My car won,t start on damp mornings

[Guest]

Been and bought some Damp start today,I will give the car a good spraying and see what happens, Yes Sarah Jane I was wearing tights,I think the slip had stuck to the tights and my skirt had slid up over the slip,I also find that when I got out at work I had a couple of inches on show as the Elastic had slid down due to pumping the accelerator.

Just seen this thread.
DON'T use Damp Start. It's a laquer that coats everything and despite what it's name says, isn't much good on a damp engine.
WD40 is good but try solving the problem not the symptom. Replace the HT leads, distributor cap and rotor arm as a start. It's easy to do and doesn't cost much. If you've still got a problem, run the engine at night and look for sparks off the ignition system. A light spray of water may help show things up.

[Guest]

Been and bought some Damp start today,I will give the car a good spraying and see what happens, Yes Sarah Jane I was wearing tights,I think the slip had stuck to the tights and my skirt had slid up over the slip,I also find that when I got out at work I had a couple of inches on show as the Elastic had slid down due to pumping the accelerator.

Do you find pumping the accelerator helps? It feels like the natural thing to do to coax the engine into life but someone told me it floods the engine so I try to resist doing it.

[sarahjane113]

i do tend to press the accelerator a bit to try and start the mini after a couple of tries especially when it starts to splutter a bit in an attempt to keep it going. I often end up bouncing up and down as Im trying to start it too which makes my friends laugh but I cant help it. although can be a bit akward as that usually makes my skirt ride up and I end up with a few inches of my slip showing. The mini was a bit akward to start this morning for some reason and took quite a few tries.

Hows your nova been?

[2CV]

Hows your nova been?

Oops, Id better give myself a proper name because Im not the Guest with the Nova. I have a 2CV, and it doesnt like damp mornings either. It even has a starting handle so when I get fed up with sitting in it endlessly turning the key, I can get out into the fresh air (or the rain) and give it a try with the handle. That can be embarrassing on days when Ive chosen to wear a shortish skirt and high heels

[sarahjane113]

OH dear that sounds akward! My mini only has the option with the key so I have to just sit there trying and trying which does mean my skirts have a habbit of riding up. How long does your car take to start in the mornings?

[2CV]

Usually about four or five tries in summer, although one day last week it just wouldnt start in the morning and I thought it had broken down. I gave it six or seven long tries with the choke out, but it just cranked and cranked and wasnt firing at all. So I left it a bit and tried several more times with the choke in, several times with the choke half out. Then I got the starting handle out of the boot - it was the first time I have had to use it since the winter. After turning it a few times the car sounded like it was going to start but it took me another quarter of an hour. I had to keep jumping back in to try the choke in different positions and of course I cant coax it with the accelerator when Im using the handle. So I did try it a few times sitting half in the car turning the key and working the pedal with my left foot but it wouldn't start like that. I was wearing a short skirt and high heeled sandals so they were not the best clothes for jumping in and out, and bending over to turn the handle.

In winter it was that difficult most days but at least I was wearing a longer skirt and boots and therefore a bit less revealing.

[sarahjane113]

Oh dear that sounds like it could be a little akward I presume you have to bend over a bit to use the starting handle and especially having to run round to fiddle with the choke. My mini often takes 5 or 6 tries most mornings to start. The problem is if its been sat for a bit longer. I had terrible trouble a couple of months ago when it was parked up for a week whilst i was away on holiday, took ages to start it when me and my friend got back to the airport. Took a lot of bouncing and persuasion to get it going.

Does your car stall a lot even once youve got it going? Do you need to use the choke a lot? mine wont start without

[2cv man]

Well done 2cv using the starting handle It is a bit hit and miss hand cranking a 2cv based on my own experience. 2cvs vary a lot as to how much choke to use from cold but in the summer should need very little, certainly not full choke. The choke is connected to the accelerator so pulling it out will actually move the accelerator a bit as well. Whatever you do resist the temptation to pump the accelerator - this just floods the engine making it impossible to start. If you keep cranking with a lot of choke the engine can again get flooded with petrol, you will probably find more resistance or kickback even from the starting handle. Was this so? Oce the engine fires then it's fine to use the accelerator to keep going. Hope this helps (based on years of 2cv experience). One other thing - I can imagine it's difficult cranking the handle in high heels (I can't say I've tried that myself!!) Is it worth driving in flats?

[pug20]

Yes it was really dreadfull this morning,I was taking my son to school before I went to work and it just sat there spluttering and teasing me,Then I had a struggle outside school, Then about 15 tries outside work tonight,Nearly everybody else had left the car park and I was still sat there cranking.I,ll try some WD40.Has anybody else tried this.I do know whatyou mean Sarah Jane about your skirt riding up,I must have had about 6 inches of slip on show this morning while cranking

How has the nova been lately ? Still giving trouble trying to start ? hope not.

[AnneCook]

Usually about four or five tries in summer, although one day last week it just wouldnt start in the morning and I thought it had broken down. I gave it six or seven long tries with the choke out, but it just cranked and cranked and wasnt firing at all. So I left it a bit and tried several more times with the choke in, several times with the choke half out. Then I got the starting handle out of the boot - it was the first time I have had to use it since the winter. After turning it a few times the car sounded like it was going to start but it took me another quarter of an hour. I had to keep jumping back in to try the choke in different positions and of course I cant coax it with the accelerator when Im using the handle. So I did try it a few times sitting half in the car turning the key and working the pedal with my left foot but it wouldn't start like that. I was wearing a short skirt and high heeled sandals so they were not the best clothes for jumping in and out, and bending over to turn the handle.

In winter it was that difficult most days but at least I was wearing a longer skirt and boots and therefore a bit less revealing.

Is 2cv for real or sarahjane for that matter. If so I can give you advice that will improve your mornings. If you are having a laugh carry on! Whatever turns you on

[FMJ]

Like the previous advice, replace the dist. cap, leads and plugs. Also the fuel filter if you have one, none of this stuff is expensive or a problem to replace.

Keep a can of easy-start to spray in the air intake if you are having problems especially with diesels.. never fails!

[2cv man]

Hows your nova been?

Oops, Id better give myself a proper name because Im not the Guest with the Nova. I have a 2CV, and it doesnt like damp mornings either. It even has a starting handle so when I get fed up with sitting in it endlessly turning the key, I can get out into the fresh air (or the rain) and give it a try with the handle. That can be embarrassing on days when Ive chosen to wear a shortish skirt and high heels

It used to be difficult to know whether to volunteer to help a woman using a starting handle (though in truth they were often very good at "swinging" a handle) or with sex equality just letting them carry on Many a driver of a 2cv or morris minor has been very grateful for that bent piece of metal you poked through a hole in the front of the car and wound up. Any other women cranked up their old cars?

[kate us]

Hay yall Im in the US and I have alot of car trouble in the rain also. I fell on hard times and had to get a free car from a friend and now I find myself fighting it to get it going on most mornings and I have started to notice that it is worse in the rain. I think its 1972 or 74 plymouth scamp and it is a huge piece of crap ! My friend told me to pump the gas to get it started, but now you guys make it sound like thats a bad idea. Last night it wouldnt start but it seemed like the faster I pumped it the more it tried to start. I didn't have the skirt problem you have, but I do have to take my heels off and pump it in my bare stockings feet. Please help Im tired of being stranded and embarased, although I am meeting some cute guys when they stop to give me a jump start, and I have another reason to not wear my shoes.

[AnneCook]

I'm Annecook's hubby!
HI Kate us and everybody. If you have a few minutes when its not raining and you can get under the hood/bonnet, ther is a lot you can do. Get all the muck and grease off of the electrical leads and make sure that they are as clean and as dry as they can be. Do the same for the dizzy (distributor cap).
If you can get inside the dizzy and make sure that that is clean and dry. You can use emery paper to make the points clean and shiny. You can do the same for the rotary arm and the contacts inside the top of the dizzy cap. You can make sure that the spark plugs are clean (the tips can be brown or grey but not black) make sure that every lead has been pushed on firmly.
So far this wont cost you a penny/cent and will set you up for whether it is wet or dry.
If you still have problems learn how to check and set the points. (you need a feeler guage for that but they aren't expensive.
As a general rule if it doesn't start and you keep pumping it will flood the engine.
Good luck all

[kate in the US]

AnneCooks hubby, Thank you for your insite and vast knowlage of cars. But you compleatly lost me! The big technical words were very impresive but I have no idea what to do with them. Let me give you some more info and maybe we can get closer to what might be going on. I have a neighbor kid that tuned it up for me last winter and it did run better, but this spring around april it was getting harder to start. I happend to give the neighbor kid a ride to school one morning and he saw how hard it was to start . He at that time told me that I had to learn how to pump the gas rite so it would start.OK what is the rite way? And more than one person has told me that I have it FLOODED. What is it , and how do I keep from doing it if it is the wrong thing to do!!! I need help and fast, It died on me last night at Dairy Queen and played hard to start for an hour.I wouldnt of been so paniced but I thought I would just go out quick and get an ice cream, so proper dress was neglected. So I ended up stranded in my pajamas and barefeet. What am I doing wrong, How do I learn how to pump my clunker to life. Signed aperently flooded.