Cold start...flooding/no ignition

[TheDutch]

Hi all,

I have a slight issue with my car which does not seem like the usual cold start problems. Every once in a while it'll end up turning over endlessly with no ignition heard. The symptoms are akin to flooding, and the issue can be resolved by turning the engine over for a short time with the fuel pump disabled until it begins to catch.

The car idles horribly even when it does run, but drives OK off-idle and gets good mileage, making me think the fuel pressure is probably ok. It has no catalytic converter and most of the 166k engine is original aside from normal service items, coolant temp sensor and fuel pump relay.

As luck would have it I acquired a set of 6 M52 coils from Uncle Ebay for a bargainous $28 so will be installing them when they arrive, and was already planning on replacing all the intake hoses tomorrow too. Would be good to know if there's anything else worth checking whilst it's in bits.

That is all,

Dutch

[TheDutch]

During my rehash on the ungodly grotbox of vacuum hoses and coolant pipes under the inktake I found almost all the rubber to be in good shape. The only exception was the pipe linking the one-way valve and brake sevo/booster, which I could see had collapsed. Since it was braided it was impossible to properly gauge the condition, but a modicum of filthy blow-piping demonstrated it was leaking.

Now, having replaced these, along with new plugs and fuel filter, the idle and brakes are considerably better. So don't forget to check/replace that extra hose.

New coils not yet arrived - Uncle Ebay is a washed up, drunk old man whose life didn't turn out as well as they hoped, and now even the simplest of tasks can take days.