(G) is my uno deader than a dodo???

is my uno dead??
it is a 1989(G) 60s with the 1108cc engine.

the problem appears about 5-10 mins after starting, once the engine gets warm.

every time i stop at lights it stalls, no warning it just cuts out.

garage told me it was a blocked jet on my carberettor (weber) and charged me £40 for the pleasure. thing is the problem didn't go away.

any ideas what might be wrong??

car was serviced recently but problem was there before the servicing.

really pi**ed off, love driving the uno, it kicks ass.

My uno did this, i learned a whole new driving style to keep it revving at lights! Unfortunately i have never really understood carberettors so didn't know how to sort it out. I was advised to change the warm feed air which connects the manifold to the air box, as a mechanic i spoke to suggested it might be carb icing, and the pipe on mine had completely disintegrated. This made it better, but the weather was getting better too so i dont really know what cured it.

i know what you mean about the change in driving style. stopping with the handbrake while keeping my right foot on the gas is starting to get on my t*ts tho.

all the pipes look ok.
the problem started at the end of last summer when i was stuck in traffic in the ****ty dorset countryside. engine didn't over heat tho.

don't really know what i am looking at tho, don't have a clue about engines, really should rectify this, just want to be out driving again.

i do remember a similair issue on my wifes old 70sx, we semi cured this with a bottle of wynns dry fuel in the tank, followed by a petrol cleaner in there

tried using petrol cleaner, even tried pouring it directly into the carberettor air intake as suggested on bottle but all to no aveil.

any other suggestions??

A guess is that it gets too much fuel. This happened on my 1108 (injected though). On every red light I had to use the handbrake, which didn´t work at all, else the engine choked due to too much fuel. The 1108 injected halvens the amount of fuel when idling with an idle plunger that should be depressed when the foot is let off the gas. The position of this is around where the throttle wire ends on the injection module. Maybe the carburetted version does it too? (Or should do.)

Just a thought.

Also. I think it is "more dead" and not "deader".

Morten.

can't see anything around the end of the throttle wire, other than were it is attatched to the carb.

any other suggestions.....

James
I take it you have a non ie like me.
I had same problem a couple of years ago when I got mine.
Done as u have changed the plugs leads and cap.
However a clever college mechanic found that my vacum advance had a leaking pipe which once replace the car ran like a dream.
The problem your getting as suggested b4 too much fuel as the mixture is getting messed up possibly due to your vacum advance.
This unit is attached to the side of the dist cap and has a pipe running to the carb.
Check the pipe for and leaks, also if I can remember take off the pipe from the carb end and suck it if it pops the vacum advance is knackered.
If anyone here can confirm I am correct it may be that u blow into I cannot recall unfortunately.
Pete

Makes little difference. All you're checking for is that no air is passing through the rubber bit in the middle. If it is, block the pipe at the vaccum advance end (self tapping screw usually does the job) and that fixes it to a certain extent. I had mine running like that (blocked vaccum pipe) for nearly a year. Shop4Parts sells new vaccum units... Cheap and takes about 5 minutes to fit

just checked vacuum advance tube. blew down it, no noises but also no resistance, and when i sucked on it it tasted like petrol fumes, don't suck on them its not nice.
guess that means it is knackered.
anyone know any downsides of blocking the pipe with a screw??
what do you do with the hole on the vacuum advance unit??
just how easy to replace part as i have absolutley no skill at all??

the fuel consumption and fuel wont be perfect when vaccum advance isnt used, but causes no damage having hte pipe blocked.

Just leave the hole in the vacuum advance unit.

Its a a case of undoing 2 screws, unclipping a plastic rod. pop the new rod onto the ball joint and screw on. job done (well other than reatattaching the pipe)

just went out for a little drive in the uno (after plugging the tube at the vacuum advance end) car still stalls once it's warm and now it has a petroly smell after it stalls.
also the engine didn't seem to respond normally when i put my foot on thye gas.
gutted thought it might of sorted the prob.
anyone else??
suggesstions on the back of a stamped self-addressed envelope

Did the screw properly block the pipe? it cant allow any air to flow and it sucks quite alot.

Another cause, may be something to do with the idle jet on the car getting stuck/blocked. im not too clued up on this, but alexGS - he's your man to ask

yeah the screw did block the pipe. definitley.

Quote: "Another cause, may be something to do with the idle jet on the car getting stuck/blocked. im not too clued up on this, but alexGS - he's your man to ask "

You're very kind, luke!

Actually I was reluctant to offer quick advice because I didn't feel certain about the cause. It's really a case of working through things in order. Plus, I'm not clear: does the engine ever idle correctly? Is this just a transitional or occasional problem, or all the time? (e.g. if 'transitional' problem, and goes away when engine is fully warm, idle speed is probably set too low!)

OK, so a few things:

- You haven't mentioned if the choke makes any difference? That would surely be the first thing - just pull that a little to stop the engine stalling (the first 'click' only increases the speed, it does not put more petrol into the mix). So I'm guessing that you don't have a choke - which makes me think it must be fuel-injected (SPi). I don't know much about those, Monty Mort is the choice there

Assuming a carburettor, we continue...

-If there is a choke, but it makes no difference, I think Luke's onto a winner. Unfortunately, finding the idle jet varies between different carburettors, so I can't tell you where to find it. Usually, you take off the air cleaner, and there are several brass 'screws' visible in the top of the carburettor - they are the jets. They are delicate things - even the hole in the top is important - so use a nice big screwdriver and be careful. But the garage should have eliminated this problem for you and they should have blown out the carburettor with compressed air to remove any dirt, etc.

- Fuel cutoff solenoid. Not sure if your Uno has this, but if it does, and the connection's broken, the engine won't idle. The cutoff solenoid is screwed into the carburettor near the bottom, with a single wire (usually red) hanging out of it. Check, with a multimeter, that this wire gets 12V when the engine is supposed to be idling. If not, wire it permanently to the red/orange wires on the ignition coil.

- Vacuum advance/air leaks. Air leaks can lean out the mixture and should be stopped-up as already described - but note below:

- Ignition timing. The vacuum advance on a FIRE advances the ignition timing even when the engine is idling. Advanced timing = higher engine speed. So it follows that without the correct advance, the engine may stall. So, you could replace the vacuum advance unit, or possibly just turn the distributor body a little (slacken 2x 10mm nuts first) to see if you hear the engine speed increase. If you do, then it's probably worth getting someone's help to set the timing properly (otherwise, just return it to the marks you made - you did remember to mark the position before disturbing the distributor, didn't you? )

Idle speed screw - well this is so simple I almost didn't bother mentioning it! There's a slothead screw with a spring under it, that bears on the throttle cam (carburettor, where accelerator cable attaches). Turn it clockwise ('do it up') to adjust engine speed.

You see, I can't figure out what circumstances the problem occurs under. When you say 'engine is warm', do you mean 'after you push the choke in'? I am getting the impression that by 'blipping' the accelerator you can keep the engine going, is this correct? If so, I think it's most likely to be a blocked idle jet or the fuel-cutoff solenoid. If you only have to hold the accelerator slightly down, then it's the ignition timing/vacuum advance, or the idle speed setting. Just my guesses of course, no great guarantees!

On the other hand, if the engine dies altogether no-matter-what, maybe it is the ignition module on the distributor (overheating, etc.) in which case you need to try a replacement for it. It's quite easy to swap with the distributor remaining on the engine.

But, as you can tell, I'm clutching at straws because I can't get a good mental image of the problem.

It is quite possible that it was a blocked jet, and it has merely blocked again because the carburettor wasn't cleaned properly or the fuel filter wasn't replaced. I find, with blocked jets, you have to do a thorough job to prevent it happening again! So, keep going back to that garage you paid, until they can absolutely assure you that it's not that at fault - in which case, they shouldn't have charged you the money...

Good luck!
-Alex