Technical Help needed by non petrol head! - car lurching

[JacquieC]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. To answer some of the comments/questions:

I dream of being able to go to a Tescos! I live in Malta and our supermarkets are the same size as a corner shop in the UK. I'm sure I could get the product somewhere, even if family have to bring it over when they visit.

I know running the car for very short journeys is bad for it. However, I figured at least starting the engine every day is better than nothing. The island is only 11 miles by 19 so I'd have to drive round the whole country a couple of times to get it completely warmed up! The thing is, on the short journeys, the car runs fine. Its when I go further and the engine is warm that the lurching starts. Short journeys are all it will let me do at the moment.

The choke lever is smooth to use, not sticking or stiff.

Yes the car is well overdue for a service and I think that's probably my next step. I'll get some carb cleaner and follow the directions everyone has given me and let you know the outcome.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.

 

[a73uk]

Sorry, I`ve not been getting notifications about all the replies!

The gunk issue is unliklely to be causing the issue & the thing is with carbs is, they wear, theres 2 of those gold `flaps`, 1 for choke & 1 at the bottom for the accelerator, they are screwed to spindles that wear over time. Some of that gunk will be helping to seal the (likely to be) worn throttle spindle, using carb cleaner could cause that `sealing gunk` to disperse, meaning the car will draw air through the worn spindle gap, meaning it`ll run leaner. Depending how the carb has been set up, that could cause it to run worse.

Out of interest, how many KM has it done in total Jacquie?

I`m with Jai, it does sound like fouled plugs & a genral lack of servicing.

I`d say change the plugs & air filter & see how she runs.

Seeing as you`ve already donned the socket set, I`d say its within your abilities to do both.

See if you can get hold of 4 new plugs & an air filter at a car parts shop, they shouldnt cost you more than £15-20 (plugs being about a tenner for 4 & an air filter being £5-10). If you have trouble getting them over there either get family to send you some over or have a look at ebay.

I think it tells you how to change them in the handbook, if not, or you dont have a handbook, let us know, a 5yo could do the air filter, its simply the 2 over centre clips either side of the air box holding it, they flick backwards.

The plugs are trickier, & they should be pre-gapped, but I`m confident you can do it! just do them one by one (taking each lead of individually) & dont over tighten them!

She should run infinately better after that.

Now, to keep the plugs cleaner longer, you have to try to remember to keep the choke to a minimum.

With the FIRE engine (which yours is) in weather over 10 degees, you shouldnt need any choke at all when cold, it should start straight away (after servicing), maybe with a slight `blip` of the throttle & will only balk at the first, maybe second pull away from rest.

Temperatures lower than that shouldnt need any more than the first detent (click) on the choke lever (i.e. dont pull it out to the full extent), & should be pushed in within 1/2 a mile.

That should stop the plugs fouling up (with black soot) & drastically reduce the fuel consumption.

I`d also recomend you change the oil (or get someone to) after youve done the plugs & air filter.

If you have any concerns regarding changing the plugs, please ask!

Regards

 

[alexGS]

Hi JacquieC - thanks for your update and extra information. Hope you go well with checking and adjusting the choke. By watching the carburettor as someone pulls the choke control inside the car, I think you'll see how it works. You'll also see how it pushes open the throttle slightly (the same bit that moves when you step on the accelerator pedal) - the amount the choke pushes on the throttle can also be adjusted, and that might help your smooth running when the choke is on. Adjust it to open the throttle more, and you won't need to pull the choke out as far, which could solve most of the problems.

I thought I'd jump in with a bit more general info about engine temperatures.

Chas gives good advice about avoiding short trips (of a few minutes), but the thermostat on these engines is often faulty and sticks open, preventing the engine from warming up properly. In fact, just about every Uno I see for the first time has this problem and I must have replaced eight or nine thermostats by now. So I'd wager that yours might have that problem too, which would probably go un-noticed in a warm climate like Malta, since you'd have less need for the heater than our English friends have.

I should slow down and explain a little better. The engine has a thermostat where the radiator top hose attaches to the cylinder head (under the distributor). The thermostat is held to the cylinder head by two nuts and is easy to change. The purpose of the thermostat is to restrict the flow of the engine's coolant into the radiator until the engine warms up to about 90 degrees C - then the thermostat opens, coolant flows through the radiator, and the engine temperature drops; the cycle repeats.

When the thermostat sticks open, coolant flows through the radiator all the time. You can feel this if you hold the top radiator hose a few minutes after starting the engine; it should feel cold. If it feels warm, that means the thermostat is already open when it shouldn't be. The engine tends to run much cooler than it should, especially when the weather is cold. One symptom is that the heater produces little heat.

For short trips regardless of the weather, having the engine running too cool necessitates use of the choke for smooth driving, and that causes the spark plugs to foul, difficult starting etc. as Chas was saying. With a new thermostat, the engine should warm up within a few kilometres in a warm climate. By 'warm up', I mean the temperature gauge should go nearly half-way up the scale.

The cleanliness of the engine bay - we all like a clean engine, but don't take those comments too personally, dirty engines often run fine

Best of luck! Getting a car like the Uno to run smoothly can be a deeply-satisfying experience...

-Alex

 

[JacquieC]

Wow, thanks guys for taking the time to post such helpful information and for having the confidence in me to do these things myself.

I have to go shopping now - supermarket the size of a postage stamp as already explained so won't take long - then will print off your replies and get my head round it all! I'm quite looking forward to doing a bit more work on her - me and Fee (christened Fiuno - sorry, I'm a girl!) against the world

By the way, thought I'd give you all a giggle. When I first bought the car in 2006 (manufactured in 1995), I paid - wait for it - around 3000 sterling! Cars are ridiculously expensive here but they are wise to people bringing one over from the UK and screw you on import tax so you can't win either way. Bought a Fiat as it is easier to get parts with Italy being just over the water.
Three grand! Not going to think about it any more

Thanks again and I'll keep you updated.

 

[JacquieC]

By the way, what is the hose thing at the front of the engine that's hanging off and shouldn't I be doing something about it? Have attached pic.

Also, just to advise you that the car has never started without pulling the choke out half way - I never pull it all the way out - and (if I'm going further than work) I can push it in quite quickly but never all the way in. I have to leave it out just the tiniest bit or it stalls, even when I've had it adjusted.

 

[Chas Uno]

By the way, what is the hose thing at the front of the engine that's hanging off and shouldn't I be doing something about it? Have attached pic.

That is a hot air pipe. It feeds hot air from the exhaust manifold to the airbox to aid quicker warming up and to maintain a constant inlet air temperature. In colder climates it helps to stop carburettored engines from 'icing' that can cause poor running problems and stalling. The engine will run ok without it, but it is a good idea to have it anyway. They aren't expensive and take seconds to fit, so when you get a chance buy and fit a new one

 

[CLXCraig]

that hose helps draw heat from the exhaust manifold into the airbox, this helps the engine heat up quicker, but this will take a good 5 minutes atleast.

 

[Chas Uno]

The cleanliness of the engine bay - we all like a clean engine, but don't take those comments too personally, dirty engines often run fine

It's more the fact that if the engine bay is that dirty and the air filter hasn't been changed for ages, then the air filter is likely to be just as dirty and clogged

 

[rawill]

Recently it started chugging when the engine had warmed up with no choke on and sometimes you could smell fuel. Please help!

Thanks in advance,
Jacquie

As well as the other maintenance items, plugs, air filter I am wondering about your carburetor.

I think it might need taken off cleaned out and adjusted, (if it can be adjusted) experts on here may say it can not be adjusted, only cleaned.

I am wondering if you have some dirt in it, I know this is strange as the car goes fine, then starts lurching. But you say you can smell fuel, I wonder if that is coming from the engine bay, or coming from the exhaust as a result of the car running roughly, maybe on 3 cylinders.

If it is coming from the engine bay, carburetor, it might be leaking fuel.

If it is running roughly because it is running on 3 cylinders I would try giving it a real good run.

I know you said your island is small, but it could be carboned up in side the combustion chamber.

If this is the case then driving it fast in a low gear to make it rev lots is good.
I have done this on different cars that have lots of slow running.

I take it to a nice safe straight road, and usually go fast in 2nd gear,
I go up and down in the revs, often I see lots of blue smoke through the drear window, it is coming out the exhaust pipe, and is nothing to worry about.

If you go up and down in the revs eventually it will clear, oh and the car will often miss/lurch a bit until it clears.

The car will carbon up as the result of lots of short cold running, having the choke out will make it worse.

 

[Ucof]

(good thread by the way )