- sufficiently high crankshaft speed (is provided at the time of starting by a starter or other source of energy foreign to the engine);
- the formation of a working mixture capable of igniting in its composition;
- sufficiently high energy of the ignition spark of the working mixture.
In cars «Zhiguli» designers have laid the prerequisites for fulfilling these three conditions in a variety of cases, including at low air temperatures (-25°С and below), due to which the starting qualities of engines «Zhiguli» higher than the engines of any other domestic cars.
The fulfillment of the first condition is ensured by a high-capacity battery with high electrical characteristics and a powerful starter, as well as good viscosity characteristics of oils poured into the engine (especially winter ones, which do not thicken excessively at low temperatures). The fulfillment of the second condition is facilitated by a carburetor with an effective semi-automatic starting device, which prepares a flammable working mixture during the start-up process. The third condition - sufficient spark energy - is met due to a capacious battery and a sufficiently high efficiency of the elements of the ignition system.
Thus, when the battery, carburetor and ignition system are in good condition and the driver's actions are correct, starting is not difficult, and the engine starts to work after no more than two or three starts of the starter. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon, especially in autumn and winter, to observe how a car enthusiast unsuccessfully tries to start the engine of his car after a night of parking. This is the result of the unsatisfactory condition of the relevant devices or incorrect actions of the driver.
First of all, it should be borne in mind that it is wiser and easier to (especially with the onset of autumn) check and bring into proper condition all devices and components that determine the ease of starting the engine, than to find and fix malfunctions in rain and cold after you have already tried many times unsuccessfully to start the engine and «planted» while the battery. To do this, you need to know the condition of which particular components and parts that affect the starting qualities of the engine deteriorates during operation and requires systematic monitoring and control. These components and parts include: battery; distributor contacts; protective caps for high voltage wires; top cover of the ignition coil; distributor cover; distributor rotor; spark plug; carburetor starter.
Under normal conditions, the battery life is 3-4 years, however, long before that, it may be discharged and not able to provide a sufficiently high engine speed during start-up. The main reasons for the decline in battery performance (with good generator) can be:
- weakening the tension of the fan drive belt, generator and water pump;
- lowering the level of electrolyte in banks;
- terminal oxidation.
Methods for eliminating the first two faults do not need special explanation. As for the third, in order to restore good electrical contact, you need to carefully clean with sandpaper not only the terminals of the battery itself, but also the inner surfaces of the wire lugs (especially «positive»); in case of severe oxidation, it may be necessary to remove a thin layer of oxidized metal from the terminals and tips with a knife.
It must be borne in mind that if «Zhiguli» the charging control lamp does not light up when the engine is running, this does not indicate that the battery is charging normally, but basically that the generator is working; so, for example, if the fan, alternator and water pump drive belts are loose, the indicator lamp will not light, but the battery will still not receive a proper charge.
The degree of charge of the battery can be determined using a hydrometer (density meter). The load plug should not be used as the battery «Zhiguli» the terminals of the individual elements are under a layer of mastic, which would have to be destroyed in the process of measuring the voltage. At the same time, it is useful to know that a good and quite accessible indicator of the degree of charge of the battery is the frequency of blinking of the turn signals, which is most conveniently judged by the warning lamp on the instrument panel; when the battery is discharged, the blinking frequency is noticeably reduced compared to normal.
If the battery is very discharged by the time the fault is detected, it is advisable to (especially in winter time) remove it from the car and charge it with a charger, which is useful for every car enthusiast.
The contacts of the distributor are gradually oiled and burnt. In addition, over time, the gap between them in the open state changes (usually decreases) compared to what is required. All this reduces the electrical characteristics of the ignition system (reduces spark energy) and sharply, worsens the starting qualities of the engine. If contacts (pic. 2) dirty, they should be removed from the distributor, for which it is enough to unscrew the two screws that secure them to the platform and disconnect the wire from the low voltage terminal of the distributor. Then the contacts must be thoroughly washed in clean gasoline and wiped with a lint-free cloth, after which the area to which the contacts are attached should be washed with the same cloth moistened with gasoline, wipe it, install the contacts in place and adjust the gap between them in accordance with the instructions.
The reason that excludes the possibility of starting the engine, especially in wet weather and at relatively low (from +5°to 0°C) air temperature, there may be a leakage of high voltage current to ground through damaged protective caps of high voltage wires (first of all through the caps of the central wire, put on the terminal of the ignition coil and on the central terminal of the distributor cap). This malfunction is easily diagnosed at night by sparks that jump at the moment of trying to start the engine along the surface of the ignition coil cover, distributor cover or between high voltage wires (the underhood lamp should not be on at this time). Such a malfunction should be eliminated by replacing the punctured rubber caps and cleaning the surfaces of the ignition coil cover and distributor. In the absence of rubber caps in stock, it is permissible to use caps from any other domestic car, but this measure can only be temporary, since such caps are not quite suitable for «Zhiguli» and break quickly. You can also temporarily replace damaged high voltage center wire caps with spark plug wire caps. If this does not help and sparks continue to jump over the cleaned surface of the distributor cap, it can be assumed that the insulation of the latter is broken and the cap should be replaced. You can verify this by examining the cover, on which there should be no cracks and thread-like traces of soot, either from the outside or from the inside.
By cars «Zhiguli» early releases, the high voltage wire terminal of the ignition coil is located very close to the metal tie holding the wire bundle. As a result, the protective cap is often pierced near the clamp and the high voltage current flows through the clamp to ground, as can be seen from the spark that jumps in this place. In this case, before replacing the cap, increase the gap between it and the clamp by bending the ignition coil in the right direction.
Therefore, it is necessary to systematically clean the top cover of the ignition coil, the cover of the distributor and the high voltage wires from the layer of oil and dirt that forms on them. Failure to comply with this requirement can lead to a breakdown of the cover insulation and its complete failure.
Car spark plugs «Zhiguli» they are quite reliable, however, in winter, to facilitate starting, it is better to use new candles with a mileage of no more than 5-8 thousand km and preferably A7.5XC or A7.5SS brands. The latter are used in engines «Moskvich-412» and are calculated on a turnkey basis with a size of 22 mm (standard spark plug wrench «Zhiguli» has a different size - 21 mm); therefore, it is useful to have an appropriate spark plug wrench when using them, although a regular 22 mm wrench available in the tool kit can also be used.
Required periodically (especially before the onset of cold weather) control the gap between the electrodes of the spark plugs and set it using the wire probe provided in the tool kit.
Automatic carburettor starter (pic. 3) in combination with manual air damper («suction») It is designed to enrich the working mixture to the required degree at the time of starting a cold engine. If for any reason it worsens its work, starting a cold engine will be difficult, if not impossible, due to the fact that the working mixture entering the cylinders will be incompetent or completely incapable of igniting in its composition. A sign of a malfunction of the starting device is the stop of a cold engine that has begun to work when the carburetor choke control button is fully pulled out.
Pic. 3. Automatic carburettor starter:
1 - diaphragm; 2 - adjusting screw of the starting device; 3 - cork; 4 - spring; 5 - telescopic rod; 6 - axis of the throttle of the primary chamber; 7 - lever; 8 - thrust connecting the throttle of the primary chamber with the drive of the starting device; 9 - cover; 10 - cover screw; 11 - diaphragm housing of the starting device; ΔB is the gap between the adjusting screw 2 and plug 3.
To check the operation of the starting device, you need to remove the cover and the air filter housing, pull out the air damper control handle to the full and make sure that it completely covers the primary chamber of the carburetor, and when the handle is fully pressed in, it opens to the stop (if this is not the case, you need to adjust the manual choke actuator). At the same time, you need to make sure that the thrust 8 (pic. 3) turns through the lever 7 at a certain angle the axis 6 of the throttle of the primary chamber. If after that the engine does not start or starts poorly (stalls after a few flashes), it can be assumed that the automatic starting device is faulty. To check it, you need to make sure that:
- the tightening of the screws 10 fastening the cover 9 to the body 11 of the diaphragm of the starting device has not loosened;
- plug 3 is not loosened;
- diaphragm 1 is not broken;
- adjusting screw 2 did not unscrew and fall out into the cavity;
- clearance ΔB between adjusting screw 2 and plug 3 is not violated (gap ΔB should be 0.5-1.0 mm);
- the telescopic traction device has not lost its mobility 5.
Faults found must be corrected.
When removing cover 9, care must be taken not to lose the spring 4 inserted into the housing, as well as the adjusting screw 2 if it unscrews and falls out into the cavity. When assembling, care must be taken not to tear the edge of the diaphragm with screws 10 passing through it.
After troubleshooting the starter, you need to check its operation. To do this, start a cold engine with the air filter cover removed and make sure that it does not stall with the choke handle fully extended and that, in addition, the starting device automatically opens the choke to a certain angle.
Let us now consider the actions of the driver when starting the engine, its possible errors and ways to eliminate the consequences of these errors.
The greatest difficulties can be when starting a cold engine after parking, especially for a long (especially in the spring after the car has not been driven for several months). In this case, it is advisable to pre-charge the battery, unscrew and burn the candles, for example, with the flame of a home gas stove burner (duration of burning - 10-15 minutes; the flame must be in direct contact with the spark plug electrodes). Do not worry at the same time for the safety of the candle - it is designed for exposure to high temperatures. In addition, before the first attempt to start the engine, you must manually add fuel. The latter should always be done if the car has not been used for more than two or three days.
Further actions are the same in all cases when more than a few hours have passed after the engine was stopped, but not more than three days. Tighten the handbrake, disengage the clutch, pull out the carburetor choke control knob to failure and turn on the starter for 10-15 s (if the engine starts earlier, the starter, of course, must be turned off faster).
It must be borne in mind that the case when the engine started to work as a result of such actions, i.e. without touching the accelerator pedal, is ideal. In fact, many engines have their own individual characteristics, which, moreover, can change over time, since they depend on the characteristics of the carburetor adjustment. The choke control handle must be pulled out completely when starting a cold engine under all conditions, as for the accelerator pedal, it may turn out to be useful «swing» several times, both before the starter is turned on for the first time and during the start-up process. Therefore, each motorist should study the features of starting his engine and adapt to them, and the need «swap» accelerator pedal should not be considered as a malfunction of any engine systems.
If the engine did not start on the first attempt, you need to repeat it after an interval of 30 seconds. If «the engine will not start after the third attempt - it is necessary to find and fix a malfunction in the power and ignition systems in the order that has already been mentioned and will be discussed below in the section «You are on your way».
However, starting failure is often the result not of these faults, but of incorrect actions by the driver.
The first possible error is that the driver does not fully pull out the carburetor choke control handle or keeps the pedal depressed at the time of starting. In this case, starting the engine will be extremely difficult.
The second very common mistake is repeated attempts to start the engine by briefly turning on the starter for 2-3 s. In this case, not only the probability of a successful start is reduced and the service life of the battery and starter is reduced, but there is also a danger (the same as with repeated attempts to start, unsuccessful for other reasons) a sharp re-enrichment of the mixture in the cylinders, in which each subsequent attempt can only worsen the situation. Majority «incomprehensible» failures during start-up, when the power supply and ignition systems are working, it is connected precisely with excessive re-enrichment of the mixture, due to incorrect actions of the driver. In addition, repeated attempts to start often lead to a discharge of the battery, which further complicates the matter.
In the light of what has been said, in a similar situation, which most often occurs in winter with severe frost, we recommend the following procedure.
If the battery is not yet dead, try «blow through» engine. To do this, you need to fully open the carburetor air damper, press the accelerator pedal to failure and, holding it in this position, turn on the starter for 10-15 seconds. If the engine starts, set the pedal to a speed slightly higher than the low idle, and at the same time pull the carburetor choke control handle halfway of its travel. Then proceed in the usual way. In order to prevent over-enrichment of the mixture «purge» engine is useful to do after every two unsuccessful attempts to start.
However, the described technique will help only when the over-enrichment of the mixture is not particularly large. So if the first try «purge» turned out to be unsuccessful, you should unscrew the candles, burn them, immediately, if possible, without allowing them to cool completely, install the candles in place and repeat the start attempt, while acting in the usual way. If the battery has already been discharged, you can use a battery from another «helping» car, using for this purpose additional starter wires with quick-release clamps, which it is desirable to have with you (especially in winter time).
If the described methods did not work, it remains to resort to starting the engine by towing the car.
Consider now the procedure for starting a hot engine. Here you should strictly observe the main rule - remember that in this case it is unacceptable to completely or partially close the carburetor air damper. Conversely, if a hot engine stalls, for example, due to unstable low idle, it must be started with «purge», i.e. when fully depressing the accelerator pedal.
Particular attention should be paid to starting difficulties that may arise after washing the engine with a plentiful stream of water. In this case, first of all, do not direct the jet at electrical appliances. If the engine does not start, you need to carefully wipe the surface of the top cover of the ignition coil, remove the high voltage wire from its terminal, wipe it, dry the internal cavity of the terminal if water gets there, and wipe dry both outside and inside the distributor cover. A situation similar to that described above may also arise after overcoming a ford.