Your Spider on Crack

[Scott Harris <sharris@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I had a similar starting problem with my '79 Spider.  The fact that your
problems are different when the car is warm may mean that you have a
dead thermostatic actuator.  This is device that determines how much
fuel to supply based on the engine temperature. If your actuator is bad,
your Spica injection might deliver too lean a mixture in the morning
when it is cold.  Later in the day, when the car is warm, you wouldn't
have a problem.

Unfortunately, the last time I checked, this device was around $300.

Scott Harris
'79 Spider
'92 Spider

By the way, Duke and Shelly's '89 Grad has a Bosch injection with a
different method for sensing the engine temp.

> From: "Duke and Shelly Jones" <dukeshel@domain.elided>
> To: alfa-digest@domain.elided
> Subject: Funky Spider Starting Ritual
> Date: Thu, Sep 24, 1998, 22:52
> 
> 
> Alfisti,
>     Here's an odd one from the "My Spider Smokes Crack" files.  When I turn
> the ignition switch on my 89' grad the starter motor picks up and cranks. 
> It doesn't fire and sometimes it cuts out of its own volition.  After two to
> ten of these little fake starts, it fires -- when the key is released to the
> run position.  It stutters and starts.  It will not start with the key in
> the start up position.  Any guesses?  I would like to solve this.  My local
> guru has a long enough list for this car.  


        My 79 Alfa Spider has the same exact problem, it just will not
want to start in the morning, but after awhile it will grudgingly fire
up
and rumble.  It will sometimes stop of its own accord and it will stop
sometimes when I step on the gas even slightly.  Sometimes when I think
it's warmed up and ready to go I put it in gear and it dies on me.  I
get
little false starts and it also does not start until I let go of the
key.
But later in the day if I'm running errands, I jump in and it starts on
the first millisecond of crank.  I guess my Spider is like me, not
neccessarily a morning car, it doesn't like to be roused from its
lethargic torpor, but once it's up, it's okay.  I too would be keenly
interested in finding out why it does this.

                                                Regards,
                        Night Owl----------->   Regan Copple
                        Ditto--------------->   79 Spider
                        Just Persnickety---->   73 Montreal


"Black cars look better in the shade." - Gino Vanelli

------------------------------