AMAZON122S HOT STARTING PROBLEM

[amattock1]

My 1969 Amazon 122S starts from cold with no problems. When warm to hot (anything beyond 2-3 mins driving) and I stop then she won't start again. The only way to get her started is to crank the engine repeatedly (upto 30 seconds) until such time that she does finally start - and then it's like starting cylinder by cylinder, slowly coming to life (no splutters or bangs though). A short time may have passed but never enough for her to go cold.

She's had a full service including replacing the the plugs, contacts, air filter, HT leads, Distributor cap, rotor arm, condenser. We've also tested the coil and starter switch/motor and she still does it. Fuel also appears to get to the twin carbs.

Apart from this, she runs very nicely, good tickover etc.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance and rgds,

Alastair.

[stuart131]

sounds like a fuel related issue ,being that all the points ,rotor etc have been replaced .Is the choke releasing correctly after starting?The lever may be stiff and only freeing off gradually causing difficulty in starting after a quick stop but a gradual improvement once you go any distance ?
It could be fuel vaporisation but surely the engine wouldnt be hot enough after 2/3 minutes to cause this .
The only other thing is to go through your new parts and re fit the old ones in turn to eliminate these as a possible cause ,

Sorry cant be more help but Im no expert in these matters ,these are the things I would look at first .
Dont worry ,there are some VERY knowledgeable people on this forum ,someone will know the answer .
Good luck and best regards

[amattock1]

Thanks Stuart - just to clarify, the problem occurs both when re-starting the car after say 2-3 minutes of running time and longer. eg. I drove for an hour this morning, stopped for 10 mins and she wouldn't start again.

Looking forward to more replies/suggestions etc.

Al

[cassell]

Alastair,

You describe exactly the same symptoms that I had recently with my 1800ES which were both frustrating and embarassing to live with.

Like you, I tried all of the obvious things like plugs, points, condenser, rotor, distributor cap, leads, all to little effect. I then set about the fuel system, replacing the injection temperature sensor and checking the cold start valve and thermal timer were working OK.

None of this seemed to make any difference until someone suggested checking the fuel filter adjacent to the pump. I didn't think this would help but for the sake of £11 it was worth a try. Hey presto! problem solved, the car now starts instantly when the engine is hot. I really can't understand why as the old filter didn't seem to be blocked or restricted.

I know my engine is fuel injected and yours is a carb type, but it proved to me that the problem was fuel related, perhaps you will have similar success, especially if you have a fuel filter fitted somewhere in the system.

Regards,

Paul

[Mike Arnold]

I had a very similar problem to this (not actually on a 120) and it turned out to be a heat problem with the coil. When warm it produced only a tiny spark which was OK if the engine was running but not enough to start it. When the car had cooled down (actually the coil) the problem went away and it started.

It is another thing to look at!

Best of luck.

[TomTom]

I think this must be catching!

Yesterday I had my SU carbs changed, from a set of very worn ones to a reconditioned set. Now normally I would pay out for a properly done set from, let's say, Burlen, but cash is a bit short at the moment. Anyway the new carbs went in, were balanced, nothing on the ignition was changed, and now it is very difficult to start from hot. I have to press the accelerator pedal all the way and only then does it reluctantly start after about 10 seconds. Very embarrassing, especially outside my own house.

If you find out for definite what it was, please post.

Tom