Occasional poor starter

Van - 1997 - 1000cc

Occasionally it struggles to start. Problems started day after we got it home, it had a good hour drive the night before, then the next morning it wouldn't fire, put a new battery on, still wouldn't go, played about with the HT leads, it fired, it's ran fine for 4 weeks now, then tonight the missus rings me (I work away during the week) that it wouldn't start. I got her to wiggle and press in the HT leads, nothing?

Got her charging up the start pack incase the battery is a bit low so she can try again tomorrow with that on it.

Is there any common starting faults on these?

Cheers
Stevie

I know of no common probs but when you say struggles to start are we talking slow turn over or just doesn't want to fire but spins ok till the battery gets run down?

It turns over fine, but doesn't fire.

How old are the plugs? Worth changing. Mine was a poor starter till I changed them.

Could be

Might do a proper service on it, where's best to get new leads, cap and rotor arm from? Can get plugs easy enough.

(Sorry for the noob questions)

When we bought ours it wouldn't start when we went to pick it up but it had been seen started and running and it was the plugs and that is all I have changed as far as the ignition system goes my personal opinion is unless cracked or other wise broken don't replace unless you have money to throw away just change the plugs and try it, it is them 99% of the time.

Will give the plugs a change and go from there

Bit of a habit wanting to change things from playing with MR2's

Dunno, I see rotor arms and dizzy caps as consumables along with the plugs. For it to run its best keeping those service components in good condition helps and they tend to be small change on the grand scale of things.

What sort of MR2? Have I soft spot for them myself

One of these

Mk2 Rev1 turbo with a few cheeky bits on it

HighlyJetted wrote:Dunno, I see rotor arms and dizzy caps as consumables along with the plugs. For it to run its best keeping those service components in good condition helps

I ran my escort for three years with no physical contact between the coil electrode in the dizzy cap to the rotor arm it was only when I was given a box of spares with one in I realised that it was broken.

Swapped out plug 3 (Rear most) and it fired! Now to try swap out the other two when it's not raining and my bum crack not being a drain for rain water!
Any tips on what to use to get the front two out? Its a bit tight from engine - body?

I remember using a universal joint extension on a T bar to get them out, and on a couple I found it easier to get at them from underneath, despite the mud shield.

Little Black Van wrote:I remember using a universal joint extension on a T bar to get them out, and on a couple I found it easier to get at them from underneath, despite the mud shield.

Went and bought one, then looked in my tool box and one was in there

Fitted them all, van starts and runs so much better than it has since we got it!

Once again this little thing has let me down! Won't start again! Going to swap out all the ignition, try find this cooling problem and probably sell up (after I convince the missus to sell it)! Never had a car this unreliable before!

Its one thing i've noticed with Hijets, a good one is great, but a bad one is a pain in the arse

Logi wrote:Its one thing i've noticed with Hijets, a good one is great, but a bad one is a pain in the arse

Bang on the money right there! 100%

My silver one was faultless except it was dissolving slowly. This new white one it bang tidy too.

Ernie the pickup is a dog, messed with and un-fixed by joey boys.

I think half of them die because they take them for a service where they change the coolant, and they don't know what they are playing with - like at quick fit or a local garage etc.



But back to your van, what's it doing? Does it cough and pop like it could possible start? Does the engine light come on as normal?
Have you check your wire of death in the boot battery tray?

It turns over, occasionally it tries to cough like its going to start but doesn't. I'm getting a spark, but not sure if it's good enough to get it to start, it's getting fuel too.

I've ordered new leads, dizzy and igniter so going to swap them over and see how that goes.

With the over heating issue, I've got an old rad cap I'm going to drill a hole in a do what you suggested in another thread HJ.

The annoying thing is I got an early finish yesterday so wanted to shoot home early, but I had to sit about for hours waiting on the missus coming to get me!

Right got it all running now, no idea why it didn't start?

Got it pressure tested, found a small leak, re-bled it properly, runs fine, went away camping in it (about an 80 min drive) it filled the over flow tank twice getting there, drove it back and it only filled it once?

I HATE THIS VAN!

Steviel81 wrote:I HATE THIS VAN!

Not surprised! Bet its getting to the "royally pissing you off" stage.

Sticking thermostat - have you changed that yet?

Does the electric fan kick in properly if you let it sit there idling?

Steviel81 wrote:Right got it all running now, no idea why it didn't start?

Got it pressure tested, found a small leak, re-bled it properly, runs fine, went away camping in it (about an 80 min drive) it filled the over flow tank twice getting there, drove it back and it only filled it once? !

It's getting better then....

Haha Logi

HJ - The fan is on a switch, it does get hot when you're sat on idle though

Well a block test would save you the wasted effort of a head gasket job if its not the fault!

My Ernie the pick-up over heated before I stripped it down. And on ripping the engine apart the head gasket had not failed anywhere, nor were there any cracks in the cylinder head or block.

There has obviously been a fair amount of water loss though as the seat/bonnets are covered in brown scum residue. Someone had put a new water pump on it, and a new thermostat. And they obviously knew it was overheating thus why they were getting rid of it.

Many of the pipe clips on mine are fucked, thus I'm replacing them all as I go. The big hoses and the little ones too.

I haven't had my radiator off yet to inspect that. And my electric fan didn't kick in on its own when up to temp.

Between this hijet community, we should be able to work out the exact weakness or cause of the Hijet overheating syndrome.

HighlyJetted wrote:......

There has obviously been a fair amount of water loss though as the seat/bonnets are covered in brown scum residue. Someone had put a new water pump on it, and a new thermostat. And they obviously knew it was overheating thus why they were getting rid of it. .........

The water loss may not mean much. When the fan belt snapped on mine it decided to pump water everywhere. Problem solved when fan belt replaced and water topped up.

The trouble with Hijets is usually down to penny pinching owners, they are hugely expensive to fix, and poor pattern/2nd hand spares availability compounded by quite a low sale value means many have had " quick fixes" in. the past. Add to that a propensity for overheating and difficulty bleeding the system and its not surprising so many members have probs.( usually thats just before the member has bought it.... )
Me. Id flush the rad & system as its likely had some sealant in the past. New caps, bleed it properly, I still hold by filling it and opening the bottom cap and letting it piss out as the force removes any airlock, ok you make a mess, but its full

The fan belt runs the water pump so the moment that's missing tension etc you're pending the boil. I've put the sportrak's water pump and pulley on my new engine, they are a bit different and the pulley is smaller so it should pump faster/harder, good thing or bad I don't know!

On stripping the hijet pickup's engine down I found alot of silt/radweld in the block, it all collects around the liner of the piston closest the gearbox. It had really baked rock solid, I has to smash it up with a screwdriver to get it out.

Someone had changed the radiator cap under the passenger seat to one that was completely wrong fit, the rubber sprung bit was about 8mm too big making it sit all wrong literally allowing water to spew out. I've also had to seriously repair/modify the thermostat housing as it had some fine hairline cracks through it, so I have internally sleeved it with some tight fitting stainless steel tubing, with lots of epoxy.

If I run it for the first time and it boils up I won't be all that impressed

I've just taken more of the pickup apart...

The bottom radiator hose clip has broken in half, and the bottom of the radiator is leaking.

Plus behind the radiator there is the heater control valve, one of the clips on that is leaking too.

Rats nest!!!

Logi wrote:Its one thing i've noticed with Hijets, a good one is great, but a bad one is a pain in the arse

Funny that you say that Logi. I IMHO had a great one took me to Hungary and back and did not miss a beat. The main reason I sold it was reading all the tales of woe on this forum and me not having the skills to fix it or the money to pay a garage to fix it I sold it before anything did go wrong.

Waz

I wish I had a garage and time to strip it down over and rebuild it, but I don't have a garage, and to rent one would probably cost the same as paying someone to do it for me as I'd only be able to work on it every second weekend, then it would take up all my free time

In other news, the MR2 passed MOT first time

Took it to Indigo GT (very reputable Evo specialist) who are just round the corner from my missus' house and work, they agree that with the symptoms it's having, it's more than likely its the HG that's gone.

They're going to change the HG and then go from there.

It will be for sale when fixed, only reason we're fixing it is it'll be easier to sell as a working camper than a fucked one!

But, if it's fixed why sell? You've had the grief, might as well see what the fun's like?