Mk VI Hot starting problems

[Marcus Dean]

Can anyone advise on cause of failure to restart when stalled with a hot engine, my MK VI stalled today (not a very hot day in Edinburgh) It had been in heavy traffic and temp went almost into the coloured section on the guage, no steam, fuel bowl and pipes just hot not excessive, SU pumps not clicking to fill bowl ie bowls full, original type coil a bit hot, cooled it with a cold rag didn't make any difference, changed over Condenser no change. Car has good oil pressure engine rebuilt last 10,000 miles, ticks over very slowly without stalling (I increased tick over in traffic to improve air flow), radiator original - condition unknown. My other Mk VI that had a new radiator and major engine rebuild did exactly the same, refused to start until water temp dropped a bit, no amount of cranking would start her either with throttle fully open or partial or closed. If it had been a summers day I am sure it would have been worse.
Has anyone had similar experiences?

[John Murch]

Marcus, What a handsome car.
Could the fact that the fuel pumps are not clicking mean that they are not working?
Have you tried depressing the tickler on the float chamber to make sure that fuel is indeed getting through?
John

[Stephen Blakey]

It's usually the coil on a non hot-starting MKVI. I'm told that's why the factory fitted a spare. It was certainly a fried coil that caused my MKVI to take forever to restart on the way to wedding. Whoops. Thankfully it fired just as the battery was about to give up. They say you create vivid memories at times of stress.

[Al Coutts]

I can offer no succour.

What a beautiful vehicle - in a rather perverse way, I'm pleased you've posted!

[Christopher Carnley]

The HJ Mulliner Lightweight does look good in the dark colour, so many were painted in "a la mode, eau de nil" and worse.

I would, like Stephen have gone for coil saturation, or Johns "possibly" coil saturated petrol pump coil windings.

I believe that you should now do a complete overhaul of the ignition and carburation, with due attention given to the setting of the distributor points and fit a new condenser.

Could you have collapsed baffles in the exhaust system?

[Robert Zannetti]

I have experienced a similar problem with my S3 and have been down the coil, condenser fuel pump etc route without success. During one of these occasions I cracked the feed to the carburettor and there was a hiss followed by fuel! The cause was fuel vaporization. The problem has been solved, I hope, by the ceramic coating of the exhaust manifold. It certainly does the trick of moving the heat down the system a bit and gives the fuel pipes a bit of a break!

[Christopher Carnley]

Al.

Just for you, (note the reg,) it is near Arnhem.



You too could have a special "Special" like this one.

[Marcus Dean]

Thank you for all the suggestions.
I will try coil first after all its probably original.
Car was cruising well at 70 earlier in the day so both pumps must be OK.
Its a James Young big bore manual from 1952 but quite like the HJM, but sadly wooden framed not Reynolds.
Both points set OK and clean no wobble on shaft , inlet tappets set. car idles so quietly you cant hear it in the cabin.
Might change the floats to plastic, recore radiator and fit Kenlowe fans.
If its fuel vapourisation then there must be an issue with cooling, the engine was said to have been rebuilt but must have been done in situ as no evidence of it or the radiator having been removed so no proper cleaning of the block or gallery, compression is 100 psi average across the cylinders with very small increase with oil in bores.
Removed radiator last night and will probably pull engine as well as she needs a good repaint as water is starting to enter through the sunroof front and back screens etc and that is bad news, although the scruffy original driver gets a lot of attention and you don't get worried about parking her in the supermarket - rather other cars get worried they will get bashed!

[Marcus Dean]

I will also check silencers as they are pretty well rusted through.
Any suggestion on colour for the car is going to have to get a proper respray to survive, black with brown Vaumol was the original.

[Christopher Carnley]

I was going on your other listed car,B359EW and not checking the styles.
I had an HJM LW for a while in a pile of bits, the body is an aluminium skin reinforced with Dural brackets, and an amazing structure, on the lines of the HJM Fastback.

The decayed OTT coach-built interior and a lot of cobbled parts, down to the previous owner, led to its disposal. It is now the basis for an RGE Blue Train Special.

What about the dark moss green?

[Al Coutts]

Great pics of truly lovely cars! TY

[Marcus Dean]

Dear Christopher

Thank you for the suggestion, I was coming round to dark moss green as well, but possibly a lighter shade on top, though I don't as a rule like two tone this model often was done that way apparently to make the car look longer.
Car is now in pieces interior out engine out wings doors off etc, nothing too bad except front screen has leaked and rusted the a pillars at the bases, strange construction, heavy flat steel plate with thick formed timber to outer side , then covered with 1mm thick tin/steel sheet riveted to steel and tacked to wood on other edge, covered in lead, thin steel has rotted and will require reshaped, difficult to weld given the wood core.

[Marcus Dean]

I sold B 359 EW partly because the hot starting problem and I could not face a strip down and the new owner planned a full restoration

with P&A wood which is what it deserved being quite rare. I replace it with a S1 of the same style.

[Christopher Carnley]

Aye, tell me about it. Are you acquainted with Simon Adams?

B359EW an HJ Mulliner of body style 7210, only 3 made, but the alligator bonnet made for difficult servicing.
A bit like one of the "Crestas" too
All metal it made for good experience when building the Continentals, and a good basis for Capt McLeod,s "shorty" R Type Continental.
The splits are vogue really between 1955 and 1964, done well they are good, but too much of a tone difference and they become quite "obvious".

[Marcus Dean]

Yes he has rebuilt stuff for me sadly he died last week.
I didn't find it at all difficult to service, the whole bonnet opened as opposed to one side at a time and it also had removable side panels behind the wings so you could access the side low down, so setting exhaust tappets was a lot easier than the standard car, I think someone made a comment in a book about this car difficult to service and it has been repeated ever since.
All alloy frame made it light and a very good performer on the road.

[Christopher Carnley]

Marcus,

That is so sad, a nice chap.
I get the connection now, the S1 Continental.