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#1 Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:07 am
by Woly64
Have joined as a newbie as the realisation of a long held ambition will hopefully take place on Sat Jan 6th when I pick up a '71 Series 3 2+2 (assuming that my '76 spider that I'm trading in does not let me down in getting there!)
This is how she currently looks...

#2 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:50 am
by malcolm
Well done! Hope all goes well on the day. I've got a webasto roof on my 2+2 and I love it. The open air feel without the battering. My wife (she of the "watch the hair!!") also appreciates it when the wind deflector is up.

#3 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:01 pm
by Woly64
Thanks Malcolm - funny that is exactly why I am not buying an OTS and why I really wanted one with a Webasto!

#4 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:21 pm
by Dave K
You should have gone for the OTS and bought one of my windbreakers, no buffeting with that fitted :bigrin:

Dave

#5 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:32 pm
by malcolm
Ah, but we get dryer quicker when it rains!

#6 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:34 pm
by Mark Gordon
Dave K wrote:
Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:21 pm
You should have gone for the OTS and bought one of my windbreakers, no buffeting with that fitted :bigrin:

Dave
Yup! 70 mph with Dave's windbreaker feels like about 35 mph. He should pay me for these testimonials. :wink: Dave, have you started making them for Series 3's?

#7 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 7:14 pm
by cactusman
Over excited now....just wait till Saturday :bigrin: :bigrin: :bigrin: :bigrin: :bigrin: bet the first stop will be the fuel station....lol....enjoy :bouncyyellow:

#8 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2018 6:50 pm
by Dave K
Mark Gordon wrote:
Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:34 pm
Dave K wrote:
Thu Jan 04, 2018 2:21 pm
You should have gone for the OTS and bought one of my windbreakers, no buffeting with that fitted :bigrin:

Dave
Yup! 70 mph with Dave's windbreaker feels like about 35 mph. He should pay me for these testimonials. :wink: Dave, have you started making them for Series 3's?
Hi Mark, Not yet but I have plans, just need to get hold of a S3 OTS so I can try a few things out.

Dave

#9 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:21 pm
by cactusman
Well Woly64...are you back in from the garage yet....or are you sleeping in the car :bigrin: :bigrin:

#10 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:42 am
by Woly64
Bit of both! Apologies for not keeping you posted. Car runs great although the little bugger will not start when hot despite perfect starting at other times. Having read on here the various causes of this I am going to run the fuel right down (guy who sold it mistakenly filled it with ordinary unleaded) then fill it up with high Octane and get the carb set up checked to ensure no weak mixture issue......if all that fails then I will be back on here reading up on ignition issues. It already has a new fuel pump which ticks away nicely so I think that sorting the fuel and mixture set up is the right place to start.

#11 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:52 am
by mgcjag
Hi Whats your name....please try to put in in the signature area with your car models......you may want to read up on ignition module(opus)....well known to overheat on S3....so causing hot start problems.. Steve

#12 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:58 am
by Woly64
Signature sorted - thanks for the prompt Steve. Homework set to understand Opus!

#13 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 10:34 am
by malcolm
Woly64 wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:42 am
Having read on here the various causes of this I am going to run the fuel right down (guy who sold it mistakenly filled it with ordinary unleaded)
Although they like high octane if possible, using normal stuff shouldn't cause the issue you mention. I've done a number of European tours (accompanied by S 3's) where it is often really hard to find higher octane fuel. Never causes issues. But good luck finding the issue, and your car looks great!

#14 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:39 pm
by driver
Hi,Rob Gill here,
this not unusual on a s3, i had it on mine.
I cured it by fitting a new SNG Barrett ignition/disributor kit,it came with very clear fitting instructions.
All the best.

#15 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 4:38 pm
by Mark Gordon
I had the same problem when I first got my car. It would start instantly when cold, but once warmed up it was a bear. I had the distributor rebuilt and the problem vanished.

#16 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 6:46 pm
by christopher storey
Woly64 wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:42 am
get the carb set up checked to ensure no weak mixture issue...
If it starts well when cold, but is a bad hot starter ( my S1 4.2 is as well, and my S2 is not much better ) then if it is a mixture discrepancy, it is more likely to be overrich than weak . It often helps to hold the throttle well open ( say 3/4) while cranking, if it is a hot start difficulty

There are also too many rotor arms around at the moment which become partly conductive when hot, leading to weak spark. The Distributor Doctor's red arms are the cure

#17 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 7:45 pm
by Dave123m
Hi Martin,

Congratulations on the recent acquisition, it looks exactly like mine should, shiny red with a Webasto!

Another vote from me for the Opus Ignition Module being the reason for poor hot starting, I'd definitely be looking there if I were you.

Sadly the biggest issue for you will be both the original Opus & replacement ReOpus are no longer available so it may be an XJS or SNG replacement required.

Mine on the way to Gibraltar below, when I stop using it hopefully I'll get round to restoring it.

Image

Good luck getting it sorted.

Dave.

#18 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:47 pm
by Woly64
Like two peas from a pod! Glad to see you are getting lots of use out of yours - it looks like a fantastic barn find. Enjoy!

#19 Re: Over excited soon to be owner

Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:02 pm
by Woly64
Well after running the lower octane petrol down and filling up with 98 grade this has made a big difference with much easier starting now when engine hot (happy bunny). Plus from a more detailed investigation the ignition/distributor upgrade has already been done! :bouncyyellow:
Confidence in hot starting = more use now going forward