2 litre Petrol Starting Problems

[Mikeondraco]

Good Day all, new to the forum and recent Bongo owners.

I apologise in advance for the somewhat epic nature of this post, but trying to give all the information I have.

Our issue is that we have a 2000 petrol Bongo that we have recently purchased privately. Up until a week or so ago it has been running fine, not that it has been moved far, but around our site here just to keep it running as it were, until we are ready to fully use it.

A few days ago, I started it up to move it to a different spot in order to prepare it for full use, it ran for approx. 10 minutes and then petered out. I tried to restart it but to no avail, turning over but not firing, apparent fuel shortage. I removed the petrol cap on a whim and immediately heard an inrush of air. Vacuum I presumed due to a blocked breather in the cap. Several minutes of cranking over afterwards and she fired up again, mitigating I thought my assumption of the blocked breather. Unfortunately, seemingly not the case as the same happened the day after and pretty much ever since, with the occasional immediate start-up. First thing in the morning is worse, once having started it then invariably it will be Ok for the rest of the day.

I have checked the wiring all the way back to the tank and the pump/float gauge connections and all seems well. as do the fuel pipes, inasmuch as there seem to be no leaks. I also have the petrol cap very loosely screwed in to allow air past. I have confirmed a good flow of petrol when the vehicle is being started (i.e. cranked over) and of course running, having found out that the petrol pump is only energised under those conditions.

When finally running the engine seems very smooth although a bit 'lumpy' sometimes when revving up, leading me to wonder about the vacuum system on the fuel injection system, although I have to admit knowing very little about this side of things - give me a carburettor any day ...

I am completely at a loss as to where to look next as I ca find no obvious signs of anything wrong Any suggestions anyone?

TIA ... Michael

[Bob]

Might be worth a motorway run (Italian tune up) and see if that clears it.

Edit: I'd fill up with fresh fuel, too.

[JulesMartin]

Running for a short time then petering out does suggest fuel. if it's been sitting around for a while I would also suggest a full tank of fresh fuel. I'd also suggest changing the fuel filter as if this has not been done there is a chance that this is clogged. try draining off some fuel into a large clear container to see if any water is present in the fuel. petrol will sit on top of water so you'll see the water as a brown layer in the bottom of the container. I'd be very interested to hear the outcome. if there is water present then the whole system will need draining out it won't do any good just to fill it up with fresh fuel

[Mikeondraco]

Thaks for the replies. The vehicle was in regular use until just before we purchased it and has only been 'idle' for approx 3 weeks. The fuel in the tank is fresh and I have checked a sample for water. Think I may need someone conversant with injection systems as that is where I think the problem may be. I am getting a spark-plug tester to ensure that the ignition is present when trying to start, just in case.

[Flanners]

Given the age of the Bongo, you don't indicate service history; but I would be inclined whatever the outcome to replace the distributor cap, rotor arm, leads and plugs.

[Mikeondraco]

Thank you for your reply. I have very little service history, hence why no mention. I will look into your suggestions. Thanks ... Michael

[Mikeondraco]

An update on this perplexing problem. I have now checked that the ignition appears to be OK, in that the spark plugs are indeed firing, plus of course the fact that eventually the engine does start and run normally. I also removed the top cover so that I could visually check the throttle mechanism, etc., nothing obvious there.

There is, to me, a rather complex arrangement of what I assume are vacuum pipes and a reservoir (?) of some description on the passenger side attached to the chassis member. Nothing obviously wrong with any of the pipework. I wonder if anyone can shed any light on this and offer advice?

To reiterate. Fuel supply is normal, at least from the pipe from the tank to the injector assembly. Ignition appears to be functioning correctly. After standing for a while, generally overnight, it can take anything up to 15 minutes of turning the engine over before it will start. Once started everything appears to be fine and the vehicle drives normally.

[JulesMartin]

15 minutes cranking is an incredibly long time I'm surprised the starter motor hasn't given up the ghost by now. Hopefully you meant 15 seconds. Is it possible that the engine is low on compression? does it spin over quite quickly? A rather radical approach and not for the feint hearted but will eliminate the injection system is to try some easy start directly into the air intake. Remove the air filter and squirt into the air intake whilst cranking. if you don't remove the paper air filter and it back fires you risk a fuel primed fire! if it starts instantly on easy start then stalls it will almost certainly be fuel as you've already eliminated the ignition side. if it starts and runs then I would suggest the injection system is ok but that the cold start section that alters the ignition timing etc is faulty. Don't use easy start as a means to constantly start a cold engine as it is addictive especially if the reason for the poor starting is low compression.

[Mikeondraco]

Thank you for your reply, Jules. To clarify, I meant 15 minutes of intermittent cranking of the engine, not continuously. The compression appears normal, as it turns over at what I would consider a nomal rate, not fast. Ok on the 'test' using Easy Start (I am well aware of the dangers and consequences of over use of Easy Start, I run and maintain a large vintage diesel engine in my narrow boat ...) I shall indeed give that a try. The fact that once started it runs normally tends to indicate to me that the injection system is petty much Ok, so perhaps the cold start is indeed at fault - if onky I knew where and what it is

Still somewhat perplexed by this apparently complex vacuum system.

[JulesMartin]

I'm not up on the 2 ltr petrol so I can't advise as to how the cold start system works. on earlier petrol injection systems it was handled by a cold start injector that merely sensed the temp and squirted in extra fuel. I'm wondering if there may be an air leak on this mysterious vacuum system. any small amount of air leak will weaken the fuel mixture which needs to be as rich as anything for cold starting. check all the vacuum hoses and the main air intake hoses for cracks, splits etc. if you can, rather than easy start, try smothering part of the air intake with your hand to restrict some of the air flow to see if that helps it. I wonder if its worth seeing if today is any better for it as it is a bit warmer although not sure where you hail from so that may be a mute point! other than that check for any tracking of the spark down the coil neck, along the plug leads etc. a liberal spray of WD40 all over the electrics won't hurt. I believe they have a distributor cap, not a newer multi pack coil so check in there for any track marks where it may be tracking down to earth reducing the spark. again a good spray of WD in there. have a good listen when your turning it over to see if you can hear any obvious tracking noise. I'd be interested to learn the outcome when you do get it fixed.

[Mikeondraco]

Thanks gain Jules for your suggestions, will keep you advised, although there may be a delay in much happening for the next couple of weeks.