1987 Reliant 2.2 stalls exactly 5 minutes after start-up every day nearly. Only 140 K (75,000miles).

[William]

My daughters car and now I am driving it to sell it. I like it's
simplicity but not the stalling and hydrocarbons on idle.

Yesterday was most extreme. It died at the 5 to 6 minute mark while I
was going 80kph (50MPH). I had to wait about a minute maybe 2 to
restart. It wont restart until that time. Basically it is like there
is no spark at all and then all of a sudden it is fine for the rest of
the day. It has never stalled in the evening after work. (YET)

The car idles a bit rough but... above idle runs great. Hydro carbons
at idle only were a big problem and it barely made it through air
care.

Slugglish off the line (probably normal).
When you get rpm up & boot it it goes really well for a 2.2.
23MPG city and i dont nurse it.

Everything replaced nearly. No codes although it did have the radiator
temp sensor code and we replaced the sensor.
No vacumn leak that we can (including the last shop that couldnt find
anything) find.
I dont know where to look for fuel line leaks.
I wanted to check the choke but I couldn't find it. My chilton's
carborator doesnt look like mine. It shows two barrels and mine has
one.

I put methylhydrate in the gas, used carburator cleaner in throttle
body.
I figure it has to be a sensor, something tells the car to shut off at
same 5 to 6 minutes after first start up of the day;;;3 out of 5 days.

Heeeellllpppp please if you have insite to this dilema.

William from Vancouver...I wish I could take this car to Mexico with
me Novemeber 15 as it is a great mexico car. Does anyone know if parts
are cheap there? I would have replaced the Hall-effect but it was $57
and probably not the problem.

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

Everything replaced nearly.

Well...everything except the problem part!

No codes

Probably need to use a scanner to figure out where the problem is -- the
dashboard flash codes aren't exhaustive and don't let you see what's going
on.

I dont know where to look for fuel line leaks.

Not the problem.

I wanted to check the choke but I couldn't find it. My chilton's
carborator doesnt look like mine. It shows two barrels and mine has
one.

Hooray (again) for Chilton's error-filled books (again). Your car doesn't
have a choke OR a 1bbl carburetor, it has throttle body fuel injection.

I figure it has to be a sensor, something tells the car to shut off at
same 5 to 6 minutes after first start up of the day;;;3 out of 5 days.

How cold is it in your area, overnight?

William from Vancouver...I wish I could take this car to Mexico with me
Novemeber 15 as it is a great mexico car. Does anyone know if parts are
cheap there?

There are lots of K-cars running around most of Mexico, but most of them
have different fuel systems than were used in North American cars
(carburetors through '90, then multipoint fuel injection -- there may be
some throttle body injected cars running around down there, I'm not sure.

DS

 

[William]

NO CHOKE!!!!!
Well maybe I am not good at reading manuals but this chilton's is a
disappointment. it is hard to find things.

Even the computer codes arent in the index. I think I saw them in the
book but I cant find them now.

I knew I was throttle body and the book is 81 to 92 models. I guess I
substituted 2.2L carburetor for throttle body with out thinking.

I see what looks like my unit now...a throttle body used on a TBI
system for and 88 2.2L Mine is 87 but it looks similiar anyway and I
dont see an 87.

To answer you Question ... I live in Vancouver... now it is dropping
to around 50 F i guess.

So since the car basically turns off ..3 out of 6 days..after 5
minutes give or take 30 seconds...for about 15 to 180 seconds....I
figure it must be a sensor that is not checked by the onboard computer
checker or the one at the shop I took it to.

I dont know what kind of checker they had. They charged me 60$ and
cleaned the plugs, and checked some stuff also of course. They said
everything was new already. (My mechanic friend had worked on it and
he has a fairly basic hand held computer) that he plugs into his
computer after analysing.


Under that theory all I need to know is what is temperature sensitve
and would cut the engine out when it gets a bad message ...
around the time when the thermastat is just kicking in..

Any ideas Daniel// William, Vancouver
PS Were flying to Rincon de Guayabitos in a couple of weeks. Do you
know it?

 

[StevJensen]

[email protected] (William) wrote

So since the car basically turns off ..3 out of 6 days..after 5

Any ideas

Bad timing sensor. My 85 would die after 15 min -- just like
clockwork. Two min later it would start -- good for the rest
of the day. Tested perfect when it worked. No codes ever
showed up.

 

[jdoe]

The 87 2.2 had an issue witht he injector (I believe). There was a tsb on it
and it required replacing the injector. Symptoms were exactly as you
described. I had one and it was so bad and one dealer chased their tale on
it doing everything but that by the time I got it to a tech that knew what
to do the engine was ruined from all the raw gas going into it.
Larry