engine and drivetrain engine cutting at WOT

[Guest Anonymous]

hello,

when the engine in our 2002 is cold, i can't floor it all the way to WOT or the engine will cut out a bit. it seems like either a fuel delivery or ignition problem. where should i start? the carb is a weber 36 DGV.

thanks!

obin

[Guest Anonymous]

Distributor, is it loose? (mine was)

Fuel filters clean? Good grounds on the car? Change points & condensor (cheap to change) Battery/Alt putting out 14.3 volts? Coil ok?

[Guest Anonymous]

this is a 30ish year old machine. Treat it like you want to be treated. Let it warm up a little before taking off, then drive easy the first few miles till the heat gauge starts coming up to normal operation, then stomp the hell outta it. If you still have problems after it's warm, then you have problems.

[Guest Anonymous]

well, the ignition on this car stinks. just about everything eneds to be replaced. we have a pertronix ignition that needs to be installed, along with a new coil and wires.

but i think also that my expectations are based on modern fuel injected vehicles. this is the FIRST carbureted object i've owned that didn't have either a radio control or a rip cord to start it

thanks!

obin

[Guest Anonymous]

I had a hesitation on heavy sudden throttle that turned out to be

because of crappy fouled plugs. new plugs did the trick. you may

want to just completely revamp the ignition system (cap, rotor,

plugs, wires, etc.) if you're confident in the carb.

dave

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

depending on what choke you have, you may need to depress the go fast pedal all the way down 1 time BEFORE sparking up the engine. I have to do this with my Weber 40/40 DFAV, with electric choke. BUT, under no circumstances, irrespective of good/bad/ugly ignition system.,should you exceed a reasonable rpm level on a cold engine( to me reasonable is not to exceed 2k at idle). I do not know the cause of your after start problems, but it sounds like a flooding situation, or conversly a starvation situation if you are flooring the gas right after you crank and fire up. The engine needs a second or 2 , at least to "catch up " with the input demands, and who knows what kind of delivery you are getting from your 32/36 ( i presume) and what kind of burn you are achieveing from a stated " older ignition" set up. If you have to start the car and go immediately somewhere without allowing an adequate warm-up period- which hapens to all of us at one time or another, just drive the car and short shift at 2k. You dont want to lug the engine, so you have to pay close attention to rpms if you need to get moving immediately. Normally, you should wait to go until you see the engine coolant needle moving out of the blue before take off in a cold temp/ initial start of the day situation. More important is your oil temp, which is lower than the indicated coolant level temp. It takes some more time for your oil temp to get into " go fast " range.Usually a few more minutes of driving. The M3 owner's manual says not to exceed 4k rpms until the oil temp is 120 or higher. 2002s dont typically have an oil temp gauge, but you just apply common sense to what a bone cold 30 year old engine wants to do, and give all the fluids and metal parts a chance to warm up to OPERATING temps before you ask the car to give you all it has. You will definately shorten your engine's life if you mash and go immediatley after start up. You can replace your ignition components for not so much: 38 bucks buys you a beautiful 8mm set of loomed plug wires from Maximillian. Cap and rotor is cheap too. Put in your Petronix: it is a great unit. Your coil is probably good, the Petronix will run with the Bosch blue coil, or, if you want a hotter ignition, buy the Bosch Red coil, but you need the external ballast resistor. Buy it with the red coil also from Max- if they still have any. Bosch red coils are NLA, i have been told. But there is still ample shelf inventory arond the country. The coil and ballast resistor are not much either. New spark plugs are cheap too: be sure to select the correcy plug for the type ignition you want to run. I have a hot ignition, so I run a hotter than usual Bosch plug. There are great archival recommendations on plugs in the FAQ and in the Roadfly search complied over there by Creighton. Or you can just call Max, or another reputable 2002 vendor with a knowledgeable parts person and ask them to fix you up with all the parts you need for a full tune up , including a new wire set. Here are 2 pictures of M10 engines that have very hot ignition systems. The tii A4 has a cold start sequence that differs from the Sahara 40/40, but neither engine is ever "floored" before the needles begin to move. It takes about 3 minutes in 50 degree ambient temps where these cars live. Good luck with your tune up and enjoy your Petronix. and the tii A4....

[Guest Anonymous]

that's what i plan on doing. i have all new ignition components. i am blaming the wires right now. i have new NGK plugs in the car.

thanks!

obin