My Mate's 240..cold start...

[trampintransit]

Mate has a 240 Auto B230 injection...it's getting worse and worse and he just won't use a forum to try to get help from those who know....so I'm I'm gonna try on his behalf....

It's got LPG fitted....but, cold starting on petrol is a nightmare. It takes 10-15 seconds of cranking, then sits there all recalitrant and grumpy. The tick over is lumpy as hell and for 10mins there is no hope of going anywhere, putting into drive and loading it and it just cuts out. Eventually, once it's properly warm it'll move off, but sounding like it's missing. Once really warm and on LPG it's ..kind of OK.
Now, to me, it feels like the engine coolant sensor is maybe away and it's trying to start and run whilst 'thinking' it's already warm...BUT...the temperature gauge seems to behave normally...so..my first question is...is there two temperature senders? Is there one independent of the gauge sender that's 'missinforming' the fueling?

One thing we have learned about it over the last few years is that it seems to benefit from plug changes much more regulalry than might be considered normal. Does LPG 'wear' plugs faster than petrol. The plugs that are in it have been there for...dunno...20k? not long enough to be the cause of quite such extreme symptoms to my mind. Pretty convinced thatr the problem is miss-fueling ....if it's not the sender....where should we be looking?

[morsing]

Year?
Exact engine?

[trampintransit]

Ah...all I know is B230 ... how would I find out more...is there an engine plate somewhere I can ask him to look.

[morsing]

Is there a white sticker on the front of the timing belt cover? Is the inlet manifold flat? What year is the car?

Thanks

[Juular]

There are two sensors. The one nearer the front supplies the temp gauge reading, and the one near the bulkhead activates the cold start injector. If you suspect that, the easy way to eliminate it is to unplug the cold start injector on top of the manifold.

I doubt it's that, personally.

I suspect the warm-up regulator has either drifted out of alignment or the mesh filter on its inlet port has become blocked. When this happens the mixture will usually be far too lean when cold making starting and running very difficult.

The filter is easy to check by taking the bigger banjo bolt off the top of the warmup regulator and looking inside the port. It should be shiny inside. Any dirt at all in there will cause it to run lean.

Unfortunately knowing whether it's drifted out of spec needs a pressure gauge to check and set the pressures.

There is one more thing to try - jump fuses 4 and 6 to run the main fuel pump, and then get a long 3mm Allen key into the CO adjuster and use it to try and lift the adjuster upwards for a few seconds. If you get it, you'll hear the injectors firing and it'll dump some fuel in the bores.

If that helps it start it at least points to the problem being fuel related.

[Juular]

So the above only applies if you have a B230E by the way. Anything else, ignore my advice.

[trampintransit]

It's a '92 registration, which if I'm reading correctly suggests a Jetronic 3.1 ...which appears to have a 'start injector' .. does that only run at the moment of start up, or is that meant to be contributing whilst cold, until instructed otherwise by a thermal time switch...I can't see a TTS in the diagram that I've found...so where does the staret injector get its signal from?

[Bugjam1999]

Start with the easy service parts first, before attempting to adjust anything (although it sounds like it’s likely to be 2.4lh as it’s a 1992 and you won’t be able to adjust anything as the ecu does that).

240s are prone to rough running if the ignition system isn’t in good condition- change the sparkplugs, distributor cap and rotor arm, and perhaps the plug leads then see how it runs. I wouldn’t personally leave sparkplugs anywhere near as long as 20k before changing them.

The cold start injector is controlled by the ecu.

Cheers