1997 1.9TD Estate - A Tyre-ing question about handling

[beko1987]

That is very strange that some can read it but others can't.

Can you get onto www.autoshite.com and see anything?

[myglaren]

I'm a member Beko.
I was logged in in Firefox but not in Chromium that I am using for this site - usually the other way around but there were some reported problems with Chrome that I wondered about.

[beko1987]

Ah fair enough. I get on ok with chrome and Firefox, it did throw me a dns error on Saturday though, but it does that sometimes!

[GiveMeABreak]

Firefox worked fine on the site with me Steve.

[myglaren]

Just tried again and it let me in.
Perhaps just likes to keep me waiting a while

[Timmo]

Bummed it didnt pass beko, i think the autopoop guys may be the best port of call as they know the history of the pump and mods, hope they can get you sorted quickly!
May sound silly but has the throttle stop been wound off somewhat in the past??

[chinkostu]

Black smoke on full chat is an odd one. Have you tried turning the max fuel down and then turning the idle screw back up so it still idles ok? I know when i turned my fuelling up the idle went up so I had to turn the idle down aswell, and then try and sort the cold idle!!

If it still smokes with the pipe to the LDA bunged up i'd rule that out. They don't boost much without being under load so its almost like its overfuelling.

[beko1987]

@Timmo - possibly has been, not knowing what to look for I'm not sure. I adjusted the throttle cable as far slack as the housing will let it, and it still does it.

@Chinkostu - The idle did drop when I wound out the fuel alot, went down to 600rpm, and ran ok for a while then stuttered and went a bit rubbish, so I wound it back up to what it was, not far below 1k revs cold or warm. Again, not knowing what the good balance between fuel and idle sounds like I'm hesitant to go twisting screws here and there, it's not a dyson! Also, I didn't bung the LDA pipe up, just pulled it off the turbo air pipe (the one that runs from the intake hose over the engine and down to the turbo).

I'm leaving it now until the chap who knows what he is doing looks at it. I know when to admit I'm out of my depth and this is it. It must be doing something simple, as it's not smokey at all generally, just on the snap acceleration it does puff out a deep thick black cloud of soot, even with a brand new exhaust. The MOT station's forecourt had a black patch when they were done, I made one on the road outside my house when I got back too, it's all run now it's raining! It's got to be a simple issue, I'm just not the guy to work it out!

I did wonder if I had not got the fuel pump timed correctly after the cambelt issues further up this thread, but someone said it would be a pig to start, and it starts first turn of the key 98% of the time, occasionally needing a little chunter but I put that down to the fuel seeping back down the line. This is with the cold start mech disconnected too. It is VERY clattery on idle and low revs too, warm or cold. Someone else said it might be a duff injector, the guy I;m taking it to said he has some known good ones we can try if he thinks it might be that.

Who knows what it is! I have until the 23rd December to find out, and no annual leave left! I'm off over christmas though so not terribly horrific if it does lapse for a week or so.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

A similar problem to my 1998 1.9td Xantia has yours got egr by any chance? Exhaust gas reburn. I'm betting on the egr being blocked with carbon.

[beko1987]

I don't know actually! Don't think so, but could be wrong. Where does it sit please, I'll have a look!

[chinkostu]

Whats your number plate again dude? I'll look it up for you

[beko1987]

Very kind! R499amv

[GiveMeABreak]

It's number 1 in the diagram below

[beko1987]

So, after my office christmas party last night, I woke up and went to Chesham to see a chap from Autoshite who was going to look at my fuel pump.

I didn't know what to expect, but it only took an hour, lots of that spent chatting! He took the lid of the UFO off, and withdrew the LDA pin



This is apprently custom made, he's never seen one this hardcore (he used to be well into 306's apparently, and has played with lots of 1.9td setups).

A quick rootle in his shed later and a less modified pin was extracted from a pump. It's been modified, but he said the other side is stock, so he fitted it back with that side on the business side



He marked either side for me so I can switch it round after the MOT if I wanted. He then dialled the fuel out 'loads, I've never turned it in that much, no bloody wonder it's been so rich', commented on the fact that the pump has been rotated, and the bottom bolt is missing. I sort of understand what he means, but only from what I have read.

Chinky - he did look and tell me there is an EGR valve fitted too. Apparently its a fiddly job to change it?

So anyway, what is the result?

Well the idle is ALOT quieter now. It's also heavily down on power to what it was. Before, at 40 in 5th, I could boot it and be doing 90 before very long. Now, I need to drop to 4th to go anywhere. It also boosts with a gently forward motion, rather than the slingshot it used to. In effect, it feels very much like my old ZX, IE standard! It's quite relaxing actually, I do rather like it.

But the big one, was the smoke. He revved it when we were there and declared it fine. I revved it when I got home with it nice and hot and it emitted a thin grey bit of smoke, which dissapated very quickly. No black soot! I did it 5 times and it was the same everytime. I'll try and get someone else to do it so I can see, but it's certainly an improvement.

So the plan is to get it tested next week. It will look slightly dodgy as I'll have to go somewhere else. I have no more holiday left, so it needs to go somewhere near work so I can do it on my lunchbreak. Hey ho, hopefully it will be ok, not much else to do bar give it a shot.

Hopefully it's a bit more economical too!

[beko1987]

Oh, and the front right ufo bolt hole thread is stripped, so he gave me a nut to fit onto the bit of the bolt that pokes through underneath incase it helps.