Help Needed - Pretty Please

[eck_johnston 2]

hello,

 

i'm having some trouble with my 1.6...

a while ago it stopped working - symptoms were

 

Had been running ok, then having been parked for a wee bit (a few hours) , would start then run for a few seconds before dieing a coughing and spluttering death.

spraying carb cleaner into the air filter made it run properly, revving freely etc, but as soon as the spray is stopped the engine coughs to a stop.

when the afm was unplugged and the idle speed is cranked up it ran, but obviously very roughly (just enough to get me a few miles home).

 

since then i've spent ages trawling through threads on here of people with similar problems and replaced various things (new or 'known working' from folks on here) without success, and have resisted posting until i'd run out of ideas/enthusiasm for 205s. replaced things include...

 

tachy relay

afm

spark plugs

distributor cap

rotor arm

coil

fuel filter

fuel lines

ignition amplifier

ecu temp sender

 

i've also tested the SAD and fuel pump, both of which seem to be ok.

 

a week or two ago i thought the problem(s) had been solved, as the car fired up easily, then ran evenly and smoothly for a good while, allowing me to go for a wee blast. woohoo!

once it was up to a good temperature though, there was a bit of hesitation on the throttle, a couple of wee back fires, and the idle started hunting a bit, getting wilder and wilder until it coughed to a spluttering halt. again. rubbish.

no amount of further starting attempts would get it going properly again.

at this point i pulled the SAD out and tested it was working once warmed up. it was. i also changed the ecu temp sender for a new one.

 

it now fires and starts sometimes, but is back firing loads and will not rev past about 4000 rpm. as soon as my foot is off the throttle it stalls.

i've tried retarding and advancing the distributor, with some effect on how easily it fires into life, but no real change otherwise to the running, or lack of.

i've also gone through a few sets of plugs while trying to sort this out - they are going soundly black very quickly with the bad running.

 

as an added bonus (but I don't think connected to the running problem), my indicators have gone to hell doing various odd things on the dash, with the headlights etc etc etc.

i think this is due to old wires getting shoved around behind the headlamps while i've been rummaging with batteries and afms and so on.

 

so.. that's all the clues i think

sorry for the long confusing post, but it probably reflects my state of mind..

 

 

any ideas?

 

ta

 

eck

Edited May 3, 2010 by eck_johnston

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I would check the wiring for continuity from all the various components back to the ECU. It sounds similar to when I had a duff Air flow meter on an 8v car- but if your wiring is knackered and the ECU is not seeing the correct signal this could also be the cause.

 

I've got a Blue-Point check it gadget to plug in if you want?

[kate205gti 4]

is the ignition amp definately seated properly with the gel stuff? sounds like a similar problem i had with my mi16 a few years back - turned out to be the ignition amp and a dodgy injector let go at the same time

[24seven 104]

Some new ignition amps are known to be useless as well. Generally the only ones to go for are Bosch units. I'd been getting some strange running issues with my Mi recently, not entirely dissimilar to yours which I had put down to the AFM, but it turned out to be the ign amp plug working loose because of a weak spring. It's strange the number of weird problems those things can cause.

[Guest mulletsrokk]

My 1.6 was behaving like this recently. Wouldn't idle, backfiring, overfuelling and hunting idle. The main battery earth was corroded.

 

The 205 is prone to earth faults, the original earthing blocks were rubbish. There are two behind the headlights on the chassis legs. Take them off and crimp on some eyelets. There are two either side of the steering column also. Worth a check.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

The 205 is prone to earth faults, the original earthing blocks were rubbish. There are two behind the headlights on the chassis legs. Take them off and crimp on some eyelets. There are two either side of the steering column also. Worth a check.

 

Now this is true, but those two earth blocks are for the headlights and indicators etc, not the engine wiring.

[Guest mulletsrokk]

Now this is true, but those two earth blocks are for the headlights and indicators etc, not the engine wiring.

 

Agreed, but I just mentioned them as I thought that would cover his indicator/dash lights problem as well.

[eck_johnston 2]

thanks for the suggestions.

 

i had started suspecting some shonky wiring from the various components mentioned. tom - is it a continuity tester you have or a plug in diagnostics/analysis thing? is there a way to test AFMs off the car, in case i've managed to be in possession of 2 duff ones?

 

i have had a look at the earth blocks in behind the headlamps having read of them giving grief, and assuming they'd be the cause of the indicators going bonkers - they don't look tooo bad, but i was planning on cleaning them up or replacing them. could I snip all the cables going into them and earth them direct to the body with decent new ring terminals?

 

the ignition amp is a used working one, so should be ok. it's also mounted properly with thermal paste stuff.

 

the main earth from the battery to gearbox has been replaced fairly recently along with the battery clamps , but i'll make sure all the connections from the battery are clean and tight at both ends.

 

thanks again

 

eck

Edited May 4, 2010 by eck_johnston

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

tom - is it a continuity tester you have or a plug in diagnostics/analysis thing? is there a way to test AFMs off the car,

 

To use it you remove the main plug from the ECU. This then plugs into one half of the test box loom, the other half plugs back into the ECU. It has proper connectors to allow this to happen. It then gives a visual readout of what the ECU is seeing from the engine. Also gives in the form of a series of LED's an indication of AFM position. Can be used with engine running or off.

[eck_johnston 2]

hrrmm..possibly linked problems above.

 

i just had a rake around the earth block in behind the rear light cluster, which was earthing to a nice pile of rust.

needless to say, running to a good earth made all the indicators and headlamps etc work just fine.

 

now, am i right in thinking the fuel pump earths to this block too, or does it go somewhere else?

you can maybe see where i'm going here, but unfortunately it just started pouring with rain so i couldn't see if this also made a difference to the running problems.

 

any thoughts?

 

ta

 

eck

[welshpug 1,657]

IIRC it does earth there, its wire M76.

[eck_johnston 2]

tentatively i'll say there's been some success!

rain stopped... earth lead attached to rear cluster earth block.... car runs!

dirty plugs and fiddled with dizzy etc don't help, but it idles and revs without clouds and clouds of smoke and back firing.

 

ta

 

eck