Long posting: Giulia Super 2.0 fueling problem - HELP!

[Nick Koleszar <koleszar@domain.elided>]

Ok guys 'n' gals,

Please rally 'round, any submissions gratefully accepted.

This is a looooong post. Apologies to all in advance. I have tried to do =
my own research and given it plenty of thought. I am sure I am missing =
some fundamental things so if I really should be leaving this in the =
hands of someone less dangerous to the car than I, please let me know!

I have a 1971 Giulia 1300 Super with a 2.0 from a 1975 Berlina. It has =
long cylinder airbox, twin Weber 40 DCOE 33 carbs. Everything is =
standard on the motor as far as I am aware and as far as the previous =
owner (who had the car restored and the engine rebuilt) is aware. The PO =
also claims the car has been dyno'd with 135 bhp at the wheels although =
he says it never felt that strong to him, a problem he attibuted to the =
lack of smooth low-end caused by the Webers (his explanation, not mine). =
All the info I got from the PO was after I had bought the car from a =
garage so the PO has nothing to gain by lying to me. The car has 4 new =
Lodge 2HL plugs and Shell semi-synthetic. There is something in the =
region of 45000 miles on the engine since the rebuild.

Here are the symptoms:

 - noticable flat spot at about 2100 revs under cruising or modest =
acceleration. I think it is less so under hard acceleration but this may =
be simply due to the fact that I tend to hold onto the gears longer, =
thus skipping the 2000 rev area.

- - noticeable smell of petrol(gas) during much driving which I cannot =
recall having a couple of months ago

- - apparent increasing problem with plug fouling which seems to only =
occur when pootling around at low revs. Real tendency to foul the plugs =
when starting or re-starting (such as after filling up at gas station). =
In fact, I fitted 4 new plugs on Sunday whilst at the National Alfa day, =
then spent 3 hours driving back, almost all in the 60 - 70 mph range, =
mostly trying to use up the 3500-4500 rev range to give the engine a =
better work-out than normal 5th gear cruises. despite this, when I =
pulled the plugs today after a short run, they were nice and black.

- - major dislike of stop and go driving up inclines or pulling away from =
standstill on incline (such as ramp into parking garage)

- - air box showed clear signs of wet fuel, especially around the rear =
cylinder.=20

- - I think the fuel consumption is too high (don't ask exact numbers, the =
speedo cable gave up the ghost) eg. 3 hours through London and up to =
Leicester and 3 hours back with little congestion either way cost pretty =
well a full tank. Some hard acceleration involved but mostly steady =
cruising in the 60 to 70 mph range. I could've improved the figure but I =
doubt Richard would appreciate me trying to draft off his concours Ti =
Super!

- - I think the oil pressure is on the low side (cold: reads 40 on the =
go/10 at idle - hot: maybe 20 on the go, 0 at idle). I am led to believe =
that:

a. semi-synthetic does read lower than conventional oil
b: unless I use a mechanical gauge, worry more about the warning light =
and noises

Here is what I have done so far:
- - fitted 4 new spark plugs
- - checked for any obvious signs of air leaks, dripping fuel, state of =
distributor cap/rotor
- - fitted new air filter (today) - old one was noticeable dirty
- - checked carb mounts (look like new) and linkage for any obvious =
problems
- - cleaned new plugs (today)

Here's what I am planning to do sooner:
- - change to conventional (Dino) oil and fit new oil filter (please God =
let the oil pressure go up)
- - check points and distributor, replace/adjust as necessary
- - check fuel filter
- - ensure carbs are correct for car
- - check carb float levels, ensure jetting is as specified and properly =
check linkage

Here's what I am planning to do later:
- - check valve clearances
- - if oil pressure stays low, double-check with mechanical guage
- - if oil pressure still low, drop sump and check crank plugs and oil =
pump

Here are my questions:
- - what blindingly obvious problem/symptom/fix have I overlooked or not =
questioned?
- - what have I simply got hopelessly wrong and should let my parents put =
it together?
- - does anybody know if the 40 DCOE 33 is indeed the correct carb for =
this engine? All the evidence I can dig up myself seems to point to 40 =
DCOE 32 being standard. How does the 33 differ from the 32?
- - Does anybody know the correct jetting/emulsion etc numbers for the 40 =
DCOE 33 on the 2.0 engine?
- - Does anybody know the correct float weight and fuel level/float =
movement figures for the 40 DCOE 33 on the 2.0 engine?
- - How reliable is the oil pressure guage on a Giulia Super?
- - is a slightly wet air box normal if I simply flooded the engine on =
starting?
- - what do you guys out there use as a hand-throttle cable?

While we are at it, does anyone have any handy tips for replacing a =
complete speedo cable?

Thanks for putting up with this tome and big thanks to anybody who even =
tries to help.

nk
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- -=3D-=3D--=3D-=3D-+
Nick Koleszar - koleszar@domain.elided
1971 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1300/2000 "The Hatch-Hunter"
1986 Lancia Y10 Turbo "The Uni-Liter Porsche-Eater"
http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~koleszar/ (it ain't pretty but it's there)

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