I am turning here for help. I have tried on my own to find a solution to a rather perplexing situation and am extending my list of possible things gone wrong to the ending line. In the morning, I turn the key to the 'on' position and the fuel pump goes.the fuel pump was recently replaced which could be a factor but from what I see everything looks okay. I start the truck and it purrs to life. Sometimes it sounds a little off. A little more rough. It did have diesel oil in it (15w30) but I switched it out for regular 10w30 non synthetic . kinda doubt it's a factor but it's on the table. The truck will run for a moment, but it won't get far before it just stops. 1km tops. If I try to start it again the dash lights come on, the engine turns over, but it won't start. The engine sounds okay when it turns over. If I step on the throttle it has no impact on its startability If I let it sit for a bit, it will start again. After that it goes all day without breaking down. So far it's only a morning event. It has been burning a fair amount of oil, but it's not really a new problem. I'm not sure why it loses oil either aside from it being an old Honda engine. From what I learned on this site so far, I have been able to look for obvious leaks and checked for a head gasket leak. But overall I'm not sure what might be causing in to have morning breakdowns, so any input would be appreciated.
Have you had a look at your distributor cap and rotor, inside? I'm suspecting it's not in the best of shape, with wear, moisture, grime or perhaps carbon tracking (or all of the above) leading to a misfire/no fire condition when cold. That's where I'd start anyhow, given what you said. And if the plug wires are the originals they're well overdue for a change too. And, welcome to MTT.
Several years ago I had the same type problem with a Datsun pickup I owned. The Distributor cap had a very small nearly invisible crack that would fill with morning dew as the engine warmed up. Fred
Thank you for your reply. I know my spouse suggested the distributor cap might be the culprit with morning dew, but I found any presence of liquid hard to believe in this horrid drought. I'll check it out
At the time I was having theproblem with the Datsun, I was living in Phoenix, Ariz. Pretty dry there most of the time. You mentioned about sometimes running a bit rough, the choke may have to be adjusted a bit after you get the other problem taken care of. Fred
Best is to use a multmeter to test the distributor cap and the distributor rotor, here some examples what we found on an older BMW V12 engine, scroll down http://e32b12.blogspot.jp/search/label/Idle more examples here http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii244/suspended_discipline/P1060642.jpg http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii244/suspended_discipline/P1060646.jpg center pin gone http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d39/golfg60gti/59a3ddb7742927b3e8939d3658c02122.jpg
I didn't get back to this before but it was the distributor cap. I didn't replace it but used a Sealant. Has worked out since and so far.
So on mine, I put a thin coat of Di-Electric grease on the inside surface of the Cap, and some RTV Silicone on the outside of the cap, and at the base of the Distributor, after I cleaned it lightly! Limestone
you can install a suction line back to the intake manifold, with a check valve in it and keep a constant vacuum on the cap to help evaporate any moisture.
