Help - engine not running well

[jc_uk]

Hi all,

I'm having problems with my SE Turbo H Reg.

Regular Services and MOTs with local garage.

Last year had a Piper SS exhaust fitted, and not run very well since......
Firstly, gets some bangs/pops when slowing down through the gears and also when accelerating - looks like an accepted feature......

Recently the car is running not as smooth as it once did - had it from ~6 months old.......
Acceleration is patchy but holds speed well.
Seems to get turbo boost irregularly when accelerating....... sometimes showing on the gauge sometimes not......
Feels like it could be a fuel/injection issue......
Difficult to describe.

Last service included fresh set of plugs and also checking the Turbo Wastegate for pressure activation.....
Also checking for air leaks, including with the new exhaust.
Had a similar issue a few years ago which was traced to an air leak in the plumbing....

Running on Shell VPower premium petrol - should I be adding additives for injector cleaning etc. - never have so far......

Any ideas where to start looking please to get back to running better.

Many thanks
JC
Cumbria, UK.

[Tuga2112]

i woudl definietly run a tank with redex on it before takig it further.

every now and then running that stuff wont break the bank and it just helps to diagnose if the issue may be partially clogged injectors.

[jc_uk]

Hi all,

Been out with a full tank of Shell VPower fuel and a bottle of STP injector cleaner addititive.

half a tank later and the lumpy running is gone and the Elan is running how it should.

Still a few pops and bangs a tiny wiff of petrol in the cabin.......

So good stuff and thanks for the heads up.....

Cheers

JC

[jc_uk]

Hi all,

I've bit the bullet and went for a new set of injectors.

They have cured the poor running of the engine.

Still stuck with the pops and bangs in the exhaust on overrun or engine braking and deceleration.....

The exhaust I had fitted a couple of years ago is from Piper and in great condition.

Can anyone help on what to look for the cure the pops and bangs in the exhaust?
I have read some of the posts on timing being out - will the car run this good with the timing out?

Many thanks

JC

[Fredjohn]

Suggest you check the timing. Not many cars run properly if it's out!

Also what diameter is your exhaust? The larger ones eg 2½'' can cause problems if the turbo hasn't been ported. 2¼'' may be OK though.

[jc_uk]

Hi again,

The Piper exhaust is 2.25"

What other symptoms would I see if the timing is not set correctly.

At the same time of the exhaust being installed I the timing belt changed....... I assumed as the car was running then and now with the new injectors that the timing was correctly set.

Are there any basic checks I can make in the driveway to help diagnose the issue....?

Many thanks

JC

[Tuga2112]

Checking the timing it's not very difficult you can do it with a current driveway ideally with a second person but it can be done by yourself full stop the easiest way to do it is start the car put the timing on the first cylinder flush the light and check what it's reading on the cover at the bottom easiest way to read the cover at the bottom is to take the wheel off and have a person looking from there because looking from the top it's white awkward to see it but it can be done.

If you read the manually it will tell you the details but it's one of those things that it's easier to do a video to show than it is to explain in writing

[jc_uk]

Hi Tuga211,

Thanks for the reply/post.

Are you an AI bot?

I understand some of your post but not all of it.....

Do you have a version in English please

Many thanks
JC

[jc_uk]

Hi again,

Also any pointers on checking the fuelling and if it is running rich, as suspected from the posts read so far.......
And matching the Piper exhaust fitted......?

My battery is normally disconnected when not running the car.
Will this reset the ECUs etc? Or is there a more absolute way for resetting?

Many thanks

JC

[Tuga2112]

Hi Tuga211,

Thanks for the reply/post.

Are you an AI bot?

I understand some of your post but not all of it.....

Do you have a version in English please

Many thanks
JC

thats a new acolyte for me.

i use text to speech when replying on the phone. speech recognition isnt that great, specially when you have a mixture of a foreign accent with a dash of geordie for flair.

if you download the manual. theres a section there talking about the timing. i can send you a link at lunch time with a video just pointing out where you want to look for things. but im not in a position to check timing on my car at the moment. unfortunate for you. i habe alll the suspension components out in the passenger side. where having the wheel out on the driver's side would make it very simple to show where to look.

[Tuga2112]