Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 08:34 pm, by: Andre Banna(Andre)
Hi Anish,
the car does not seem to start faster but when the car is cranking and slow to start it usually helps to give it some throttle because sometimes when it starts it begins to be rough: low revs almost like its going to turn off, once i give it some throttle the car runs normal. Also, the exhaust initially gives out black smoke and followed by white smoke after the slow starts (ONLY on the slow starts) but once its running normal this smoking goes away.
Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 09:15 pm, by: Wafi Cheebo(Wafi)
Hi Andre, This problem could be related to the Idle Air control valve, due to the rough Idle but I am not to sure myself. Check out this information on Planet soarer http://www.planetsoarer.com./IAC/iac.htm
Sunday, November 18, 2007 - 09:43 pm, by: Andre Banna(Andre)
hi Wafi,
this is interesting information, but i am not sure if it would apply for my situation because my car only stalls or gets poor idle when it cranks to start. Im not sure but wouldnt a problem with the Idle Air Control valve always cause such problems - even if the car does not crank start?
Monday, November 19, 2007 - 05:06 am, by: Anish Varsani(Yomama)
Try the fuel pump bypass to see if that fixes your problem. You should be able to find it using the search facility. I'm in a hurry otherwised I paste the link.
Thursday, November 22, 2007 - 01:08 pm, by: Andre Banna(Andre)
An update, on Tuesday I came to the start the car and all i herd was a big clunk type sound from the engine as i was starting it up. Its hard to describe it but it was loud and not the same sound as when the battery is flat (ticking sound), it was like a chopping sound. But then on Wednesday and Today i have been driving the car and the awful sound has not appeared since that day. However the soarer is still slow to start.
Also i tried the Fuel Pump bypass but this did not help the slow start or that awful sound. It still cranks before it start.
Monday, December 17, 2007 - 08:11 pm, by: Andre Banna(Andre)
ORIGINAL POST: An update, on Tuesday I came to the start the car and all i herd was a big clunk type sound from the engine as i was starting it up. Its hard to describe it but it was loud and not the same sound as when the battery is flat (ticking sound), it was like a chopping sound. But then on Wednesday and Today i have been driving the car and the awful sound has not appeared since that day (it was a hot day too)
Update: Since then the starter motor has been replaced with a new one.
Again on Friday it was a hot day, as i came to start the car it would not start making a quiet sound, no response. Later that day racv came to my house and after many attempts with no reaction the car eventually started (racv guy did nothing but just kept turning the key). he told me that i have a problem with my head gaskets, which is causing the engine to hydraulic lock? He said that it will keep failing to start on hot days.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 12:08 am, by: Andre Banna(Andre)
so it turns out my car engine is hydraulic locking when i come to start it on hot days, I have been told this by RACV and that it is due to a head gasket problem? Is this the only reason why my engine would be hydrolocking on hot days? What can i do to diagnose the problem?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 01:57 am, by: Peter Nitschke(Pen)
Hydraulic locking is when fluid enters the cylinder stopping the piston from going up as fluids don't compress like the normal air does.
If.. this is happening, then the only cause I can think of, would be the head gasket allowing coolant to leak into the cylinder. I guess it could also be possibly fuel or oil, but less likely.
Why it would only happen on hot days though, I have no idea, and head gasket problems on the V8 (without it being cooked first) are also very rare.
So, are any of your fluid levels dropping?
It is often cheaper to replace the V8 engine than to repair it, as due to the usual reliability there isn't much demand for replacement engines.
Friday, December 21, 2007 - 11:40 am, by: Andre Banna(Andre)
Thanks Peter for your advice. My car was playing up yesterday again, first few times i tried to start up and no reaction - nothing happens to the engine as i turn the key. So I left the key in the ON position for a while and repeatedly put my foot down on the pedal - after a few more starts the engine eventually reacted and began to crank then the car finally started. After all this I drove to the city and later drove back that day, no trouble at all with the car. The engine always reacted to each time i came to start. If my car was hydraulic locking wouldnt it be driving rough, would it even start after all that?
What are the chances that this problem is due to a failing Fuel Pump? how can i test to see whether it is the fuel pump? If not, any other suggestions?
Friday, December 21, 2007 - 07:35 pm, by: Andre Banna(Andre)
Hey Peter only the coolant has dropped about 4cm over the last few weeks. since iv topped it up its dropped only a tiny bit. i have traced it back to the thermostat, i can see a bit of coolant leaking in that area, i think this is due to a bad seal - in the last month my mechanic replaced the starter motor and then checked it again after i had the same problems. I am aware that the thermostat needs to be resealed, or replaced?
Other than that, fluid levels are fine. Also, as far as im concerned the v8 has not been cooked either. I have had no trouble with the car while driving it (only startup issues), thats why i was shocked when i was told that my head gaskets were the problem.
Saturday, December 22, 2007 - 10:14 am, by: Peter Nitschke(Pen)
If you aren't losing any fluid, then the only way it could possibly get hydraulic lock, would be if fuel was flooding in eg from a leaky injector. You wouldn't notice the drop in fuel.
It's a 4 litre engine, so each cylinder has .5 litre displacement. At 10:1 compression ratio I am guessing you would need over 50ml of fluid to cause the lock.
If you lost 50ml of coolant or oil each time it has locked, has it happened enough times for it to be noticeable?
Another way to check, would be to pull all the spark plugs out, turn it over and see what comes out. You would need to do this when it has just locked, but before it has a chance to clear, or when you think the conditions are right for it to lock, eg hot day etc.
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