[afronippleyo]

I've neglected the maintnence on my car lately do to financial problems. it hasnt been tuned since I had it smogged so of course the timing is off and a couple other things are out of adjustment. no big deal...

on the fan shroud it says use platinum spark plugs only. In my experiences platinum plugs arent exactly good for older engines. so, are platinum spark plugs manditory or can I use a regular old fashioned plugs? if I can, how will it affect performance, economy, etc.?

I'd rather be safe then sorry and find out before I give it a tune up.

and also. it takes about 2 and a half minutes of cranking to start it when its cold. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the poor maintnence but even when I had it running like a brand new car, it would still take 15-25 seconds to start. any ideas for a fix?

any input will help.

 

[Mk2 gold]

Cant remember what the little not/pad is called
Worn.... sitting in crankshaft front--- pulling timebeltwheel buttom.
pull of crank pulley wheel first --then timebeltwheel
Have seen it 3 times.

 

[Road Ripper]

He means the woodruff key that keeps the crankshaft timing cog from turning on the crank. Sometimes they get weak or rusty, and they smear/shear and ruin the cog and/or crank, and throws off your timing, causing hard starts. I've personally had this happen. I got lucky, and only needed a timing cog and a new key. Good luck!

 

[Mk2 gold]

Exactly what I ment, be carefull when you remove the little woodruf key not to damage your crankshaft.
And think you will need a new timebeltwheel.

 

[Hotred]

Yes and make sure you have a good tension on the timing belt, mine was loose a little bit, jumped 1-2 tooths, just enough to not see it and make the car run like crap.

 

[afronippleyo]

the timing is off b/c the shop had to turn it back when they smogged it. that isnt really my main concern. but thanks for the input. I'm sure its gonna come in handy one day. I've heard stuff about the cold start injector being a common problem on these engines. its getting a tune up this weekend. I'll check out the timing belt, woodruff key and everything else having to do with that the best I can but I had it all inspected when I first bought the car and I put a new timing belt on it about a year ago and I didnt see any rust or any kind of wear on the other components for that matter. I'll get back to you guys about how its running after I show it some love.