my little saxo keeps stalling-please help!!

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- Ellie21
  
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posted
18 years ago

Thu, Feb 16, 2006 12:12 AM

Hello! I'm still a relatively new driver and know v little about cars,so my problem might actually be v simple and stupid(hate being a car bimbo!) I've been driving the car 2 months and had no problems,but just drove to the gym and tried to park on an up hill incline and it keeps conking out on me! It's only a 1l engine so I'm used to that! I put it into 1st and put plenty of revs on but as soon as I take the handbrake off and bring my foot off the clutch and down on the accelerator it stalls. The petrol gage is on half full and the oil and oil filter was fully replaced 5 wks ago. Someone helped my push it into the space but I've had to abandon my baby there for the time being!! I'm going to try filling up the petrol tomorrow with a mini handheld tank from a station, but other than that I'm stuck!!Any ideas?

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- drd
  
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posted
18 years ago

Thu, Feb 16, 2006 10:44 AM

does it only stall during this hill parking , or does it stall all the time ?

why did you have to leave it there - failed to re-start? (if it was the hill that was causing the stall, you should've been able to drive down it ... ?)

if its half full it really shouldn't need petrol - perhaps save yourself the time and trouble and getting splashed with petrol ...

I'd say try the AA (or similiar) in th efirst instance - they should be able to spot anything obvious and cheap!

Who did the oil and filter change - local garage? perhaps get them out to have a look - they may have disturbed something ...

all teh best

Steve

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- Whiskers
  
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posted
18 years ago

Thu, Feb 16, 2006 9:13 PM

The way you describe your actions, sounds a little abrupt. Just in case you forgot the hill-start lessons, the technique is to ease up off the clutch pedal very slowly, until the engine revs start to drop - that means the clutch is just starting to 'bite'. Then, with the clutch held at that 'just biting' position, you very very gently increase the engine revs until the car doesn't roll back when you ever so slightly ease off the hand-brake. Now, increase the revs a tiny wee bit more and ease off the handbrake a tiny wee bit more and the car should start to move slowly forwards. As you gather speed, very very gently ease off the handbrake and then start to ease off the clutch and at the same time increase the engine revs very gradually. It's a very delicate operation involving careful co-ordination of hands and feet, and smoooooooooth movement on all the controls. You should not need 'excessive' revs - that just makes a lot of noise and makes the clutch very difficult to control gently.

If that is what you have tried, but the car stalls anyway, then there may be a problem with the car - but giving it a drink won't help, unless the tank is really empty despite what the fuel-guage says.

A modern 1 litre engine should be able to move off up a 1 in 6 hill, and probably a 1 in 4 - I know my 600cc 2CV could. Of course, a more powerful engine does make it easier not to stall.