(G) Hard starting up and petrol smell

Hi,

I bought a Mk1 Cabrio 1.6 8v.
When starting up i have the following problems,

It starts up really hard and with petrol smell, the engine runs strange, and it starts up at 2000, 2300 rpm. after the rpm goes down the car runs fine, except the fuel consumption witch is very high.

Looks like it's too much petrol in the engine when it starts up ...

Changed spark plugs, oil, oil filter

Any ideas ?

Thanks,
Alex

Does it only do it when starting it from cold, what about when its been regularly used through out the day?

Yes, eaven when it's hot.
Anyway it's running very hot, the indicator is at 75% of the gauge...
I have no ideea why, the ventilator starts when ever it wants, dosen't have a start point...
Thanks.

have a look at the fuel filter

There's something not making the beast fire up. The petrol smell is "normal", given your symptoms, as I'd guess it's flooding a bit from repeated start attempts.

What shape are your plugs and HT leads in? Are they new or were the same ones in there when Noah was a lad?

I presume the beast runs okay once it's started, so I'm not going to suggest check the power feed to the coil or injectors... (and TDC sensor).

I'm worried it's running hot (75% of gauge). Is there enough coolant in the header tank and when the car is hot, is the radiator completely hot all the way from bottom to top? You may need to bleed it to get all the air out.

Once you bled it, does the air lock come back? If it does, repeatedly, then you could have a head gasket problem - that could also affect the starting, if coolant is being sucked into the combustion chamber (water not being known for it's ability to burn).

I'd get a coolant check for Carbon Monoxide (or a system pressure check) to eliminate a duff head gasket as a cause of the problems. While it's there, your matey mechanic will be able to check the other stuff.


Ralf S.