help please - won't start

hopefully someone can help me here,

my mate has a mk1 golf clipper cabriolet (1.8)

it has had a webber carb conversion which is brand new. he got the car 2 months ago and put the front up on axel stands to do some work to it, it was running fine but now 2 months on it wont start.

the engine is getting a spark, fuel and the timing is spot on.

he has now changed the distributor, coil, cap, rotor arm, plugs, leads, fuel chamber.  and he has even resorted to buying a ahynes manual…

he has tried the old and new carb, checked the engine is earthed….and it goes on.

i pretty much had to stop him taking a hammer to it….

have we missed something?  really lost now so im hopeing someone can help us out here

regards

eddie

the engine is getting a spark, fuel and the timing is spot on.

 :dontknow:  

Post location somebody local may help ? Looks like you have covered all issues . Alarm , immobilizer fitted ? Crap fuel ? Timing belt snapped ?

shouldnt this be in the big block carb section then?

ignition timing?

This is going to sound really obvious, but……did he pull the choke out? It won't start after 2 months without the choke!

Also if you've had the fuel system in bits, it might need priming with fuel again. And another thing, could be that in the 2 months the fuel lines have perished. Because the pump is on the engine and basically 'pulls' a vacuum through the feed line, its flexible hoses might have cracked and perished, drawing in air instead of fuel.

in gillingham, kent..

alarm etc is no problem, timing is good so there are no issues there, fuels lines are good also..

the fuel is spitting out the carb and the plugs are not getting wet,  he has tried the old carb, and the brand new one he has and still nothing…

the manifold the carb sits on is all ok too…

cheers for all the ideas, nothing seems to be working at the moment :dontknow:

any other ideas

if anyone has any ideas marks number is 07790195006

if you have any ideas please give him a call before he destroys the car :roll:  :wink:

Hello im new, could always try a compression test, that would eliminate head gasket, rings worn etc,

Hunty said

Hello im new, could always try a compression test, that would eliminate head gasket, rings worn etc,

all the work has been done mate, new h/g etc

michmash said

Hunty said

Hello im new, could always try a compression test, that would eliminate head gasket, rings worn etc,

all the work has been done mate, new h/g etc

Have you tried pulling the choke out then starting it then?

paul_c said

michmash said

Hunty said

Hello im new, could always try a compression test, that would eliminate head gasket, rings worn etc,

all the work has been done mate, new h/g etc

Have you tried pulling the choke out then starting it then?

we have, even with the choke fully out the plugs are not getting wet, however the carb is getting fuel

So if the carb is receiving fuel but its not going into the inlet manifold/cylinders, eventually the carb will be full of fuel and burst????? The fuel must be going somewhere - or its not actually flowing into the carb, at least not at any decent rate. If its going in and then coming out the return line, then it would point to a blockage in one of the jets of the carb, or the mixture is well out.

I'm having the same problem!!
I can see fuel going in and out carb. plugs are sooty but dry.
Does anyone have a weber manual?

this is probably another daft one but…

take the air filter off and turn the ignition on but dont turn the engine over! and let the fuel pump prime (thats if the pump is electric), look down into the carb, probably best to point a torch down there to, and either get someone to pump the throttle pedal or pump/push the cable under the carb…

can you see one of the jets spraying fuel into the chamber? if yes, then the carb may not be the problem, but if there's no fuel being sprayed in, then you may have the feed/return pipes the wrong way round (but might not)

however, you've done the head gasket so, you say it was spitting petrol out of the carb..? have you checked the pulley/cambelt timing? it may well be far enough out where its on its compression stroke and pushing the fuel out of the carb rather than sucking it in..? just a theory  :wink:

I think it might be a timing issue but not sure how to fix that. It's all that's left really.

Tried to start today and caused a massive bang from carb like a back fire but from front. Is this a timing issue?

exploding carbs anyone??

Reset the ignition timing to 0? static, then once up and running, adjust it so its sweetly running.

Sorry if this sounds dumb but how do I do that?

1. Set the engine to TDC (use mark on pulley at end, or on flywheel, peer thru the hole in the bellhousing and use a torch).
2. Pull off a spark plug lead and get another spark plug, lay it on the block so the spark plug thread is earthed thru the engine and you can see the plug's tip
3. Loosen the bolt for the distributor, turn on the ignition and turn back & forth until you create a spark. Find the exact point when you turn the dizzy BACK (ie if its a big block injection, then anticlockwise) which it sparks at. Tighten dizzy.

You can also use a voltmeter on some wires eg middle wire or coil trigger wire (terminal 1) instead of using the spark plug, if you wanted to.

cheers mate
I'll have  acrack st it tomorrow.