Astina GT DOHC 1800 turns over but wont start

Musical Cheers · 28-09-2010, 05:11 PM

I am new to the forums and Astinas. I did a search for this problem but didnt have any luck so sorry if this has been done before.

I recently purchased a 1991 Astina 1800 DOHC for a second runaround car and I've been really happy with it. I got the clutch done last week (which I knew it needed when I bought it), and since I got it back (maybe unrelated) it has been running a bit rough. What I mean is that when braking to a stop and idle, it would sometimes stall, and if it didnt stall, it would kind of surge - revs would go up to 1200, then down to almost stalling, then back up to 1200 for a second, then down again, and so on, instead of idling smoothly. Didnt do it when cold.

Then this morning it stalled on the motorway at a set of lights and wouldnt start again. Turns over fine, and there is spark at the plugs so I'm guessing some kind of fuel issue?

I am no mechanic but have a reasonably logical brain and can handle a set of spanners when pushed.

Would greatly appreciate any help with fault finding - dont really know where to start with this as the carb doesnt look like the old holley I used to work on

70NYD · 28-09-2010, 05:19 PM

1st of welcome to the forum

2nd check all the vacuum hoses, and all the hoses on the intake as well as the plugs to make sure that the AFM is working and that your idle air controll is working (assiming bp in the bg has IAC)
thats as far as i can think apart from checking fuzes for your injectors
and try and hear the pump working when you turn the car to ON (prior to ignition)
if all else fails take it back to the same mech and blaim them

Musical Cheers · 28-09-2010, 05:41 PM

Thanks for the quick reply. Sorry I am old and acronyms are not good for me. What is afm, iac, bg, and bp?

Hoses I could see all look ok but couldnt find any for vacuum. The only thing that looks like it might be for vacuum on the distributor, is an extra hole which is blocked off where the ignition leads come out - looks like a factory plastic hole cover though. Where should I be looking for vacuum hoses?

All fuses in the fusebox under the hood look fine.

Cant hear any noise from fuel pump but never did, even when it was running ok. Where is it and is there a test i can do on it?

Is there a test i can do to see if injectors are working?

70NYD · 28-09-2010, 06:15 PM

ok so the bg is the series of the astina that was produced from late 80;s to early 90s, them the ba took over (my shape)
from the year you have a bg (ended in 93/94)
the bp is the dohc 1.8 liter engine in your car

(the sohc 1.8 engine being the b8)
the little thing on the dizzy (the only one i can think of) is there because some models had a seperate coil and this is where the lead plugged in
the AFM is the air flow meter, it sits on your intake pipe (after the intake box, before the throttle body), it tells the engine how much air is going though the intake
iac is the idle air control
the fuel pump is in the fuel tank under your rear seat
i dont know what tests you can run sorry
there are hoses (i should not have said vacuum, i apologize) that come of the air intake hose (at least on my engine, not 100% on yours as engine configurations changed over the years) and go to the throttle body and cam cover. the one that goes to the throttle body is for idle air control.
sorry i cant be of more help

Ghoru · 28-09-2010, 06:18 PM

the pump is hard to hear cos it is under the backseat, which is fairly easy to remove. i will throw up a few pics in a minute

Ghoru · 28-09-2010, 06:26 PM

ok so you wanna lift your back seat up at the front and push these white clips in where my index finger is and the silver plate is your where your fuel pump and sensor assembly is but if you just take off the plate you should be able to hear it when you turn the car over

Ghoru · 28-09-2010, 06:27 PM

dont mind the hack job on the carpet lol

Musical Cheers · 28-09-2010, 06:53 PM

Thanks heaps - very much appreciated - I will check it out in the morning.

Ghoru · 28-09-2010, 08:37 PM

just to let you know. i also had a similar sounding problem. for me it was the fuel pump and if it is the case for you you will need this
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MAZDA-FUEL-PU...#ht_3749wt_911

it could also be this one
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MAZDA-FUEL-PU...#ht_2576wt_911

pretty much if you have a large pump get the top one
if you have a small pump get the bottom one

that said i am assuming that they pump the same amount as the small one was used from 91 on still for 1.8l (this is for a b8 (SOHC) i doubt there is much diff really)

i also found a small one in a BP (DOHC, your engine) just mounting the small one in a large mount requires a bit of resourceful engineering involving zippy ties.

i just did all this to mine yesterday so if you need help pm me

Old Grey · 30-09-2010, 05:43 PM

Take a look at the neutral switch on the Gbox, the wires could be broken.

It sounds similar to my BP problem with the up and down idle, but it never stopped all together.

Musical Cheers · 06-10-2010, 11:19 AM

Ok so I finally got around to having a look at the car today. Went out and turned the key and it started straight away without me touching anything, but there was a strong petrol smell for a few minutes.

It still does the weird up/down idle thing though and I'm afraid to drive it until I can sort the problem, in case it stalls again and wont go.

I'm guessing its probably not fuel pump. Could be the air idle control thing you mentioned, or something else.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to test things to try and get to the bottom of this problem?

Ghoru · 06-10-2010, 10:05 PM

i hate to sound like i know best cos i dont but it may be safe to check the pump...mine also started once or twice out of the blue and then died again.

Musical Cheers · 07-10-2010, 06:06 AM

Its definitely working at the moment but I know what you are saying - could still be the problem. Not sure what I can do except wait for it to die again I guess.

Ghoru · 07-10-2010, 08:37 AM

like you said may be best not to rely on it till you know its fixed

mkid · 07-10-2010, 10:44 AM

i dont want to sound crazy but perhaps head gasket???
sounds similar to my mates BG going awhile back
revs were all over the place and always stalling at lights
was a tiny hairline crack bewteen the water jacket and first cyclinder
does it eat coolant or blow white smoke? also any white milky stuff under oil cap
or dipstick?
it keep doing it untill it just stopped working
then he left it for a few days and it started again ran fine for a few k's then just died again

amster · 03-11-2010, 08:36 AM

Hi Musical,

It sounds a lot like to trouble i'm having. Have you found the cause yet?

28-09-2010, 05:11 PM	#1
Musical Cheers Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NZ Car: 1991 Astina GT 1800DOHC Posts: 5	Astina GT DOHC 1800 turns over but wont start I am new to the forums and Astinas. I did a search for this problem but didnt have any luck so sorry if this has been done before. I recently purchased a 1991 Astina 1800 DOHC for a second runaround car and I've been really happy with it. I got the clutch done last week (which I knew it needed when I bought it), and since I got it back (maybe unrelated) it has been running a bit rough. What I mean is that when braking to a stop and idle, it would sometimes stall, and if it didnt stall, it would kind of surge - revs would go up to 1200, then down to almost stalling, then back up to 1200 for a second, then down again, and so on, instead of idling smoothly. Didnt do it when cold. Then this morning it stalled on the motorway at a set of lights and wouldnt start again. Turns over fine, and there is spark at the plugs so I'm guessing some kind of fuel issue? I am no mechanic but have a reasonably logical brain and can handle a set of spanners when pushed. Would greatly appreciate any help with fault finding - dont really know where to start with this as the carb doesnt look like the old holley I used to work on

28-09-2010, 05:19 PM	#2
70NYD Veni, vidi, vici Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Brisbane Car: 1996 BA Hatch & 2005 RX8 Posts: 4,911 View Photos By: 70NYD	1st of welcome to the forum 2nd check all the vacuum hoses, and all the hoses on the intake as well as the plugs to make sure that the AFM is working and that your idle air controll is working (assiming bp in the bg has IAC) thats as far as i can think apart from checking fuzes for your injectors and try and hear the pump working when you turn the car to ON (prior to ignition) if all else fails take it back to the same mech and blaim them __________________

28-09-2010, 06:15 PM	#4
70NYD Veni, vidi, vici Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Brisbane Car: 1996 BA Hatch & 2005 RX8 Posts: 4,911 View Photos By: 70NYD	ok so the bg is the series of the astina that was produced from late 80;s to early 90s, them the ba took over (my shape) from the year you have a bg (ended in 93/94) the bp is the dohc 1.8 liter engine in your car (the sohc 1.8 engine being the b8) the little thing on the dizzy (the only one i can think of) is there because some models had a seperate coil and this is where the lead plugged in the AFM is the air flow meter, it sits on your intake pipe (after the intake box, before the throttle body), it tells the engine how much air is going though the intake iac is the idle air control the fuel pump is in the fuel tank under your rear seat i dont know what tests you can run sorry there are hoses (i should not have said vacuum, i apologize) that come of the air intake hose (at least on my engine, not 100% on yours as engine configurations changed over the years) and go to the throttle body and cam cover. the one that goes to the throttle body is for idle air control. sorry i cant be of more help __________________

28-09-2010, 06:18 PM	#5
Ghoru Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Rockhampton Car: '92 BG Astina Sp Posts: 999 View Photos By: Ghoru	the pump is hard to hear cos it is under the backseat, which is fairly easy to remove. i will throw up a few pics in a minute __________________ BG Astina - work in progress.... Scooters are like fat chicks, fun to ride until your mates find out... NOS is like a hot chick with AIDS, you know you wanna hit that,your just afraid of the consequences... http://www.eveonline.com/

28-09-2010, 06:26 PM	#6
Ghoru Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Rockhampton Car: '92 BG Astina Sp Posts: 999 View Photos By: Ghoru	ok so you wanna lift your back seat up at the front and push these white clips in where my index finger is and the silver plate is your where your fuel pump and sensor assembly is but if you just take off the plate you should be able to hear it when you turn the car over __________________ BG Astina - work in progress.... Scooters are like fat chicks, fun to ride until your mates find out... NOS is like a hot chick with AIDS, you know you wanna hit that,your just afraid of the consequences... http://www.eveonline.com/

28-09-2010, 05:41 PM	#3
Musical Cheers Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NZ Car: 1991 Astina GT 1800DOHC Posts: 5	Thanks for the quick reply. Sorry I am old and acronyms are not good for me. What is afm, iac, bg, and bp? Hoses I could see all look ok but couldnt find any for vacuum. The only thing that looks like it might be for vacuum on the distributor, is an extra hole which is blocked off where the ignition leads come out - looks like a factory plastic hole cover though. Where should I be looking for vacuum hoses? All fuses in the fusebox under the hood look fine. Cant hear any noise from fuel pump but never did, even when it was running ok. Where is it and is there a test i can do on it? Is there a test i can do to see if injectors are working?

28-09-2010, 06:27 PM	#7
Ghoru Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Rockhampton Car: '92 BG Astina Sp Posts: 999 View Photos By: Ghoru	dont mind the hack job on the carpet lol __________________ BG Astina - work in progress.... Scooters are like fat chicks, fun to ride until your mates find out... NOS is like a hot chick with AIDS, you know you wanna hit that,your just afraid of the consequences... http://www.eveonline.com/

28-09-2010, 06:53 PM	#8
Musical Cheers Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NZ Car: 1991 Astina GT 1800DOHC Posts: 5	Thanks heaps - very much appreciated - I will check it out in the morning.

28-09-2010, 08:37 PM	#9
Ghoru Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Rockhampton Car: '92 BG Astina Sp Posts: 999 View Photos By: Ghoru	just to let you know. i also had a similar sounding problem. for me it was the fuel pump and if it is the case for you you will need this http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MAZDA-FUEL-PU...#ht_3749wt_911 it could also be this one http://cgi.ebay.com.au/MAZDA-FUEL-PU...#ht_2576wt_911 pretty much if you have a large pump get the top one if you have a small pump get the bottom one that said i am assuming that they pump the same amount as the small one was used from 91 on still for 1.8l (this is for a b8 (SOHC) i doubt there is much diff really) i also found a small one in a BP (DOHC, your engine) just mounting the small one in a large mount requires a bit of resourceful engineering involving zippy ties. i just did all this to mine yesterday so if you need help pm me __________________ BG Astina - work in progress.... Scooters are like fat chicks, fun to ride until your mates find out... NOS is like a hot chick with AIDS, you know you wanna hit that,your just afraid of the consequences... http://www.eveonline.com/

30-09-2010, 05:43 PM	#10
Old Grey Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sydney Car: Astina BG 1991 - Rx7 S4 Posts: 105	Take a look at the neutral switch on the Gbox, the wires could be broken. It sounds similar to my BP problem with the up and down idle, but it never stopped all together. Last edited by Old Grey; 30-09-2010 at 05:47 PM.

06-10-2010, 11:19 AM	#11
Musical Cheers Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NZ Car: 1991 Astina GT 1800DOHC Posts: 5	Ok so I finally got around to having a look at the car today. Went out and turned the key and it started straight away without me touching anything, but there was a strong petrol smell for a few minutes. It still does the weird up/down idle thing though and I'm afraid to drive it until I can sort the problem, in case it stalls again and wont go. I'm guessing its probably not fuel pump. Could be the air idle control thing you mentioned, or something else. Does anyone have any ideas on how to test things to try and get to the bottom of this problem?

06-10-2010, 10:05 PM	#12
Ghoru Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Rockhampton Car: '92 BG Astina Sp Posts: 999 View Photos By: Ghoru	i hate to sound like i know best cos i dont but it may be safe to check the pump...mine also started once or twice out of the blue and then died again. __________________ BG Astina - work in progress.... Scooters are like fat chicks, fun to ride until your mates find out... NOS is like a hot chick with AIDS, you know you wanna hit that,your just afraid of the consequences... http://www.eveonline.com/

07-10-2010, 06:06 AM	#13
Musical Cheers Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NZ Car: 1991 Astina GT 1800DOHC Posts: 5	Its definitely working at the moment but I know what you are saying - could still be the problem. Not sure what I can do except wait for it to die again I guess.

07-10-2010, 08:37 AM	#14
Ghoru Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Rockhampton Car: '92 BG Astina Sp Posts: 999 View Photos By: Ghoru	like you said may be best not to rely on it till you know its fixed __________________ BG Astina - work in progress.... Scooters are like fat chicks, fun to ride until your mates find out... NOS is like a hot chick with AIDS, you know you wanna hit that,your just afraid of the consequences... http://www.eveonline.com/

07-10-2010, 10:44 AM	#15
mkid Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wollongong, NSW, australia Car: BK 3 SP23 Posts: 840	i dont want to sound crazy but perhaps head gasket??? sounds similar to my mates BG going awhile back revs were all over the place and always stalling at lights was a tiny hairline crack bewteen the water jacket and first cyclinder does it eat coolant or blow white smoke? also any white milky stuff under oil cap or dipstick? it keep doing it untill it just stopped working then he left it for a few days and it started again ran fine for a few k's then just died again

03-11-2010, 08:36 AM	#16
amster Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: PE Car: Astina Posts: 11	Hi Musical, It sounds a lot like to trouble i'm having. Have you found the cause yet?

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode