Technical randomly cutting out

[charlieboy]

i know this has been asked before i just cant seem to find the thread!

after driving for more than an hr my uno will just die,the battery light will come on and then it wont start again for about another 30->60 mins later!! :bang:

whats wrong with the little fella? cz it isnt good as i keep being sworn at by other 'non-fiat' road users (think its cz theyre jelous lol)


cheers charlie

 

[Chas Uno]

Hey Charlieboy,

First of all, what model of Uno do you have and is it fuel injected?

Secondly, the symptoms could well be that of carburetor icing. Does it start losing power, then won't idle, before the engine dies? Does it only do it when it is cold/ chilly? Could be the infamous carb icing if that is so.

If it cuts out straight away without a gradual loss of power/ miss firing it is probably electrical. Something over heating perhaps?

Let the board know a bit more about how the car behaves leading up to the problem and we might be able to make a better diagnosis.

Chas

 

[charlieboy]

its not in cold weather, more like when the engine has been running for a while. the car dies, even when in gear (just like i had switched off ignition whilst driving) but before it cuts out it looses speed at a fair pace.

its happend twice now, first time i waited for AA cz didnt know what was wrong, when he arrived (an hour later) it just started and he suggested it was electrical faults?

second time i was driving my girlfriend home and it died just drivin down the street, so turned of igintion and rolled along for about 10meters, twisted key and it strted (not perfectly but it started)

cars mk2,'93 plate 1.0l i.e start, and has fuel injection

cheers charlie

 

[Luke]

IIRC the problem is down to teh distributor on the fuel injected cars. What happens is when the distrubtor heats up, the wires in part of the distributor (the bit on the back i think) expands and eventually loose contact - so it cuts out randomly with no warning.

This is also why it takes a while before you can drive them again - becuase the dist. has to cool down before the wires contract and make contact again.

 

[Luke]

Just read somewhere else that somebody had the same problem - changed the dizzy and it still happened. But found it was down to the crank sensor - worth checking out

 

[Louie Bee]

Also, Is there an oil leak from the distributor (Yet) see https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=24730.

The Pickup sensor inside distributor may be dirty too. Shop4parts.co.uk sell them if you can't clean it up (attached image from their web site)

 

[cm246]

Hello there mate
I had exactly the same problem
and it was the distrubutor but thanks to Bushboy (he gave me his when he broke his uno) now its working perfect.
The leak from the distributor at the connection with the main engine comes from the o'ring try and change that as well

 

[charlieboy]

how much the new distributor cost from the shops?

cheers charlie

 

[whatoncewas]

Get it from http://www.shop4parts.co.uk/
cheaper.

Fiat will charge lots and I doubt any 3rd party will do them.

You could also try scrap yards.

 

[charlieboy]

Louie Bee "Also, Is there an oil leak from the distributor (Yet) see"

jus had a look and there seems to be a splash of fresh oil, also why out i saw a tiny bit of smoke sneak out from under my bonnet (taking it as being from the oil that got hot) hasnt cut out so far (touch wood!)

charlie

 

[Luke]

Just as a note - when going to shop4parts, refresh the page till the banner above is theirs, and access their page that way. That way FiatForum gets paid for it

 

[Louie Bee]

Louie Bee "Also, Is there an oil leak from the distributor (Yet) see"

jus had a look and there seems to be a splash of fresh oil, also why out i saw a tiny bit of smoke sneak out from under my bonnet (taking it as being from the oil that got hot) hasnt cut out so far (touch wood!)

charlie

Hi All,

Charlie, What have you done so since last time (any new parts)?

Its best to check again when engine cold!

Check the coolant level.

Look around the cam cover and see if it’s leaking (Common fault).

It could well be oil that’s dripped onto the hot manifold. Or steam. What colour was the smoke (prob Oil if thick lingering black smoke)?

Also, look in a straight line below the distributor to see if there is a build up of old oil and dirt around where the Flywheel's rubber bung is. If you’re going to do one cam cover gasket, you might as well do O-ring gasket. Might be the distributor shaft Oil seal Alex GS weights about on other thread.

You may have had the oil leak for some time, and not noticed the smoke.

:hm: At cold Idol the air box should suck warm air from the top of exhaust manifold. In theory, if smoke gets sucked in too, it will work through the engine and on its way out it will affect the Lambada Sensor’s oxygen reading.

Intern the ECU relies on Lambada sensor to set the fuel / air mixture at idol, so possibly resulting in rough idol, and shorter Cat life. I wonder If anyone has experienced it.

Anyway, IMO that won’t make the car cut out like yours has been.

Make sure the Engine’s radiator fan is cuts in as normal ( a couple of marks above horizontal on my temp gage) lol

Regards All,

 

[charlieboy]

no new parts, jus tyres. had an mot on thursday an passed ok with a bit of wrk (headlight aimed to high, brake light bubl out) was tld had a small oil leak tht wouldnt cause any problems any time soon so it was ok for now.

the smoke was a thick grey, it was jus a single cloud tht popped out before i pulled away

charlie

 

[Louie Bee]

was tld had a small oil leak tht wouldnt cause any problems any time soon so it was ok for now....charlie

Wicked,

I'd still check the oil isn't getting into the flywheel and clutch as AlexGS suggests. (other post link just above my last attachment). Also that the spark plugs are not getting drowned by oil.

TBH I’ve sometimes wondered whether garages tell you its OK, so it leads to more work:- IE a visit for a new clutch before time.

OK Oil leaks can block them selves, but not very often The gaskets are less than £4(+ VAT and P+P). for both and can be fitted really easily. Stitch in time saves 9 and that.

:bang: Besides, it makes a mess of your regular parking spots lol.

Your call Charlie M8 - Good Luck either way.

Regards All,

 

[whatoncewas]

If your rocker/cam cover gasket seal is leaking, I'd say change it. That will also give you a chance to completely clean out all the gunk crap from the underside of the rocker cover, and also the breather tube area.

Mine was completely blocked when I noticed cam cover leaking. Used oven cleaner to clean the cover (proper shiny after!) and got a new tube and flange. There was a significant increase in torque afterwards.

Talking of oil leaks. I think there might be a small one on my Uno from the sump gasket. In the area where the cambelt cog is. It might be previously as the oil was over-filled, but either way what do you guys think?

 

[Louie Bee]

Hi All,

... (proper shiny after!) and got a new tube and flange...

Any pictures?

Talking of oil leaks. I think there might be a small one on my Uno from the sump gasket. In the area where the cambelt cog is. It might be previously as the oil was over-filled, but either way what do you guys think?

:spin: Perhaps

Park in a clean spot for a few hours, and then check for new oil marks. You should get a good idea of how much its loosing, and if its safe look under ( with cooled engine (Off)).

Check around the sump gasket, and look out for rust on the sump.

Try and mop up any "wet" oil from around the engine. I wouldn't use oven cleaner on the sump. It most prob. contains salt and other rust catalysts. dry rag should do.

Let us know how you get on.

After a day or so (wi cold engine off), have another look for fresh "wet" oil. trace leak?

 

[Luke]

when i first changed my sump i had a leak where you said ts86. Turns out it was becuase the instant gasket had got smudged therefor didnt seal properly. Secondly i found i had a leak from my oil pump so i made a new gasket for it. Never leaked since

 

[whatoncewas]

I can take some photos of how the engine bay currently is. The head is certainly way cleaner than the other parts of the engine, but has got a bit mucky since I cleaned it (not shiny anymore). You still want?

The car's never drip leaked and the oil level never gone below or low (touch woods).

I pretty much want to leave my car running as sweet as possible, and only do things if I really have to or they're genuinely easy. I'll check again in a couple of days to see if what's I have cleaned has returned again or not.

BTW, is compressed air good to make oil gunk deposits shift?

 

[Louie Bee]

I can take some photos of how the engine bay currently is. The head is certainly way cleaner than the other parts of the engine, but has got a bit mucky since I cleaned it (not shiny anymore). You still want?...

...BTW, is compressed air good to make oil gunk deposits shift?

Yer, get some photos up for us.

Compressed air will only spread the oil further - .