Alfa Spider... Loss of power

kennypinkerton

Yoda

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #1

Ok, car has been running great. Took my mom to lunch today and car was running great. Went to pick up daughter from school, and seemed like not all the power was there. Slowly got worse on way home (4-5 miles) until car would barely even pull up the driveway. Slightly running hot (just at middle of guage instead of the usual to left of center) when I got here. Engine would rev with the clutch in but seemed bogged down a good bit

I checked the oil - it looks fine, and was showing good pressure on the guage the whole ride home. I'll check the coolant after it cools down in a couple hours.

What happened to my car?

The first couple of guys responding to this same question on the alfa board, suggesting possible loss of fuel pressure or clogged fuel filter. Oh, and that fuel line that was loose before I left Tony's is still attached fine.

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #2

Gor... Okay-okay... Fuel pressure at the rail should be around 30+ PSI... Check that first. If you've got good delivery pressures, ummm... TOny said (*if* my feeble brane is workin' right) he'd had the rail out and had good spray patterns, so check 'em again to see if they've changed. Filter as the first culprit.

 

OP

kennypinkerton

Yoda

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #3

I'm gonna go buy a fuel pressure guage tomorrow. So I'll check that then. I'll check the filter too.

If those check out, I'll check the spray patterns. Any good tips on checking that so's I don't catch the car on fire?

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #4

ummm.. don't spray it onna dizzy?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

Stand by, I'm onna phone with a client.

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #5

This may sound silly, but: are all the intake tubes (all that rubber from intake back to the MAF sensor) well clamped, not ruptured, no plugged ports lost their caps, etc.? It sounds on the surface of it as if you've got a reduction in intake vacuum someplace. Like the "flapper" in the MAF sensor isn't moving properly.

THIS is why Webers are my induction-of-choice....

RATS!

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #6

Marelli Dizzy? The "pointless" variety?

 

OP

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #7

Well, since I didn't know, I went and looked... OMG I don't know how this thing was running at all

Hmmm, might this have caused my power loss? Or am I looking at how the rotor button has looked the whole time?

 

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OP

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #8

Oh, and yes it's pointless, and made in germany?

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #9

HEEHEEEHAAHAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Water inna dizzy. That's yer SIGN!!!

Well done. It's a Bosch.

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #10

Check with your local NAPA store!

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #11

There's a resistor under that red "putty" lookin' trough t'wixt center and end 'trode, too. On my own cars I've been known to bridge it with a strand of copper wire soldered in place /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Yours is a *bit* beyond that tho. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

 

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #12

I'm trying to remember if we ust cleaned the distributor or what...I know the injection is all clean & has new rubber....

 

OP

kennypinkerton

Yoda

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #13

Some of the breaks on the rotor look very new and clean, so I'm hoping that's all thats wrong. I called Advance and they have both the rotor and cap for very cheap (and in stock too), so I'll go get those tomorrow and check it. Pretty wild that the whole hunk of metal is gone. I'll look for remnants in the bottom of the dizzy tomorrow when the sun comes up again.

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #14

KENNY!! Do NOT fuss with the injectors. What Tony just posted is enuff to know THAT part needs no attention. You've found the culprit, fer sure. The dizzy sits out front and is prone to moisture ingress, you've the proof there in yer hand. They used to put a plastic boot around 'em to preclude the problem. You could semi-seal the circumference of the cap with black electrical tape, it'll last for six months or so. Problem there is the condensation is almost as bad as the water gettin' in. Spare rotor button in th' glovebox is a good idea, too.

 

OP

kennypinkerton

Yoda

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #15

Actually the car just got P!ssed that I put these seatcovers on it today...

Dang'ed easily upset Italians - don't he know they look better than the torn missing leather? Well, not that much better, but jeez. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

 

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kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #16

Willdo on the extra rotor.

 

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DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Mar 10, 2006

• #17

A bit "flash" with the electric blue insets, don't ya think?

And yes, Eye-tie cars can be a bit "tempermental" at times.

~bond~ with the machine... You *Must* have Sympatico with the Equipment!!

 

OP

kennypinkerton

Yoda

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #18

Trust me they were cheap (under $25) and the color looked alot darker on the box. I was actually a little disappointed in the brightness of color when I opened them. But they look better than yellow foam and I won't destroy the foams (which are actually reuseable so far).

 

OP

kennypinkerton

Yoda

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #19

Oh, and I've been bonding hard with it the past couple a weeks. So far he likes the battery booster I use to raise and lower the driver's window, Doesn't like the new seatcovers, want's me to clean his heater fan, and likes to srpay the interior when it rains (he wants me to install that new top sitting under the couch).

 

jsneddon

Jedi Knight

Offline

• Mar 10, 2006

• #20

Aarrrggghh My Eyes!!!!

those might just be ugly seat covers... but those sure are some ugly seat covers. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

But you know what?

for 25 bucks I'd use 'em too.

My motto has always been "keep it safe and keep it runnin - everything else is just fluff you can worry about later"