Favorit cuts out randomly

[Skodanaut]

Hi all,

 

Suggestions welcome please.

 

My Favorit ('94 SPI 50k miles) is cutting out intermittently. It starts fine (first turn of the key) and runs beautifully and ticks over sweetly.

 

But it randomly just dies. It will sometimes instantly re-start after much cranking it over.  Sometimes it won't.  It has cut out when pulling off from a roundabout , when cruising on the motorway, gonig up hill and down hill, turning left and right.  no commonality to any of the circumstances. 

 

I've changed the dist. cap, rotor arm, plugs, & fuel filter. I changed the fuel filter Sun eve and it's driven 50 miles  with no issues,  and then cut out when my wife was driving it 3 times this morning 

 

I can't see any loose earth wire or connections anywhere. 

 

It's got a factory(?) / dealer immobiliser on it - little red key and slot on the dash.

 

Any suggestions please. This is driving me mad.....

 

how can I best test the fuel pump? is it time to drain the tank and check for any junk in there?

 

Thanks...

 

(and the head gasket has gone on the Felicia.... bah humbug..... ) :{(>

[dohnjoe]

intermittents are hardest to solve.

it can be as easy as ignition switch worn out or as hard as a 'cold' soldering joint in ECU 

to me it sounds like an electrical problem.

I know it's generic but you need to use the no-start situation to your advantage.

here is what to do as preliminary measures:

- disconnect all electrical connectors you see in engine bay area

- spray WD40 in each one of male/female parts and let it do its job for a while then remove excess

- reconnect all

- go to relay/fuse panel and do the same as above with relays and fuses

- if you have new relays for fuel pump and X-relief, replace them

 

in case you have a no start again:

- let it sit with key off for a few minutes then key on and listen for fuel pump buzzing

- if ok, check for spark when cranking

- if ok you need to wiggle wires in turn and crank; some wires may just hanging out by a thread

[RusFav]

Hi, have you changed the coil pack? Mine cut out when I picked it up (on the chuffing A1) and we checked everything and it turned out to be the coil pack.

Just a though, good luck with it.

[TeflonTom]

it could also be the crank sensor gone wrong, its on top of the gearbox bellhousing wiith a 3 pin plug

[Skodanaut]

Coil pack,and crank sensor changed. Started and then went 10 yards before dieing! Arrrrrgh...

So far it's had

Fuel filter

Dist cap

Rotor arm

coil pack

crank sensor and cable

Any more suggestions welcomed

A 24 mile drive to work takes 2 hrs by public transport.:{(>

Cheers all.

[dohnjoe]

did you apply any of my suggestions?

because changing parts blindly and hoping it will run is a method that proved to be, as expected, bad...

[Skodanaut]

A belated response to this after family illness (now thankfully resolved) has minimised my online-ness. Although it 'felt' electoral turns out it was the fuel pump. Took my local old skool mechanic an age to diagnose it, to his embarrassment, so much so that he only charged me half the time it actually took him! Enjoying driving the truck again very much...

[RicardoM]

In case of no start and the fuel pump is suspected, old school mechanics start by doing two things:

• open the fuel filler cap and listen for buzzing when key on
• bang on the fuel tank with a rubber mallet to try to unfreeze a dying pump (similar is done to a starter)

Of course the most efficient diagnosis is to hook a fuel pressure gauge to the fuel rail.

[Marios]

did you try spraying some sort of conductive anti moisture on the plugs? 

 

mine had the same problem and traced it to spark plug leads

[StevesTruck]

Have you checked for a spark when it's not starting?

[Skodanaut]

Tgsnks for the suggestions. Turns out the fuel pump was intermittently cutting out. Which is why sometimes it would restart first turn or sometimes not!