running problems

[GARY1966]

i have a l reg 1.3 maestro, apart from the heater problems (solved from advice in hear) the car is great.
over the last couple of weeks the running of the car has got a great deal worse. i checked the plugs ok, changed the ht leads
symptoms
on accelerating it feels like theres a piece of rubber in the system, the engine struggles to overcome this before reverting to normal (odd description i know)
accelerating to about 50mph the car shudders, sometimes the accelerator feels like it has stuck on until another shudder and then the accelerator is revving again.
on some occasions i am unable to start the car, there plenty of juice from the battery but the engine will not fire ( i have checked the ht connecions to find that a lead has popped off the distributor cap, this has happened twice now but not the same lead), a silly question but does the cover on the distrubitor stop the leads from popping off as i have not replace it.
on occasions at a junction the engine coughs and stalls.

all the above symptoms are erratic one might occur every few days, then not occur for a week or so, any help greatly appeciated

[E_T_V]

Hopefully this may be of some use

http://www.maestro.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=25696#post25696

Basically the two most common problems with the A series are vacuum problems and HT system problems. If the car is stuttering and coughing then this could indicate a problem with the HT system. If the car hasn't been serviced in a while then a new set of HT leads, distributer cap and rotor arm along with a spark plug clean may help no end. All of that should cost about £20-30 from a good motorfactor. Are the problems worse when the engine is cold or when it is wet? If so then these definatly point toward HT lead problems.

[ChrisM]

Hmm I've had a problem like that recently with my 1.3L... I've managed to cure it this afternoon by filling the carb dash pot up with oil :idea:

[jcsparrow]

My 1.3L seems to just lose power occasionally (low revs even when more gas applied) when accelerating away from corners, then suddenly catches and throws me back in my seat as the engine roars away. Doesn't matter about the weather, it does it randomly. Could this be the distributor asking for help then, or to do with fuel supply? My car usually does it when just starting on a journey, if that helps, when I've got the manual choke at full pelt... usually when I'm pulling out in front of approaching cars in a 40mph speed limit....

Sorry if you've kinda answered this already, but you seem to know your stuff!

[E_T_V]

If you have a look in the FAQ section (frequently asked questions), I've written a bit on the A sereis engine and common running problems. Some things in there might help.

The first things to check is that there is oil in the carburettor damper (unscrew the black "knob" on top of the carburettor and add a table spoon or two of engine oil down the centre of the hole that is left when you pull the knob and plunger out - you want to fill the very centre hole up with oil - it'll only take a capfull of oil to fill it). Then check the little thin black plastic vacuum pipes that run from the carburettor to the distributer. If these are split or cracked or even falling off then replace these and the running should get better.

If you need more help or a better description then please say so it is difficult to judge peoples car experience at a distance.