strange happenings

[schakal]

the 9 has been playing up since friday evening .engine started cutting out
occassionaly ,the way the revs drop and go back up so sunddenly made me think there was a problem with the fuel supply .
carried on driving , the engine died a few times but turning the igntion
back on it started again on the move .after 3-4 miles it got worse to the point where it died totally . checking basics in the dark i realised the fuel
pump was not priming . after messing with fuel pump relay ,earth and power cables to the pump it suddenly worked and managed to get home . thinking all is good .


saturday :
got up in the morning ,works fine . after a 3 mile journey picked up my mate and hit the way to castle combe as after 5 miles of driving it started cutting out again . we pulled up at the services and had a play around .
where the earth wire for the fuel pump was bolted, looked a little pitted
so cut the wire up to get a clean connection and bolted it inside the car .
had a test drive around the services ,than hit the m4 .
done the 60 mile journey with no problems and got to the combe thinking
this was it . went on the track ,all good for first few laps than it starts cutting out occassionaly like hitting a brick wall .
engine never died luckily and we managed to finish the session .
than drove the 60 miles back home again , a couple minutes after i dropped my mate home it starts playing up badly again !!!

pulled up to a disused fuel station and checked all the earths and listened out for the fuel pump ,it was priming up at times but not starting .
than all of a sudden it would start up
and once i put it in gear and drive away it cuts out again ,with the
engine dieing at times , called rac as a last resort while waiting for him
it did start and idle around 1250rpm which i found was odd with the
engine being hot etc . seeing that its still running agreed RAC man would follow me in his van home(never felt so ghey ) and tow me if dies again . apart from the few times it cut out ,i managed to make the 4 mile trip back home parked up .

now the only thing i can think of is the excessive engine movement
that might be causing earth points to move etc . in fact i did find the engine to bulk head earth to be loose at the engine end but even after cleaning and tightening that up it would not start .
than again ,fuel pump is deffo involved somehow with not priming at times .

anyone experienced a fuel pump problem similar ?
other than that what could cause ,the revs to drop so quickly ?

- ignition coil
- tdc sensor
- dizzy cap
- blocked fuel filter

[schakal]

the saga continues

starts up on the key this morning , try to drive away but starts cutting
out again . park it back up turn the igntion off and turn on again .
nothing from the fuel pump and she wont start .

took the pump out and changed with another working one ,also
double earthed the pump and checked the igntion wire all the way to the
pump . she starts up idles fine and drives ok .
for a while than all of a sudden cut out again ,revs drop from
3k to 1k in a second followed by a hard clonking noise from what
sounds like the driveshaft .

seems to be doing it usually when going over uneven surfaces ,
potholes etc . also noticed sitting at the lights that the speedo needle
was twitching at times between 0-10 mph .WTF

engine died a few times because of this today but started again on the key straight after .

TALK TO ME !!!

[fab]

you said it started acting up last friday. where you doing any work that may have triggered it?
well with the fuel pump out of the picture for blame then it's looking more electrical by the minute.
distributor cap loose?
do the lights go out when it starts to cut out?
something to do with the ignition, have you an alarm/immobilser fitted? try disconnecting it.

[schakal]

no i have not done anything that could have affected whatever is happening,lol
its a renault 9 mate ,no immobiliser or alarm on it .

done it on the way to work this morning .
took the first 6 miles with no problems ,than engine died as i was
coming to a round about .turned ignition off and on ,no life in the fuel pump.
than stuck it in first gear and turn the igntion on to coast it a little further using cranking power where it sounded like it was going to fire up .
turned off ,stuck it in neutral and it fires up and i manage to get to work.

uber weird

[snowman]

It just doesnt like you Schaks,plain as

[schakal]

getting even weird now :D

parked up in works car park ,i went to check if she will start .
computer said NO , no life in the fuel pump again .

stuck it in 1st gear cranked over and jolted a few secs
than back in neutral and the fuel pump primes nicely ,crank it
up and she fires . as she idles i open the bonnet to check for
shizz than shut it in rather manly manner .
THE ENGINE DIES INSTANTLY
start up again and she idles fine ,i open the drivers door and shut
it a bit harsh and engine dies !!!

could it be the knock sensor ?? i know they advance or retard
timing according to engine knock ,but they are pretty sensitive
as well iirc . could it be registering these noises as a problem and
cutting the spark or fuel supply to the engine ???

[snowman]

Think you should rename her Christine tbf

[dkrevs]

Yeah, could be knock sensor.

[cliobilly]

Aint their a ball bearing thingy on the pump circuit that causes fuel to cut of in the event of a smash?
maybe thats playing up? it should be on the live someplace in the line between battery relay and pump.

[cliobilly]

Aint their a ball bearing thingy on the pump circuit that causes fuel to cut off in the event of a smash?
maybe thats playing up? it should be on the live someplace in the line between battery relay and pump.