Car issues ahoy!

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Discussion

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Monday 2nd May 2011
quotequote all
Hi chaps, I've unfortunately got a few problems at the moment that I'm hoping I can have some help with to fix.

1: I fitted a new 4-2-1 exhaust. I previously had the standard single piped Caterham example. My problem is that the exhaust sounds odd when driving. I liken it to having a playing card in your bikes spokes, and then spinning the wheel. This only occurs when the accelerator is pressed.
I'll try post up a sound clip as it's hard to describe.


2: My idle is up the swan. I'm having to rev it at junctions to prevent it from stalling. This problem only occurs when at very low revs e.g. sitting at tick over, creeping up to a junction.
It'll go from 1000 RPM steady, then blip to nothing then back again. The engine has to catch it's self to prevent stalling. But at times it'll stall when the revs drop.
It happened to me today while pulled over in a lay by. Not a big issue.
It also happened on the way home mid roundabout due to some ill positioned traffic lights causing traffic to stop on it.


3: Last but not least. My car is deciding not to start at every turn of the key either (e.g. when stalled on the roundabout mentioned previously!). The lights work still, so I'm still getting power. Turn the key and I get a click but nothing more.
I've recently put a new battery in and positive lead to the starter motor. If the starter motor engages, it starts first time.
I don't think it's the battery at fault, neither the connection as I can park the car. Turn off the car, start it back up again to check all's well. Then come back to it after a short while, to find it then won't start.

I'm thinking the 'dreaded click of death/ doom/ annoyance', but it often won't start when cold, so it's not isolated to when hot. I though that was a characteristic?

croftsj

375 posts

245 months

Monday 2nd May 2011
quotequote all
Cant comment on 1 & 2 but 3 sounds like the click, easily fixed with a relay from Halfords some wire & 15 minutes of time, check the 7FAQs on Blat Chat for the How To guide.

croftsj

375 posts

245 months

Monday 2nd May 2011
quotequote all
Cant comment on 1 & 2 but 3 sounds like the click, easily fixed with a relay from Halfords some wire & 15 minutes of time, check the 7FAQs on Blat Chat for the How To guide.

forest07

672 posts

212 months

Monday 2nd May 2011
quotequote all
No 1 could be a loose baffle in the silencer. A number of the cheaper aftermarket exhaust suppliers sytems appear to suffer this problem.

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Monday 2nd May 2011
quotequote all
croftsj said:
Cant comment on 1 & 2 but 3 sounds like the click, easily fixed with a relay from Halfords some wire & 15 minutes of time, check the 7FAQs on Blat Chat for the How To guide.
I had starting issues a while back which turned out to be a bad connection on the positive lead to the starter motor. In the mean time, I bought the items mentioned in the FAQ but never fitted due to sorting the problem. I also thought that I'd leave well alone once it was working. Knowing my luck I'd cause more issues!
On that note, I never bought any wire for the job. Do I need to use specific stuff? I'm guessing anything suitable for a house won't do?

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Monday 2nd May 2011
quotequote all
forest07 said:
No 1 could be a loose baffle in the silencer. A number of the cheaper aftermarket exhaust suppliers sytems appear to suffer this problem.
It's a Caterham item. The VHPD model, but it is a second hand exhaust....

Shaun_E

748 posts

267 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2011
quotequote all
1. Could be poor seal of the primaries to the head - did you fit a new exhaust gasket? I was next to a Duratec car at Goodwood on Saturday that made the noise you describe and it was due to a poorly fitting gasket.
Hope the exhaust is OK otherwise.

croftsj

375 posts

245 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2011
quotequote all
Gingerbread Man said:
croftsj said:
Cant comment on 1 & 2 but 3 sounds like the click, easily fixed with a relay from Halfords some wire & 15 minutes of time, check the 7FAQs on Blat Chat for the How To guide.
I had starting issues a while back which turned out to be a bad connection on the positive lead to the starter motor. In the mean time, I bought the items mentioned in the FAQ but never fitted due to sorting the problem. I also thought that I'd leave well alone once it was working. Knowing my luck I'd cause more issues!
On that note, I never bought any wire for the job. Do I need to use specific stuff? I'm guessing anything suitable for a house won't do?
Vehicle wiring is different to house wiring!
IIRC you need a length from one of the relay terminals to the solenoid?

The 'problem' sometimes appears to sort itself, it will be back if it's the click!

Steve-B

749 posts

289 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2011
quotequote all
1,2 could be the Lambda sensor, if your car has one. Was it on Cyl 4 and you've moved it down the pipe, or up the pipe, or from the Cataclysmic Perverter to Cyl 4?

If answer to ANY of those is a Yes, you could consider trying to pip imoboliser On, then turn key on (but not engage starter). Push accelerator in/out 5 times, then turn off and pip imoboliser.

I've had 2 several times putting on/watching fall off CP and had to do this. If you've not got an Emerald (E.G. MBE, etc) you really may have to do this.

Just a thought for what it's worth is an easy fix/try!

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2011
quotequote all
croftsj said:
Vehicle wiring is different to house wiring!
IIRC you need a length from one of the relay terminals to the solenoid?

The 'problem' sometimes appears to sort itself, it will be back if it's the click!
I'll have to go get some wire then. An auto factors?? What grades good?

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Tuesday 3rd May 2011
quotequote all
Steve-B said:
1,2 could be the Lambda sensor, if your car has one. Was it on Cyl 4 and you've moved it down the pipe, or up the pipe, or from the Cataclysmic Perverter to Cyl 4?

If answer to ANY of those is a Yes, you could consider trying to pip imoboliser On, then turn key on (but not engage starter). Push accelerator in/out 5 times, then turn off and pip imoboliser.

I've had 2 several times putting on/watching fall off CP and had to do this. If you've not got an Emerald (E.G. MBE, etc) you really may have to do this.

Just a thought for what it's worth is an easy fix/try!
I've put the lambda sensor back in primary 4 as there was a boss for it. Could this have got damaged during the change over? Anyway to check?

I've tried the resetting procedure, but it's never got any better. I don't hear anything happen after 'resetting' though. Should there be an obvious sign? I've always none the wiser.

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Thursday 5th May 2011
quotequote all
Right, I've just carried out the 'Relay Mod'. Lets hope that this sorts out my starting issues.

I still have a rough idle. Car idles at 1500RPM dropping to 0. The engine normally catches and doesn't stall, but not always.

I'm thinking either the Lambda sensor or Idle Air Control Valve (IACV) could be at fault.

The lambda sensor I swapped over from the old exhaust to the knew, so I have put my jinxed hands on it.

The IACV just sounds like it should be at fault!?


If I can find a local K series Caterham owner to me, can I swap these things over and see if my car runs better, or is this not likely?

David

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Saturday 7th May 2011
quotequote all
Shaun_E said:
1. Could be poor seal of the primaries to the head - did you fit a new exhaust gasket? I was next to a Duratec car at Goodwood on Saturday that made the noise you describe and it was due to a poorly fitting gasket.
Hope the exhaust is OK otherwise.
I think you were bang on. Just fitted a new gasket and appears to be fine. I've only been on a short run due to the time and weather, but all seems better.

Thanks.

rubystone

11,254 posts

266 months

Sunday 8th May 2011
quotequote all
You can reset iacv - I can't recall the procedure but search Blatchat for it. But it sounds like you might need the ecu mapped properly. What ecu is it? Mems?

Gingerbread Man

Original Poster:

9,173 posts

220 months

Sunday 8th May 2011
quotequote all
rubystone said:
You can reset iacv - I can't recall the procedure but search Blatchat for it. But it sounds like you might need the ecu mapped properly. What ecu is it? Mems?
I've tried resetting the iacv. Not much luck.

It's the original rover ECU.