Re: milano problems

[ethan schartman <eschartman@domain.elided>]

bill,

it's not clear to me exactly what symptoms you are
describing. as of today, what happens when you start
it cold? once you get it started, how long does it run
for? how does the idle sound (is it "hunting")?

it sounds like you have some compound problems, so i'd
start with the easy part: the idle speed.

if the adjustment screw is not having any effect, then
i'll bet dollars to donuts that you have either a
massive air leak, or one of your temperature sensors
is 
not communicating with the ECU (either because it's
bad or got a bad connection). for example, once upon a
time i reassembled my engine with too much haste and
plugged the cold start wire into the temp sensor and
vice versa. this caused both hard starting and, once
running, difficulty in adjusting the idle via the
adjusting screw. 

so, ohm out the coolant temp sensor (should be around
2-3k on a spring day) and the thermo time switch. and
verify that you get similar numbers at the ECU
connector. also, check the idle switch on the
throttle. make sure it is closed at idle.

if you haven't done so, check and retime your
ignition.

the above things aren't likely to be your problem
(well, timing might be). but they're good to verify.
from the indication that you have to hold the throttle
in to keep the engine running until it is warm (when
the aux. air valve closes), i'd look for a massive
mixture problem - either too much air or too little
fuel. run a fuel pressure check. then run an unlit
propane torch around the various air hoses on the
engine (or introduce it right into the air intake of
the AFM) to look for leaks.

again, once upon a time, my 2.5 would start, idle high
(1500rpm), but beautifully, for about 3 minutes and
then right after the fan came on, it would suddenly
die and not restart for several minutes. i was going
nuts trying to figure out how it could just up and die
on me like that. so i decided to start with the high
idle. i found that the throttle was gummed open. after
cleaning it, the idle returned to normal and suddenly
i found that it was not actually idling beautifully -
it was hunting like crazy and struggling to stay
running! so i ran a fuel pressure check, and sure
enough it was way low (fuel filter). corrected that,
and suddenly my abrupt stalling disappeared. 

my personal opinion is that when you ran out of gas,
you either allowed the fuel filter to get restricted
or damaged the fuel pump. but either way, are
experiencing the bizarre effects of low fuel pressure.
but, don't take my word for it - run the fuel pressure
check.

regards,
-ethan schartman
'87 milano gold
Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger
http://phonecard.yahoo.com/

--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided