I would think gravity would have some impact and having the car facing up-hill might improve the situation.
Andrew_C Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 Leaving the choke out shouldn't make a difference. As far as I remember... Patience is what you need, the petrol will soon evaporate.
Mcshammer_dj Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 1.put the choke in and turn the car over without touching the accelarator. 2.Then slightly apply the choke and gental use of the accelarator 3. Sell the car and get a modern car without a choke!!!!!!
SteveBentley Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 When I flooded the engine on my car I had the embarrassment of calling out the breakdown service I'm a member of, whose mechanic simply turned the key and it started! He did say that it was better to have done that than carried on trying myself and flattenned the battery or burned out the starter motor. And his advice "take it for a long run out" was a good excuse to visit a particularly good Indian takeaway on the other side of town!
broc Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 (edited) The orientation of the car should not make any difference, cars with carburettors still rely upon having a pumped feed from the tank, either mechanical (driven by the engine rotation) or electrical. Many carbs have a small reservoir with a float too. Is there any signs of the engine attempting to fire? If so, it might be worth taking the plugs out & cleaning/drying them off. Also, check the plug leads, make sure they are clean & dry especially after all the damp/cold weather we have had recently, they may have condensation on them. A quick squirt of a moisture dispersant (WD40 or similar) might help. If none of this is any good, and you are still keen to pursue yourself you need to make sure that when the choke is pulled out that it is actually causing the carburettor to enrich the fuel/air mix. On a carburettor with a butterfly valve the choke cable should cause the valve to close.... make sure the cable hasn't pulled loose/snapped..... We had terrible cold starting trouble many years ago with my wife's Hillman Imp because the spring which forced the butterfly valve to close when the choke was pulled had snapped.... Edited January 18, 2010 by broc
chrbb Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 We had terrible cold starting trouble many years ago with my wife's Hillman Imp because the spring which forced the butterfly valve to close when the choke was pulled had snapped.... That takes me back:) Were you only able to go a few miles before you had to top up the coolant as well? Most of my boot space was taken up with containers of water.
SYNACK Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 Yeap, leave it for a while and then start it without touching the accelerator as that will just add more gas to the engine. If you really wanted to dry it out quickly yank a few sparkplugs and leave it for 5 minutes - or if your really in a hurry and completly nuts turn the engine over with the spark plugs out and all the petrol will shoot out imediatly like a quartet of water pistols
broc Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 That takes me back:) Were you only able to go a few miles before you had to top up the coolant as well? Most of my boot space was taken up with containers of water. When we bought our Imp (second hand), I renewed all the hoses, flushed the system, new thermostat etc & we never had any cooling problems with it.... clutches was a different matter; it destroyed clutch thrust bearings.... I could take the engine/transaxle out, replace the clutch & put it all back together in half a day I thought is was much more fun to drive than a Mini & my wife loved that car (her first) .... The Coventry Climax fire pump engine loved being revved!
elsiegee40 Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 My ancient mini needed a clothes peg to hold the choke out... it was very effective
TechSupp Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 I had a Maestro with auto choke that over reacted to very cold conditions and same as using too much choke. The excess fuel in the cyclinders removes the oil from the piston rings so you get no seal and compression hence no start, just turning over. The solution was to remove each spark plug and squirt a few squirts of oil inside each cyclinder, put the plugs back, turn over the engine and hey presto the rings now seal, compression and a running engine. It may run rough for a minute or so due to the extra oil but it will then settle down. It was a common problem I heard and that was the common problem fix. It worked a treat for me.
CHR1S Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 I had a Maestro with auto choke that over reacted to very cold conditions and same as using too much choke. The excess fuel in the cyclinders removes the oil from the piston rings so you get no seal and compression hence no start, just turning over. The solution was to remove each spark plug and squirt a few squirts of oil inside each cyclinder, put the plugs back, turn over the engine and hey presto the rings now seal, compression and a running engine. It may run rough for a minute or so due to the extra oil but it will then settle down. It was a common problem I heard and that was the common problem fix. It worked a treat for me. Ive never had to do it myself but I was told spraying WD40 into the carb whislt turning it over had the same effect. Ahh the joys of old cars, I miss my mini's personality and fauts
ricki Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 (edited) Hi If you are impatient and dont want to wait for the petrol to evaporate. Open the top of the air filter cover. This will allow more air in and most of the time this will allow you to start it. If it does not it will speed up the evaporation but you still have to wait. but it does make it look like you know what you are doing while waiting lols. On a more sensible note have the plugs, ht leads, distributor cab and points checked if any. If you dont have a good spark you dont get a good ignition and so it gets flooded. You also get this if you have water in the distributor cap. Some models you can get a rubber boot to cover it and others people use a wax seal spray but it can make a mess when it melts. Richard Edited January 18, 2010 by ricki
mattx Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 I had a Maestro with auto choke that over reacted to very cold conditions and same as using too much choke. The excess fuel in the cyclinders removes the oil from the piston rings so you get no seal and compression hence no start, just turning over. The solution was to remove each spark plug and squirt a few squirts of oil inside each cyclinder, put the plugs back, turn over the engine and hey presto the rings now seal, compression and a running engine. It may run rough for a minute or so due to the extra oil but it will then settle down. It was a common problem I heard and that was the common problem fix. It worked a treat for me. I had a Maestro - excellent car - felt like a Tardis inside. The great thing about them as well was there was loads of room where the engine was so it was really easy to work on. I was gutted when I was rammed from behind [ OoooErrrr Missus ] once and the hole back end was messed up. I spent hours with my Dad bashing out the dents with a chunk of wood and hammer. http://cdn.motors.co.uk/d/used-photos/24357/400x/0/0/D799PJN.jpg Not mine but the same model and colour !! Miss it.......
tech_guy Posted January 18, 2010 Author Posted January 18, 2010 Thanks for all the advice - normally I don't get stressed about cars and can usually sort most problems myself. This old girl has only one more journey to make as I've gone and got a new car under the scrappage scheme and she has to be dropped off tonight at the garage. Soddin' typical that something like this should happen isn't it? MOT runs out tomorrow as well. It's as if they know!
chrbb Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 Cars are just no fun anymore:D Actually my imp was a singer chamois, which was a bit posh and had lots of varnished wood panelling on the dash:D We had a Fiat 127 that rusted overnight and eventually had more fibre glass than a Reliant robin.
tech_guy Posted January 18, 2010 Author Posted January 18, 2010 Cars are just no fun anymore:D Actually my imp was a singer chamois, which was a bit posh and had lots of varnished wood panelling on the dash:D We had a Fiat 127 that rusted overnight and eventually had more fibre glass than a Reliant robin. Lol, my Dad had a 127 that we nicknamed the colander...
tech_guy Posted January 18, 2010 Author Posted January 18, 2010 I had a Maestro - excellent car - felt like a Tardis inside. The great thing about them as well was there was loads of room where the engine was so it was really easy to work on. I was gutted when I was rammed from behind [ OoooErrrr Missus ] once and the hole back end was messed up. I spent hours with my Dad bashing out the dents with a chunk of wood and hammer. http://cdn.motors.co.uk/d/used-photos/24357/400x/0/0/D799PJN.jpg Not mine but the same model and colour !! Miss it....... Lol at the thought of you being rammed from behind..... 1
CHR1S Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 I had a Maestro - excellent car - felt like a Tardis inside. http://cdn.motors.co.uk/d/used-photos/24357/400x/0/0/D799PJN.jpg Amazing, looks like a Tardis outside too!!!
mattx Posted January 18, 2010 Posted January 18, 2010 Lol at the thought of you being rammed from behind..... Dirty Boy.
TechSupp Posted January 19, 2010 Posted January 19, 2010 Amazing, looks like a Tardis outside too!!! Yep miss mine as well, must have been loads the same as that is nearly exactly the same, mine was Arum White, lovely when clean.
mattx Posted January 19, 2010 Posted January 19, 2010 Yep miss mine as well, must have been loads the same as that is nearly exactly the same, mine was Arum White, lovely when clean. They also had that unique tick over noise too....... Have not heard one for years but they were very distinctive.
capncrunch Posted January 20, 2010 Posted January 20, 2010 As a couple of others have said if you suspect you have flooded the engine then just spin it over a few times with no choke or accelerator. My ancient mini needed a clothes peg to hold the choke out... it was very effective Thats why a mini should run a weber and not a SU
westleya Posted January 20, 2010 Posted January 20, 2010 Remove the fuse / connection to the fuel pump and turn the engine over for a while.
capncrunch Posted January 20, 2010 Posted January 20, 2010 Remove the fuse / connection to the fuel pump and turn the engine over for a while. presuming you have an electric and not a mechanical fuel pump...
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