Engine mis fire, lumpy tick over etc Please Help!!!

Matt987 · Post by **Matt987** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:48 pm

Just happened suddenly yesterday on the way home...

The car is a 97 406 1.8 16v Lx with 95k on the clock...

have just replaced the plugs this evening but still the same...

Seems to run then starts mis firing and then picks up and off you fly...then slow down again, put ya foot down and mis firing all over the place get to about 5000 rpm and sort of seems to go away...

The harder you drive it the better it seems to be...but that is just silly...

I thought it might be a fuel problem or then again an Electrical problem...

Can anybody help????

Kind Regards......Matt

turbolag · Post by **turbolag** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:09 pm

sounds like a possible fuelling issue, but lordy knows where to start. run the tank fairly low and give it a triple dose of redex, then take it for an italian tune up. Replace the fuel filter. Then check your plugs ain't faulty (new ones can be kack straight from the box, so replace the old ones if you still have 'em). Then check the state of the HT leads etc. I think (but could be wrong) that this motor ues a dizzy, so check the condition of the cap & rotor. Check/replace this lot then pound to a penny says you'll be ok.

Good luck.

Matt987 · Post by **Matt987** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:53 pm

Hi Thanks for that...

The engine seems to have a lack of plug leads!!!!...

I took the cover of where the plugs live (had 6 hexy bolts in it) and had 4 things about 3-4 inches long which seemed to locate there way to the plugs...So didn't seem to have any plug leads....

Would like to get them replaced but not sure how to??!!

The cover had a plug at the end which seemed to disapper into the engine...Found No sign of any dizzy cap!!!

Any one any ideas!!!????

PJ · Post by PJ » Thu Oct 19, 2006 12:48 am

Had this problem with a previous car. Replaced everything I could, took it to a garage still the same.

As a last resort (should have been 1st choice) I filled up with a brand fuel instead of going to the supermarket.

Lo! and behold, success. Don't know if it was the quality of fuel or perhaps water in the tanks, but it never looked back.

Having said that, the supermarket has since been taken over and I've returned for the cheap fuel.

=|[PsychoPoet406]|= · Post by **=|[PsychoPoet406]|=** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:51 pm

Sounds like exactly what happened to me a few months ago when my timing went. If it's your timing belt, you'd better get it seen to quickly.

Matt987 · Post by **Matt987** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:51 pm

Ok I have left it over the weekend, started up fine this afternoon and ticks over fine, went for a spin fine for about a minute then it starts mis-firing and when idling does the same a little on the lumpy side...
The problem is pointing to fuel....I also have the good old problem of silly dials they work when they want and tend to go all over the place most of the time, I had the red light on the other day but when you brake you had half a tank and when you put ya foot down it was emptier than empty so the guage said..So when it started I thought I had ran out of fuel, the car probably hasn't got a fuel filter on it so maybe there was some crap that got into the injectors, is redex the best solution to that???

I've been assured by the previous owner the timing belt was done about 70k

Does anyone know when and or how often they should be changed??

Cheers Again...