re: 79 spica spider quit

[Dana Loomis <dloomis@domain.elided>]

Jack Chesley, who has modernized his Alfa fleet, wrote:
>   Yesterday, I started the '79 spider and drove a few blocks.  I turned off
>the car and awhile later got back in with a friend to go to work..   As we
>passed my house, the car quit.  No fanfare, the engine just stopped as I was
>driving down the street.  It cranked, but would not fire at all.  

I would second what brian shorey said about many SPICA Alfas not liking to
be shut down and restarted before they are fully warmed.  Sometimes no
amount of cranking, even after waiting for several days will get the car
going again. 

Changing the plugs--even for a set of good used ones--is usually all it
takes to get the car going again.   In case Fred is reading this, I will
add that this goes only for cars that are not correctly adjusted; if
perfectly set up as described in the AROC SPICA notes, they are fine.  So
if swapping the plugs fixes the car, get the SPICA book and learn how to
adjust it.  That should be fun for a 30-year Weber man!  I used to carry
around a spare set of plugs until I learned how to adjust the injection
system correctly. 

But the fact that Jack's engine quit while he was driving makes me think he
has a different problem.  When this happens, the cause is usually a problem
in the primary ignition circuit. I'd check there first, looking for loose
wires and bad connections.  It's also possible for the ignition points to
collapse leaving no gap, so I would check inside the distributor, too.  If
neither of these things is the problem,  following the steps Scott Fisher
outlined, which Jack is no doubt familiar with, should lead to it eventually.

HTH,
Dana Loomis
Webers only in North Carolina  

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