engine surging.

[kwooldad]

got a real enigma here guys.my 190 1.8 has developed a prob.its getting harder too start although still not too bad.the prob is that while cruising ie.holding the car at say 40mph it feels as though i have a miss fire .i can hear the engine making a slight popping noise and it looses a bit of power.ive had all the electrics checked new plugs leads dizzy.im also loosing water but dont know where from had a pressure check no probs there.please help Im pulling my hair out here.cheers guys

 

[landover]

Sounds very like a head gasket.

 

[kwooldad]

yea im leaning towards that,but no prob with pressure check no overheating no smoke,its weird need too know for sure before spending a wedge.
cheers for quick reply mate

 

[jberks]

Head gasket problems come in all shapes and sizes. Had similar on a ford, pressure test ok, clean oil, no loss of power or water, until you switched off, then like clockwork, 30 seconds later, it dropped the contents of the radiator all over the floor. 5 miles or 200 it made no difference. Sounds like yours is sucking water into the cylinder, enough to kill the combustion but not enough for big clouds of steam.
If you're losing water with no apparent leaks, it must be going down the exhaust.

 

[kwooldad]

progress,i drove the car without the air filter on for a short distance,enought to realise that there was a popping noise coming from the intake.mmmmmmmm timing i thought?having a play around ive unplugged the triming socket next too the ecu behind the fire wall.
boy what a difference engine back too running great gear changes smoother too.am i stupid or iss this blooming wierd.would it doo any harm too leave unplugged?
thanks for youre help on this guys.

 

[OlafMaxwell]

Whatever you do dont drive without the air filter, youwillget a lot of engine wear and a risk of getting something nasty sucked into a cylinder......

I reckon water is going into a cylinder, had that same problem once and only managed to find out when checking spark plugs, gasket failed between two cylinders, water was getting into both adjoining cylinders.

Its an opportunity for a good top end clean up and check.

 

[bigt]

Sounds just possible that there is an intermittent earth fault or insulation breakdown on the wiring to the timing socket, this would certainly explain the engine spitting back through the inlet manifold, i.e. timing out. Still doesnt explain the loss of water though but that could be a seperate issue altogether. Plse let us know how you get on.

 

[Mikesmerc]

Have a look at all the spark plugs, there may be one that looks different to the others, this maybe the cylinder that is taking the water in.
Regards
Mike