Technical 126p elx newly built engine

[Thomas Vaughan]

Thanks for taking the time to give me suggestions.
The timing works by a notch on the pulley passing a crank position sensor at 10° before tdc. It seems that it is correct and would be hard to change as the sensor is firmly screwed in place and shows no signs of moving. The crank and pulley can only be put on correctly as they have differently spaced bolt holes.
If I put an ohm meter on the sensor leads the resistance changes as the notch passes by.

What compression should I be getting (dry/wet throttle open/closed??)

I can't believe so many thousands of fiat 126s have been produced and I can't find anyone who has the same symptoms?

 

[bugsymike]

Thanks for taking the time to give me suggestions.
The timing works by a notch on the pulley passing a crank position sensor at 10° before tdc. It seems that it is correct and would be hard to change as the sensor is firmly screwed in place and shows no signs of moving. The crank and pulley can only be put on correctly as they have differently spaced bolt holes.
If I put an ohm meter on the sensor leads the resistance changes as the notch passes by.

What compression should I be getting (dry/wet throttle open/closed??)

I can't believe so many thousands of fiat 126s have been produced and I can't find anyone who has the same symptoms?

What controls the timings advance as revs increase in your electronic system?
Is there a way of confirming the basic timing position?
Since you have owned that engine has it ever ran to your satisfaction?
Others on Forum will be more accurate re compression pressure, but I suspect around 106psi from memory.

 

[Thomas Vaughan]

The engine has never run under my ownership. I have video of the last, last owner driving it without problem. The owner after that ( who I bought the car from) did mention that it might need the timing looking at. Since I bought it the entire engine was stripped cleaned and rebuilt. I made sure not to adjust or move anything from the original settings. The position sensor has been removed but as I said it can't be moved accidentally. I will move it a few millimeters towards tdc and away from tdc and try again, bit it's late now and the neighbours wouldn't appreciate the noise
I'm going to have a little whiskey then off to bed.

Thanks again for your support!

Feeling down as I'm nearing completion and now I've hit a brick wall.

 

[bugsymike]

The engine has never run under my ownership. I have video of the last, last owner driving it without problem. The owner after that ( who I bought the car from) did mention that it might need the timing looking at. Since I bought it the entire engine was stripped cleaned and rebuilt. I made sure not to adjust or move anything from the original settings. The position sensor has been removed but as I said it can't be moved accidentally. I will move it a few millimeters towards tdc and away from tdc and try again, bit it's late now and the neighbours wouldn't appreciate the noise
I'm going to have a little whiskey then off to bed.

Thanks again for your support!

Feeling down as I'm nearing completion and now I've hit a brick wall.

Sounds like the last owner knew more about the problems than he let on.
You will get there in the end, I always say if it was easy every idiot would do it, just methodically work your way along, the success will be more pleasure.
The whisky sounds the right solution for tonight.

 

[Thomas Vaughan]

I move the crank sensor carefully while idling and it made no difference.
I've fitted a new twin coil too, as I had an extra one.
Measured the alternator output at 14.7v so that's good.
Removed and swapped around the spade connectors on the alternator too.
Disconnected the engine run on cut off module too, with no difference.

 

[bugsymike]

What exact ignition set up do you have, in my old books they started with a simple points and distributor set up (cheap to diagnose and replace) later ones seem to have a variety of electronic systems where faults are not always obvious.

 

[Thomas Vaughan]

Rebooting an old thread.
I've been unwell so haven't been working on the 126 since last summer.
I made an external fuel supply to eliminate the fuel pump being a problem, but the strange rhythmic idle continues!

Here's a Video.

Changed
New Plugs
New Leads
New Coil
All gaskets in carb replaced, stripped carb, ultrasonically cleaned everything.
New fuel pump
New air filter
All earth's clean.
Timing (electronic ignition) set correctly, but also advanced.

I'm at a loss.

Help!

 

[bugsymike]

Rebooting an old thread.
I've been unwell so haven't been working on the 126 since last summer.
I made an external fuel supply to eliminate the fuel pump being a problem, but the strange rhythmic idle continues!

Here's a Video.

Changed
New Plugs
New Leads
New Coil
All gaskets in carb replaced, stripped carb, ultrasonically cleaned everything.
New fuel pump
New air filter
All earth's clean.
Timing (electronic ignition) set correctly, but also advanced.

I'm at a loss.

Help!

Does sound like a misfire.
What is it like on the road?
Does easing the choke out a little make any difference?
Are you 100% sure float height is correct?
Any wiring/connections not 100%?
Finally have you an alternative to the electronic ignition to try?

 

[Thomas Vaughan]

Does sound like a misfire.
What is it like on the road?
Does easing the choke out a little make any difference?
Are you 100% sure float height is correct?
Any wiring/connections not 100%?
Finally have you an alternative to the electronic ignition to try?

It's never been on the road since I've owned it.
Choke makes no difference
The float is correct, I've bough a new one, and set it with a drill bit for distance.
I've stripped the whole car and been careful with the electrics, I've tested with a volt meter and everything seems to check out.
My next idea was to buy another 213A ignition, however is seems these don't really fail.

 

[bugsymike]

It's never been on the road since I've owned it.
Choke makes no difference
The float is correct, I've bough a new one, and set it with a drill bit for distance.
I've stripped the whole car and been careful with the electrics, I've tested with a volt meter and everything seems to check out.
My next idea was to buy another 213A ignition, however is seems these don't really fail.

Do you have a good strobe ignition timing light, not sure if possible but may show the light fails as engine hesitates, indicating ignition side as in electronics.
Also if accessible can you bang the electronic part with back of hand to see if it shocks a misfire into happening.
I once had that with an ignition coil, where a bump with your hand proved a bad internal connection in coil.
Does this red thing look anything like your electronic system setup as if so back in the 1980s I fitted loads of them on Ford Escorts when they failed.

 

[Thomas Vaughan]

Do you have a good strobe ignition timing light, not sure if possible but may show the light fails as engine hesitates, indicating ignition side as in electronics.
Also if accessible can you bang the electronic part with back of hand to see if it shocks a misfire into happening.
I once had that with an ignition coil, where a bump with your hand proved a bad internal connection in coil.
Does this red thing look anything like your electronic system setup as if so back in the 1980s I fitted loads of them on Ford Escorts when they failed.

View attachment 447090

It's blue but yes. Not tried hitting it yet, but it's hard to get a good swing at it.

I have a tester of sorts, I bought it for £4 at a garage sale because I thought, "I might need one of them" but have no idea how to use it, or if it works.

 

[bugsymike]

View attachment 447102View attachment 447103
It's blue but yes. Not tried hitting it yet, but it's hard to get a good swing at it.

I have a tester of sorts, I bought it for £4 at a garage sale because I thought, "I might need one of them" but have no idea how to use it, or if it works.

On your Strobe light the crocodile clips red to positive 12 volt and black to negative, if you want you can use a separate car battery if no easy connection. The rusty bolt thing on other wire goes between plug lead and plug. Some have a trigger like a gun to make the strobe light operate.
On the blue ignition module you may try pushing the wire spring clip inwards , pulling the connector off and spraying it with electrical switch cleaner and refitting it , that may improve any faulty connection.

 

[the green vanper]

I don't know about the electronic ignition in the 126's, but in the 125's and the Polonez (also known as Polski), although installed a couple of years earlier, they were that much problematic, that mechanics were often going back to the previous, mechanical ignition... Because it was too hard to make them work properly...

 

[bugsymike]

I don't know about the electronic ignition in the 126's, but in the 125's and the Polonez (also known as Polski), although installed a couple of years earlier, they were that much problematic, that mechanics were often going back to the previous, mechanical ignition... Because it was too hard to make them work properly...

Around the 1980s we fitted loads of them until electronic ignition became better developed. I much preferred the simple and cheap to repair original points and condensor set up which could be repaired at the side of the road and didn't require a recovery lorry like most jobs on vehicles these days
I was wondering if OP could get something like this from Hella and match the pin outs to his unit?

 

[Thomas Vaughan]

SOLVED!!!!

I bought a new (used) ignition module and the symptoms have gone away. Now it starts and runs smooth for the first time in the time I've owned it!!!

 

[bugsymike]

SOLVED!!!!

I bought a new (used) ignition module and the symptoms have gone away. Now it starts and runs smooth for the first time in the time I've owned it!!!
View attachment 448206

Even in those day those modules were a fast seller at the Trade Parts Counter for a lot of different makes of car, I fitted loads on Ford Escorts etc.
Glad you solved it May be a good idea to get a spare.