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Post by stratman19 on Aug 25, 2004 7:41:51 GMT -5
Very cool story Strat. Inspiring to say the least.
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Post by samplestiltskin on Aug 27, 2004 17:18:18 GMT -5
Just how expensive is it to repair the seals on a fuel injection system? I think that's what my car's starting problem originates from, because when I press the throttle to the floor before starting it (shutting off the fuel lines, I'm told) it starts more easily. Every time I fix a problem with this damn Audi another one crops up.  |
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Post by RocDoc on Aug 27, 2004 17:54:57 GMT -5
Great good samaritan story, Strat....I'd try to hope(if and when good things like that happen to me)that it was just your good karma catching up with you. Of course IF it had gone total shit....well then it's just plain ol' bad luck  ~ Either way, your collection of the 'good' karma was enough... (*...walks away whistling 'Born Under A Bad Sign'....*)
(singing)
'I been doooown since I began to crawl....' |
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Post by strat-0 on Aug 28, 2004 12:15:59 GMT -5
Could be, Doc - I've done a few random acts of kindness here and there. Hope I still have some good karma left in the bank!
Hard to say, samples. A bad (leaking) pressure regulator might cause your starting symptom. I can't see any replaceable seals causing it - if they were bad you'd most likely smell gas. Leaking or clogged (dribbling rather than a nice spray) fuel injectors are common and could cause it. Sometimes a good cleaning will take care of it (NOT the "snake oil" that comes in a can that your pour in the gas tank), but they have to be replaced about as often, and they aren't too cheap. Also, some makers don't recommend cleaning their injectors at all - don't know about Audi off-hand and my Mitchell On Demand has timed out. If it's not too bad you might want to go with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy.
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Post by samplestiltskin on Aug 30, 2004 13:52:04 GMT -5
Hmm.. k. Thank you.
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Post by ScottsyII on Sept 4, 2004 10:30:31 GMT -5
Never had a starting problem with my littel beast, but she used to have a light come up on the dashboard constantly, regardless of the fact i had the whole system checked and it was deemed a - ok. The light denoted alean fuel / oxygen mix and it had be baffled for ages... it has since stoppe dhappening altogether after some long country driving stints i took last year.
My mehcanic later explained that the sensor that was setting the light off was inside the engine, and was most likely covered in carbon by - product sitting inside the engine, making it 'over" read the mix of chemicals inside the engine block. My country running would have cleared some of the carbon sluge out of the engine, and thus probably cleared the gunk over the sensor... she runs like a treat now, and never lights up a dashboard light.
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Post by rockkid on Oct 2, 2004 11:07:13 GMT -5
I had a Dodge like that. Drove her for two years with the “engine trouble” light on.
Same thing, nothing ever showed on the dyno.
Damn I hated that car. Never again.
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Post by strat-0 on Oct 2, 2004 11:56:50 GMT -5
That's what black electrical tape is for, Rock. Early computer-controlled systems were notorius for that. Can't get away with that in some states anymore, though.
I overlooked your post, Scottsy, traffic being so light in here. Your mechanic's analysis sounds right. Sounds like the O2 (oxygen) sensor may have been tricked into sending a signal to lean out the mixture. It screws into the exhaust manifold (and another after the converter on most newer models) and looks at the fuel mixture constantly, sending a signal to the computer to keep the air-fuel ratio at optimum (around 14.7:1).
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Post by ScottsyII on Oct 4, 2004 9:30:52 GMT -5
Thanks Strat! I think my mechanic got it all fixed right too... have been taking the little beast I know as "Wuv" (from her registration number) up and down the freeway frequently with no problems at all... in fact I have to say that she's running sweeter than ever, getting quite alot out of four little cylinders and 1.6 litres of displacement! :-)
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Post by rockkid on Oct 6, 2004 21:19:55 GMT -5
rockkid score of the day spinners for l’il Nicky! 4 high chrome spinners kinda the Maltese (semi West Coast Chopper) style spinners.
They’ll be here in one month & I got jobbers price YEAH!!!
Piss off du jour got new rubber & one of their skanky new shop guys tried to keep my after factory chrome otg valve caps.
The owner ragged his ass out royally. Wrong customer to fuck with.
Priced out a high performance exhaust (next & soonest) decided against glass back bottle, don’t want the tickets.
I’m over the moon w my spinners though. I won’t run them till spring though as our winters aren’t that great on specialty items.
Its gonna be so hard staring at them for months though.
Hooking a K&N filter & spray too!!!!
Car heaven.
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Post by strat-0 on Oct 6, 2004 22:50:59 GMT -5
You go, girl! Looking at some fart cans for it too, eh? Got your NOx system picked out yet? Gonna have you a little tuner, there! ;D
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Post by ScottsyII on Oct 21, 2004 8:57:38 GMT -5
I dunno, my little auto trans Pulsar is still a nice drive... leaves hands free for changing more CDs... :-)
This being said, the poor little girl has a bit of gremlin of late... I have a few theories about what might be troubling her, so feel free to add any comments / opinions / diagnosis if you think you have an idea...
Have been noticing a variable pattern of starting, although she still starts on the first turn of the key. The car accelerates generally strongly and moves through the auto trans smoothly, kicks down fine, etc...
except when she's been cold, she has had a flat spot when accelerating and shortly after up shifts of the transmission, when the motor is under load. Idle is a bit rougher than normal but not feeling terribly lumpy or anything.
The problem does not occur when the car is warm and has been running for more than ten minutes...
My theory?! Well she has an automatic choke, she's 14 years old, and methinks the thing might be just a tad worn, clogged or just plain stiff or sticky, causing my fuel mixture to be a bit inconsistent...
The car runs on a single point throttle body fuel injection system, so basically there isn't a great deal of sensitive electronics involved, I've had an oxygen sensor replaced in the past couple of years.
Other theories could include a clogged injector or maybe a fuel pump concern... but these beg the question, why does it only do it when she's just starting up and has only travelled less than a mile?! You'd think it'd recur a little more often if it wasn't related to the choke.
But I'm open to any theories! Probably calling my mechanic tomorrow, I'm just fascinated by all things related to cars and their running, so I love to discuss! Please tell if you know anything!
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Post by strat-0 on Oct 27, 2004 21:13:57 GMT -5
Hmmmmm... Well, Scottsy, it could be very simple - it doesn't sound like a real big problem. The throttle bore could be coked-up around the choke and/or throttle plates and shafts. This could be remedied with some carb spray like Gumout, working the linkage while you spray. Or, the shaft(s) bores could be wallowed out - tougher fix there... Shall I assume you've replaced the plugs in recent memory? Yes, let's. Other than that, I'd say your first lines of defense would be checking vacuum lines for leaks or detachments, or sensor lead wires not connected. These two things might cause the choke to not operate right. That's about all I can suggest, shooting from the hip, quick and dirty-like.
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Post by ScottsyII on Oct 28, 2004 5:10:03 GMT -5
Am trying premium unleaded in it this week... most premium formulations here have a cleaning agent integrated into them, good for unclogging carbon clogged mechanisms... we'll see.
In the meantime the problem is too intermittant for a mechanic to properly observe and diagnose. Just going to have to see if it gets better or worse, I guess.
Pain in the butt it is!
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Post by ScottsyII on Nov 1, 2004 5:34:21 GMT -5
New theory re: engine intermittantly cutting out in my Pulsar... The engine management computer is located underneath the passenger seat. Apparently a common fault with the model is one of the leads into the computer can be easily dislodged by passengers kicking it or items rolling under the seat and hitting it... this is quite a valid theory in my case as a passenger has recently travelled in the back who has a prosthetic leg and can't feel what she's doing...  I also store a CD wallet under there usually, which may have slid into it... Anyways, fiddled around with the leads and one of the holding clips for the lead closest to the passenger seat was lose and not properly fastened. We shall see whether this yeilds any effect! In the meantime, she's running quite sweet with the fuel system cleaner I put through it... :-) Just gotta eliminate this damn intermittent problem! Very certain its something along the lines of electrics now. |
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