Possible fuel starvation issue

Hey guys, my latest problem is pretty major, when the engine is under load, it splutters and kangaroos, and I get a series of bangs which I think are backfires, but I'm not sure. What I do know is that it is now near impossible to get up any hill. When I'm in a gear, as the engine revs faster, it starts spluttering, then I change up a gear and it's ok until it revs up again. This makes it near undrivable and a nuisance on the road. Is this just a gummed up fule filter or a problem with the Efi or something else?

For reference: P reg 993cc with Efi.

Check ignition? Plugs, leads, dizzy?

I guess at spark related, Check the plugs, dizzy cap and rotor arm. And to hedge your bets check the map sensor rubber pipe while your at it

He, he! Snap steve

Spark plugs were fine when I checked them recently, checked the dizzy cap and rotor arm today, had corroded connections, cleaned them up but no difference. Haven't checked the map sensor pipe, is that the one under the handbrake? We have a mechanic on site atm, and he's listened to it, and reckons it could either be a defective lambda sensor or my cat has finally failed. How do I go about checking if the lambda sensor is working or not, and if not, is it a fairly easy part to replace?

Yes very easy to replace,

You need some kind of voltage meter to check it. The signal line on it outputs a signal from 0 volts to 1 volt.

At good running it swishes around between 0.3 and 0.7 volts. Above 0.7 volts is rich, too much fuel - below 0.3 is lean.

Not sure where the 1 litre map sensor pipe work is, but its been the fault of a few 1 litre members before. Rich knows about it. The rubber vacuum hose is prone to cracking up etc.

Just did a diagnostics test and it gave me code 16 - Ignition Signal - Igniter unit or wiring (Thanks HighlyJetted! ) The mechanic here reckons I should replace my dizzy cap, rotor arm and leads to at least rule them out.

When checking the voltage of the lambda sensor, I assume I place the earth on the manifold or similar bit? I haven't looked yet, but I assume that would be the case.

Yep, ground it anywhere good. Somewhere so your multimeter probe doesn't keep falling out doing your head in!

When the contacts in the dizzy cap and arm get furred up, it tends to mean they have worn away and now the current is jumping a gap, thus leaving that white/grey corrosion stuff. That stuff is an insulator which doesn't tend to help your game much. Scratching it away sometimes makes a bit of a difference but its pissing in the wind really. Dizzy caps and rotor arms are consumables like brake pads and petrol

While drinking beer tonight I was thinking about this, as you do.

Wouldn't be surprised if its the igniter or coil itself that is knackered, might test out OK but it could be leaking the current to ground due to a break down in the insulation.

I don't know jack about these 1 litres, so maybe they have an external coil pack? And the igniter is in the dizzy? Just guessing

As is happens more under load and revs, yet idles and cruises ok, it could be a case that there isn't enough leakage to stop it sparking all together, but as the current demand increases (e.g. its sparking more often), there isn't enough there to keep it sparking continuously.

I'm still not sure whether it's electrical or fuel system related. When I fire it up, it runs, then almost stalls, then continues running on tick over fine. Since I have a fuel filter already, it might be worth changing it, just to eliminate that option.

Getting your multimeter on the O2 sensor could tell you alot here.

If its leaning out as it stalls you've got fuel starvation, but you'll need the sensor at full running temperature to get the reading.

Just looking at distributor caps on ebay, but confused as to which one to get. There are several for older hijets, but the ones for my engine size seem somewhat ambiguous as to whether they will work with my engine. Is there a difference between the CB-41 and CB-42 caps? I assume there is, since one has Efi and the other doesn't. Which one of these is the one?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=distributor+cap+hijet&_sacat=See-All-Categories

This list says they are all the same. Don't know the facts though!

http://www.ignitioncarparts.co.uk/PartDetails.aspx?s_pc=PDC7629&s_vid=

Ordered a dizzy cap and rotor arm from Japarts, and the guy rang me up and told me they were the wrong parts, and the right ones would be an extra £34.04!

Is there anywhere where I can get the dizzy cap and arm for my van at a reasonable price, or are those parts for the CB42 engine always going to be that expensive?

What so now a dizzy cap and arm will cost best part of £70......

Tell him to cancel it! Sounds like a typical parts place trying it on. Oooh, hijet, "sucks through teath", rare oddity.

I've seen a few sites now that show lots of the 1 litre hijets have the same dizzy cap.

Buy off ebay through a power seller, and if it isn't the right one post it back for a refund.

Don't you have a local partco or general traffic or unipart branch? Ring them for a price, all they'll ask for is the reg.

Do they think your an Audi/VW owner?! I think they are insulting your intelligence

Couple of weeks back VW tried to charge me £230+vat for an EGR valve, which in the end was £155 inc vat from the same VW desk. Customers car mind you so I didn't try too hard.

Well, I went for it, unfortunately. So maybe my intelligence isn't all it's cracked up to be. Still, at least it should fit, and if it doesn't, I'll quite happily throw the book at him. The trouble is there appears to be a physical difference between the caps, my one the connectors come straight out, the ones pictured come off at a right angle.

I did check prices with local parts places and they were more expensive than Japarts, even with the price rise, which is why I went for the Japarts price. Also, a lot of the dizzy caps on ebay only descirbe themselves as being for the Hijet 1.0, without specifying whether it is for the CB41 or 42. From reading manuals, it does appear there is a difference since the distributors are different between engines.

I think your right I don't trust parts desk people and their computers one bit, the number of times they've sold me wrong parts...

The angled cap has a slightly different rotor arm inside too, I wonder if you can change over to the old design if you buy both bits?

This would be easy to find out if you were usedhijetparts.co.uk emma?!

Eurocarparts lists distributor cap at 24.60 + rotor arm at 4.20 = 28.80 inc vat and delivery.

I still think that is expensive for a cap especially if you treat it as consumable.

(The parts are for 1996 1.0 efi).

PS:
Cap currently out of stock, so not too helpful, but it does seem cheaper.

Ok, got the leads yesterday, dizzy cap and arm today, and put them all in and still got the same problem, only now it splutters on idle then stalls. Just to check, is the firing order of the cylinders 1-2-3 front to back?

Has you van ever worked perfectly before it was messed with?

Is there a chance that the distributor is on 180 degrees out, then the leads fitted in some random was that makes it sort of run.

This would make the crank sensor get its knickers in a bit of a twist.

It ran fine until about a month ago, when I got the occasional backfire. I definitely noticed it struggling on hills after I changed the exhaust. The mechanic here suggests a collapsed cat could be responsible, and it is looking pretty ropey, but I doubt that would cause it to struggle on idle. Also, putting more petrol in would probably really help as well. I know there's fuel in there, but it could be sucking up the gunk from the bottom of the tank by now.

Here's the classic: It just needed a healthy dose of hydrocarbons. With all the starting I'd been doing, I think the little amount of petrol left in it was drunk, so it didn't work too well, funny that. But I haven't had any more backfires, so replacing the dizzy cap, rotor arm and HT leads appears to have done the trick. Wahey!

Wahay!!! Get in there my son, bang tidy, nice one fella