Got her running at last

Sorry, but I'm so pleased to have got her running tonight, I just had to tell you....well anyone really.

It's been quite aggravating since I got her home back at the beginning of March and constantly failing to get her started despite all the usual replacing and checking stuff on the electrics and fuel side.

Anyway, I cracked it tonight and I am well chuffed.

That great sound is now my ring tone too (but it doesn't sound quite as good on a Nokia!)

Congratulations

Only problem now is everytime your phone goes, you'll be reminded you need to finish the rest of the car so you can hear the sound more often

Are you going to let us know what the trick was then, or should we find out for ourselves

Originally Posted by jools

Are you going to let us know what the trick was then, or should we find out for ourselves

I'm sure that replacing all the HT leads, condenser, rotor etc and pumping through a few litres of old fuel, cleaning the filter helped in some way but it still wouldn't hint at catching until finally...

One fully recharged new battery, a seriously long blast of Easi-Start down the carbs, no choke, three pumps of the throttle, clutch in, a long turn of the key and she fired but died after a few seconds. A deep breath and repeat without pumping. She caught and struggled, just as I thought she was stalling I gave the throttle the merest feather and ker-Blam!! We have ignition!

A bit of popping and spitting but gradually coaxed her up to smoother revving around 3-4000 until I couldn't stand the fumes in the garage any longer! About three minutes.

Then 5 minutes later she started off her own bat without Easistart or pumping -just a tickle as she caught. Another 4-5 minutes before I had to stop.

Later at about 10pm I had to just nip back out and see if she'd repeat the trick....whoo-Hooo!!! What a noise! What a sweety! It has really lifted my spirits and feels like a major breakthrough.

My wife came out smirking when it first fired up - the noise was so loud (no back box and in a small garage!)

Shhhh Jim, I'm supposed to be working, now I want to go in the Garage......

If you continually have trouble starting it may be that the head gasket is leaking water into the cylinders. I had the same on the Matta....but it could simply be that it's been idle for so long

wrinx

Excellent! Congratulations!

Now I'm not at all eager to go home and see "my" car and fire it up...not at all.

//P

Originally Posted by wrinx

If you continually have trouble starting it may be that the head gasket is leaking water into the cylinders. I had the same on the Matta....but it could simply be that it's been idle for so long

wrinx

I hope it's the latter! Thanks for putting a "dampener" on it for me Wrinx!

If the head gasket has been on the car a long time it might be worth changing anyway before to long. The specialist that services my Bertie says it is wise to change them every 8 years or so, had mine change last year and even though there was only a small oil leak on the out side of the engine block and no water in the cylinders, the old gasket looked well passed its best.

Originally Posted by alfatastic

If the head gasket has been on the car a long time it might be worth changing anyway before to long. The specialist that services my Bertie says it is wise to change them every 8 years or so, had mine change last year and even though there was only a small oil leak on the out side of the engine block and no water in the cylinders, the old gasket looked well passed its best.

I didn't know that one, thanks Alfatastic.

It was changed around 25 years ago when he bought it knowing it had failed- from the history supplied by the last but one owner.

The oil and water looks OK. Do you or Wrinx know how else I can check for this given that I can't drive the car at the moment?

Sorry I'm not much of a mechanic, but I think you may find that the only way of checking for sure involves removing the cylinder head, in which case you'd be daft not to replace it if you gone to the trouble of taking that off.

Especially as half the gasket will be stuck to the head and the other half to the block. I'd leave it there unless it's actually leaking.

I don't think the starting problem was down to the gasket leaking water into the cylinders, I think it was more to do with the car not having been started for a while (like year!).

Won't a compression check throw up a head gasket problem??

Originally Posted by 73GTVJim

I hope it's the latter! Thanks for putting a "dampener" on it for me Wrinx!

Sorry....was hoping to give a little clue for the future

I've read that the old Twincam has a bit of an appetite for head gaskets and running problems can be blamed on that...certainly the Matta became more and more difficult to start until it refused...chucking water out of the radiator was also a clue

wrinx

Originally Posted by VeloceMitch

Won't a compression check throw up a head gasket problem??

I would guess so. She is starting more readily now, if not exactly first turn of the key. I've been trying to have her run every couple or three days since first getting her going. She's still popping a bit and not ticking over so well but I'm putting that down to lack of choke and not running long enough to get her really warmed through. I'm thinking along Mound Dawg's lines and being pretty relaxed about it now she is running.

Wrinx - I realised it was meant as a tip. Thank you. The inverted commas on "dampener" were meant as a play on words (water leaking) - sorry if it looked a bit snappy. Too subtle for my own good sometimes. ..or not as funny as I thought!

Also worthwhile cleaning your carbs up if the car's been stood any length of time. They may well contain some dirt or at least be tarnished due to lying idle. If I were you, I'd also replace the head gasket as a matter of course.While you're doing this, you may as well check out the condition of the aluminium cylinder head- they have been known to suffer from corrosion but nothing that can't be fixed by alu welding followed by skimming.

Originally Posted by 73GTVJim

Wrinx - I realised it was meant as a tip. Thank you. The inverted commas on "dampener" were meant as a play on words (water leaking) - sorry if it looked a bit snappy. Too subtle for my own good sometimes. ..or not as funny as I thought!

No problem, sometimes difficult to read the right intention

wrinx