Ready to burn my Spark, HELP PLEASE

[wravenant 1]

Spark issue

I am absolutely at my wits end, and ready to burn my car, any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have had CONSTANT problems with my car now for exactly one year.

HISTORY:

Last year March/April I did a long 700km drive. The car was running perfectly fine. On the morning I left, to drive back, the car would not start. I assumed it was the cold (also at a high altitude). I got people to push start me, bad the car started, although it was very difficult.

I then drove back the 700km, and the car gave no problems. It started every time I switched off. When I reached my destination again, and the car cooled down, it would not start AT ALL

I took the car to a mechanical workshop where they proceeded to con me into changing the rings at only 120 000km, telling me that that was the problem.

The rings were changed, and less than a week later I had the same problem. I took it back to the workshop, and they proceeded to tell me that it was not the thermostat the regulates the starting, apparently there are 2 on a Spark.

I feel that was the problem all along and they just changed the rings to make money.

Anyway, they put in a new thermostat and the starting was fine for a while and then again, NO COLD STARTING. Once the car has started it would start all day, but refuse to start in the mornings.

By now I was tired of the mechanic and took it to the Chevy dealer, who hooked it up to the computer and could not find anything wrong. They did a compression test and found there was NO compression on the cylinders.

Needless to say, I took it back the mechanic to fix, as they changed the rings on it for no reason and now I had no compression. I was told that the valve clearances was not properly set (by them), and they reset it.

Once again, the car worked for a while, and then refused to start. This time I decided to avoid the dodgy mechanic as well as the Chevy dealer and took it to another company. They found again, the valve clearance was not set properly, and set it.

The car worked perfectly for a few months, and as soon as I did the long drive again, the 700km drive, once I arrived, and the car cooled down, it refused to start.

I took it to the local town mechanic, who though it was the idle control valve, I changed the idle control valve, and the car started, I drove it for 180 km, and now it once again refuses to cold start.

If I crank the engine for a very long time, it does eventually splutter start, and will take after about 5-10 min of cranking, but this damages the starter and battery. I am really tired of this. I cannot touch the petrol pedal at all when starting, otherwise it floods. I have to crank solidly for a long time, and then the car slowly starts. If I touch the petrol/gas pedal, it just dies. So you crank for a long time and leave it to pick up revs.

I also smell petrol, and it would seem that the car is getting too much fuel at start up, flooding it.

Either that or the valve clearance changes whenever I drive long distance.

Can anyone please give me some guidance or help, as no mechanic can figure out what is wrong, and I am about to burn my car.

How do I set the amount of fuel the car gets at startup?

[WaltK 305]

I just want to acknowledge your post, you're not being ignored, but we've never had that particular car in the US, so I don't think any of our regular members can be of much help. But hey, you never know. Good luck!

[Retired old Gearhead 201]

http://chevysparkforum.com/topic/2803-spark-refuse-to-cold-start/

[William Thomas Harris 2]

i would just get rid of it and buy a 2013 or newer spark problem solved.