That's a great one to try on the radiator...i have changed all the vacuum pipes & elbows. I think its the Map sensor & I've bought a o2 sensor as a matter of course. I have a replacement map sensor, but i am reluctant to solder it in the ecu.

Take the ECu, place it  with the connections down on top of a warm surface, (brits use indoor radiators) and leave it overnite for the gunk to drip out, may take a couple of times, and try again, blow out the fuel trap, and check the two elbows behind the throttle body, these are the first to crack and suck air in.  I'd replace all the lines and elbows to make sure.

LTB, did you change your O2 sensor? I did not see that noted.A bad O2 sensor will cause hunting, gas smell and poor gas mileage.

Hi there, I've been fighting this 1996 spi mini sidewalk ltd ed since i got it. The idle fluctuates & finally stops. But if i switch the ignition off. The battery light comes on & the engine continues to run. Until again it stalls. I have changed the air sensor on the air box, the temperature sensors in the inlet manifold & in the rad
 Changed all vacuum pipes & fuel filter also trap. The car stinks of fuel & the engine almost locks up on starting. Once it starts the engine revs well. I have tried a mems app on my phone but it doesn't want to control any of the adjustments i manually make to idle speed or timing. I can activate the injector or the fuel pump via this app. So it does connect. Any other ideas? Would an earth fault cause this fault? Or is the ecu require replacing as the map sensor is built into that one?? Any other ideas?? I'm losing it.....help!!! Thanks inadvance.

There is a post on theminiforum that covers "cleaning" the built-in MAP sensor. I have it book marked at home, but it is in the Fuel Injected section.

I think you guys nailed it. I'm an idiot as I forgot to mention something that pertains to your conclusions... When I rebuilt his engine I hooked up the vacuum lines as they were when I got it. I'm a FI idiot. When I went to see what happened and he said a vacuum line was off I thought great! Then he said when he pulled it off the ECU to check the connection a lot of oily gunk came out. I called a friend to find out what that meant... It turns out that the trap was bypassed (Oh, that's what that is...). So we hooked it up properly (blew through the trap) and hoped for the best. It ran a little different when it is hooked up, so we thought it was working, but evidently not working correctly??? I assume the gunk in the sensor ruined it???? Time for a "new" ECU???

Is the fuel trap for the MAP sensor line still in place?

It does sound like possibly something is blocking the line. The problem is that the MAP sensor on the SPi is in the ECU.

Also it has been noted on other forums(and here) that the crank sensors can cause all kinds of problems when they start to go. It seems like it would be all or nothing, but that has not turned out to be the case.

check your manifold vacuum

the SPI system runs on manifold absolute pressure. If you have a low vacuum then it will run the timing back to 40 or 50 degrees and increse fueling intervals on the injectors - and it will run like poo. I would recheck all of the changed vacuum tubing you have done and check if the original problem wasnt a broken vacuum tube. If none of those and you have a decent vacuum check the sensor. If its not vacuum check the readings off the engine temp sensor - not the one for the gauge but the one that feeds the ecu.

cheers

Barri

The above scenario is exactly why l no longer deal in SPI/MPI models,which  for up to the 1998 models are fully legal here-

No one around here understands them and trouble shooting is hit and miss-

Staying with big bore "A" series engines with electronic dizzies & S U Carbs-

BIG AL-

I think you are on the right path about timing... I put my car together and had the distruburtor drive off 180 or so and it would backfire thru the carb. 

WHen i had my flywheel out the reluctor tabs looked very perminatly attached so they shouldnt move, so i would worry that the whole flywheel assy has shifted on the crankshaft _ loose nut= Sheard lock tab. I think is your highest priority.  

I dont remember if the spi flywheel has timing marks physically on it anywhere - much less getting to them to see if TDC with a piston up, aligns with a mark on the flywheel and housing.  Buried among all the Spi Engine bay goodies.

Since your  reading 60 or so degrees out of time.. I would try - Retarding the drive gear back a tooth or two and see if it changes. Before digging into the  into the crank.

   Could still be ECU and electronics. but i would physically check the motor and operations are correct before saying the electrics are boogered.

Goodluck

A friend with a fully rebuilt SPI (broken in) that ran great/strong was driving along and then like the push of a switch it started to run like crap. I went over with the code reader. First thing I noticed when he started it was a big exhaust leak under the bonnet. I opened the bonnet to find that the noise was coming out of the carb! There were some vacuum hose problems, fixed that and hooked up the scanner.... no codes... ran the tests... everything it would test was OK. I pulled the plugs and they were solid powder black. OK, fould out from bad vacuum lines to ECU... New plugs in, still loud carb and fresh black powdered plugs again. I hooked up a timing light even though you can't change the time on an SPI. At as close to idle as possible, it was at 53 degrees BTDC!!! Then when it was revved a little it went off my timing light past 60BTDC!!! Advance works... he he he...

I would assume that the crank sensor either works or doesn't (tight and in place), so what is spazing this thing out. Or did the ECU crap out. It's not backfiring through the intake, it's just a loud sound like a cracked exhaust manifold fluttering.

Can the ring on the flywheel that reports to the sensor move???

Any ideas???? Heeeeeeeeelp....... please.