RE: alfa-digest V7 #1375

["Ken Ross" <Kdross@domain.elided>]

My 1990 2.0 Spider (Motronic Bosch Fuel Injection) just had a major service
(a knowledgeable Alfa mechanic worked on the car) and the idle is set at
500, but I think 800 would be better.  I think I recall seeing 800 RPM- 900
RPM on the inside of the hood as being factory specs. for the idle.  If
interest, email and I will double check the number.

Ken Ross

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-alfa@domain.elided [mailto:owner-alfa@domain.elided]On Behalf Of
Pottree@domain.elided
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 2:50 PM
To: alfa@domain.elided
Subject: Re: alfa-digest V7 #1375

In a message dated 02/21/2000 8:22:03 PM Pacific Standard Time,
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:

<< 91 Spider.  It runs great.  It does something
 annoying though in that it surges at idle.  When cold, it idles relatively
 smoothly at 1k.  Once warm though it falls from 1k to 500 and oscillates
 back and forth.  Never stalls, but threatens to now and then.  Its annoying
 as heck, especially when stopped at a light and other drivers look at you
as
 if your cars falling apart.  Mechanic says its normal for a fuel injected
 Spider, but I don't believe it.
  >>
I believe there are 2 different ideal idle speeds (forgive me, I forget what
they are ideal for, something like emissions on one hand I think -- more
coffee!) and the computer oscillates between the 2 to yield the best of all
possible worlds.  But the difference should be very small, just about
unnoticeable.  Mechanical gurus, correct me if I'm wrong, but 15 years of
spider driving (1750 and 2L) tells me 500 RPM. at idle is too slow, and 1000
is too fast.  I believe a 2L should be idling within the indicated 750 - 900
range (I am not positive how accurate the indicated tach readings are, but
they're probably close).

My GTV6 has a slight indicated oscillation at idle as does my spider.  Or
else this is a myth and it should stay dead on the idle speed, which with
the
sophistication of computer control seems unlikely as I think that would mean
that all ambient conditions would also be static.

As a side note, once in a great while in the GTV6 (and I think also in the
Milano) I observed this phenomenon at idle: a very windy day, a fierce blast
of wind into the AFM, a transient idle speed fluctuation. This amount of
wind
could also be felt to move the whole car a bit, so it's not something that
happens with any gentle zephyr.

Charlie
LA, CA, USA

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End of alfa-digest V7 #1378
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