Starts and stalls - why won\'t it run?

[FlappyCat]

Hi All

I had my low water light & buzzer come on the other day. The car didn\'t overheat and gauge remained about half way between hot & cold. I got home, topped up coolant and allowed the car to tick over for a little while with the \'Rad\' cap off to expel any air.

After five minutes or so, it stalled and now starts and stalls (after about a second) identically every time I try.

Any thoughts - anyone?

Thanks

FC:2Confused

[gsb876]

Have you checked the plugs my man pull em and see if they are ok or covered in carbon ??

[FlappyCat]

Thanks for the superfast response, It is to be my first task if the rain ever stops!

[gsb876]

Thanks for the superfast response, It is to be my first task if the rain ever stops!

I have a FD but the ideas are the same, try the plugs as if they are covered in carbon it will make the car idle very poorly and stall, i think you bled the system correctly so that should be ok, check the rear of the car to see if theres excess white smoke coming out of the exhaust as a sign of water getting into the combustion cambers thus seals might be on the way out which sadly will mean rebuild.

Try the plugs first though buddy :wave

[FlappyCat]

Sun is out - I\'m all over it!

Thanks again and I\'m hoping for carbon rather than w@nkered Wankel!

[lanciachris]

You will need to open the bleed tap at the top of the radiator as well to get it bled correctly

[FlappyCat]

Well.. got it running (damn those spark plugs are awkward to reach!) but it looks like there is a major coolant leak from the engine, can\'t see where exactly.

Just when I was being impressed by it\'s reliability!

[elford_tim]

I was just going to say - as the quip goes, the temp gauge on these has only three settings. Cold, normal and engine cooked...

[FlappyCat]

Seems that way Tim, although mine has gone from transport to irrigation system. Still, I\'ve got a rainy weekend ahead of me trying to find where the water is leaking from and whether it is going to mean the glue factory for it!

[Prof]

Problem with the coolant temp, is it\'s going to show normal or even low when there is little or no coolant!
 
Oil temp is a bit more revealing in those cases.  Worth the expenditure in the long run.
 
You can lose an engine to a failed water pump or coolant leak - be wary !

[nikp]

You can lose an engine to a failed water pump or coolant leak - be wary !

I had a coolant leak in my FD the other day - went from 82 degrees to 101 degrees in a matter of seconds!

[FlappyCat]

The oil temp gauge sounds like a good idea - probably a bit retrospective for this unit now but if I do rebuild, I will definately be fitting one.

A couple of spin off questions then:
Is there a reliable source for affordable engines.
Is replacing a TII engine any more complex than conventional one/special considerations?

Thanks all