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The Car Thread


MadManMike

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I think I've just figured it out and I'm retarded for not thinking of this first.

The front right (Which is what's pulling) was flat when I put the wheels on - stupidly, I drove to ASDA very slowly to pump it up (It's literally a 2 minute drive).

Now when I look at the tyre it looks bulgy, as if it's flat, but it isn't. My guess is that the sidewall is f**ked and therefore pulling?

Why did I do that? Impatience.

To be fair, both the fronts were going to be replaced next month anyway, just a bummer that I have to do it sooner.

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So, an update:

I went to the place that did the alignment today.

The pump that I drove to was an old skool analogue one, which was wildly inaccurate as I did them up to 28psi and the guy at the garage checked and they were actually at 35psi!!

He let them down to 28psi and told me to see how it goes, also offered a free re-alignment in the next couple of weeks. The less pressure didn't make any difference, other than the handling being a little better - it still pulled right hard. I did a 40 mile drive in it and noticed that it kind of wanders at times, the pulling right is constant but sometimes it'll just drift either way and feel loose.

Tomorrow I will put my old wheels back on and see how it behaves. Not much more I can do until that is confirmed...

PS, that tyre wasn't damaged - it was a short distance at very low speed so no harm done.

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So, bits are coming together for the Capri's resurrection - one thing i'd like to do is convert it from the mechanical fuel pump to an electric one. It's not an injection system, most likely just gonna be a big four-barrel Holley or a 40 DFI Weber. What am I going to need to do it? Electric pump and some degree of regulator? How does it now how much fuel to feed the carb?

Proper schoolboy questions but it's new to me...

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Eurgh, really losing motivation with my car. Nobody seems to be able to work out whats going on with it and I seem to be ploughing loads of money into it without it feeling any better. Do I just sell it now for a big loss ( worth about 1k as is, spent about 3k inc buying it), break it and get a little more back (£1500ish but thats time and effort) or keep going with it? It is reliable now and generally works fine, just lumps you back and fourth in lower revs which means thrashing it to keep things 'smooth'. The novelty of hooning it everywhere has worn off, I want to be able to drive normally too...

Skoze you will need a pump and regulator for that yeah, won't you simply have a return line for any unneeded fuel?

Edited by CurtisRider
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Skoze you will need a pump and regulator for that yeah, won't you simply have a return line for any unneeded fuel?

Cool. Yeah, it's already running a return so that's something I guess. I think I might leave it mechanical to get it up and running again - apparently that's useful up to about 170bhp, so will probably rolling road it and see if it's worth the change.

Seems like really odd one with the Porsche though - what's left to replace in term of a to-do list of possibilities?

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At least rebuild the mechanical one, i've done a few on the machines on the farm and it makes one heck of a difference to the way they ran! We only did them because of age, not because of any known issues.

The things left to replace...apart from pipe work (which is all flowing nicely so I REALLY doubt it) there is just the engine block and head left but I did a compression test and it all came out grooooovy. Stumped! I have replaced pretty everything on the fuel, air and ignition, yet still no luck. I get a really severe series of backfires when starting from cold, not entirely sure what that means but it can be enough to pop off the vacuum pipework although that hasn't happened for a while now.

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Backfire through the inlet is usually associated with valves not seating/closing properly or ignition/valve timing being out.

Re-do a compression test but see if it holds compression, will give you an idea of what's going on.

My corsa used to do it, faulty crank sensor picked sent the ignition signal too early and it would pop back through the inlet just as induction stroke ended

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I left the compression tester on for a minute per cylinder with no change, was that not long enough? I've checked the ignition and valve timing so many times now, I feel like maybe I should be just handing it over to a specialist, but I begrudge handing over hundred in the process :( The car pulls really well, it's only in the lower revs where its the issue

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Some testers hold the value they pick up themselves via a non return valve.

We have one with that valve removed and turn the engine over by hand so we can accurately hold it on TDC and see how it holds. If it's giving good readings I doubt your issue is compression though.

Tried the simple stuff? Sometimes a small change such as new plugs/leads can do a world of good. Is it electronic ignition or via a dizzy?

Edit: Just re read that you've replaced the ignition side of it

Edited by SamKidney
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Not sure if it's applicable but the supermoto will spit back through the carb if the idle mixture is too lean, it occasionally happens if you crack the throttle open from cold.

Lean mixture could well make it lumpy as it could ignite early causing a sort of detonation state before it fires smoothly again.

Obviously my bike is carburetor rather than FI but that's the only time I've experienced blow backs into the inlet. Could you have an air leak between the throttle body and head?

Edited by forteh
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That was another possibility, air leak.

Spray something like brake cleaner/WD40 in a mist around your inlet manifold, not directly into the intake, and see if it changes the way it runs at all. If it does have an air leak it'll draw in that mist and effectlively richen the intake mixture and the engine will pickup a little

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Tested fine for air leaks, replaced pretty much all the hoses anyway though! I think I will take it to a local VW specialist who seem to understand older VWs, hopefully they can set up the car, it could be as simple as the wrong mixture as Ed says... without a gas tester i'm stuck for that though!

Cheers for everybody's help, any more suggestions then please fire away :)

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Surely you can gauge rough mixture from plug colour Paul?

Doesn't work like that unfortunately Tom, the plug colour is only indicative of the combustion state when the engine was stopped. In order to achieve this Paul would have to instantly kill the ignition, stop the engine and hold the throttle in exactly the same position when the misfire/problem happened, all whilst putting it into neutral and coming to a safe halt :D

If the problem is only at low revs but above idle then it would be very difficult to test it from a plug colour point of view.

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It's a purely mechanical system, no sensors as such although the clost thing to your suggestion is the metering head and the flap moves freely! A common part to get sticky though.

Yeah checking plugs means very little as Ed says, I could use a colour tune although i'm not sure how good they really are?

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Drove her many miles today to Goodwood and back.
1920414_1556112434603932_170181854986692
As I've lost one of the center caps I've taken them all off.
I'm having an odd inability to bleed the brakes, but Gareth has put me onto a trick I had totally overlooked to try and isolate the problem.
Basically I've put almost 2L of fluid through the system, with an Eezibleed, fluid's never run out or anything stupid like that.
But I just can't get the pedal right.
Yesterday I rebled and I got a few bubbles out of the nearside rear (furthest from the cylinder) and it feels a tiny bit better today. But it's just not right :(
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