I have a 91 excel I just got and it sat for 4 years before I got it.
the previous owner drained the gas tank and added 5 gallons of gas to rinse and drained that off also. Then He replaced the rear fuel filter ( or put a in line one back there any way). He changed the plugs and cap and rotor.
I changed the fuel filter that is under the hood.
I can get it to start and it runs for about 10 to 20 seconds and then the "CHECK ENGINE" light comes on and it starts sputtering and coughing and dies and is very hard to start after that. also if I get on the accelerator right away and get the rpm's up it will stay running a little bit longer but does the same thing check engine light comes on and it dies.

where do I start trouble shooting with this thing???

thanks for any help!

slugger

The New Zealand Models of that era are Carbed, so when you say check engine light what do you mean? oil? ignition? if it is the ignition check light it means your alternator is not working and the engine will not perform that well, remember cranking the engine draws something like 200 amps and it needs to be put back in to the battery, without an alternator the voltage supplying your electrical system will drop below about 13volts, so for things to work better the voltage needs to be up there, a standard battery should be about 13volts fully charged but if its being cranked will drop below that level and it will not enhance the performance.

Hope this is helpful, it seems any Auto(s) assembled for the American market are more busy with extra bits and pieces that are not required for New Zealand that basically has a moderate climate (like heated rear lights etc) and EFI, although all cars now on the NZ market are now EFI.

I have had a look in my Haynes Manual and it shows a check light, what the manual says for your Hyundai is to check the following (Electronic fuel injected)

1. Check all connectors are secure and free from corrosion

2. Check all the filters especially the air cleaner

3. Check spark plugs are properly gapped

4. Check the cylinder compression are ok

5. Check the timing is ok

6. Check the breather hoses.

7. If all is OK then the EFI needs to be diagnosed to find the fault and you will need to contact a dealer, the Hyundai has a connector plug sited in the fuse box, they record codes that relate to faults and there are several.

good luck with that one... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/auto.gif)

this weekend I checked all the connections and they look good.
I had my son start it so I could have my head under the hood while it was running to try and see or hear any thing amiss.
what I found was the engine ran fine until the check engine light came on then it makes a strange rattling sound and dies, I am assuming the check engine light comes on because of the condition that causes the noise and then it dies?
do any of you have a source for a Haynes or clymer manual on line in a pdf form?
also where can I get a computer to read the error codes, I was told by the hyundai dealer that you can not jump the reader plug and get the codes like the american cars can via the flashing check engine light.

slugger

Slugger why don't you have a look at E-Bay, you may be able to pick up a second hand copy, I take you have EFI, the manual I have is very extensive but the motor is Mitshubishi and that may help, obviously something is broken and it may be a drive belt (unfortunately mine is Carbed) so I can't help with the EFI as I haven't worked on a vehicle with one fitted, I would check the basics (the manual I have is a Haynes and has a serial number 43725 and a contact address for the USA is Haynes North America inc, 861 Lawrence Drive, Newbury park, California, USA.)

Do you have an owners club in your area? worth a look as hands on advice is better...its a long way to Aotearoa (NZ)

slugger I'm thinking it may be a timing problem, but that is most probably getting into the brains of the EFI, they have igniters instead of a coil perhaps you should check the ignition system by that I mean the HT leads and plugs etc first and perhaps the igniters as well, it sounds electrical and it sounds timing to me...give the basics a good going over first and the best of luck with that problem