Here we go again.
After two years not running. The car went to the shop, they put back the old distributor and claimed the warm start valve was not working properly. Bypassed the wire to the valve and the car is running. But this time is running with twice the gas it is supposed to use, average 12 mpg or so, 5.5 km/L. Once made 8.8 and i did some highway driving.
Here is the pattern, first it is winter cold out, although nothing like under zero, actually a pretty good winter with 8 degrees or so, some times close to 2 celciums. The car does not go full warm, ever, the temp readings are always 2 to 3 mm from the cold line. It used to be more like a quarter or a third from the whole spectrum.
Then another thing in a pattern comes like it "runs off gas" always when starting dead cold then it runs for a little while, lets say a few blocks from home. But the colder it starts the shorter the little ride...
For example my car has a heated underground parkade. So most of the times it stalled like 4 to 7 blocks away, yesterday it was parked in a big forest like park. It stalled one block away. .. Then it wont start at all, unless I put some gas in the tank. Then I don't want to give it too much choke cuz it is doing sooo poor mileage.
This last sentence throws me to it is running too rich and spending too much gas. But then why always when cold, never giving me this when warm at all. I am not sure at all if it is running out of gass or just flooded with gas, when I opened the carb last week to setup the needle high it was (as always) super wet with gas on the bottom of the piston that holds the needle (Zenith Stromberg CV carb).
Could a super cold engine make things that un-efficient? Bad sensor?
Could a cold carb have the bi-fold metal cold start valve been reacting to temperature and making the car run rich forever?
Here are the readings on my last 4 runs with a 10L jerry can every time.
1- 55 km
2- 44 km (change the needle height to lower <more into the main jet>)
3- 88 km (great I think it is going better than before, this day I did a half and half highway/city driving) But also the car didn't get too cold during the whole driving period as most of the times.)\
4- 45 km (BUMMER! I had my girls in the car in some park festival at night and it was cold, they got some nice adventure I was just eating my guts worried.)
"Needles" to say I am looking for answers.
Today I am going to check:
Vacuum
Temp issues (sensor vs thermostat)
Take off all the gas emission thingys, most of them not in great shape.
Check tranny fluid levels, (my transmission is leaking so I need to source a gasket for it and repair it, until then I keep topping it with anti leak fluid and transmission fluid)
Check coolant (I guess All I can do is add some? Maybe flush and refill?)
Check wire harness for any wire issues
Check PCV system for any dirt / plugged.
I do know, my trunk is empty all of the time, took the roof rack off, the tires are in good pressure for sure. The gas test gave me back twice this mileage, but I am not sure if they get this from the gases or just a data log of the car model and year. meaning it said 19 mpg. Even when still poor I can work with that since it is the nature of this beast.
Any advise will be golden at this point, I am willing to take it to the shop again, but I cant really afford it. But then I need the car for my work and can not afford another one with more unknown issues.
Thanks for reading and happy Santa-mas.
Sergitin.
