Tess, Check the hose again, and verify that it is tight at both ends, and the clamps are snug. Sounds like it is starting on the initial 'squirt' from the cold start injector, then dying because air is leaking into the system around the metering device. Just had to do this to a friend's Bosch injected Spider a few weeks ago.
Regards, Mark -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tess McMillan Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 3:32 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [alfa] Now I am Puzzled Thanks for all the incredible advice so far in the dx of my '87 Spider. I have made a miniscule amount of progress, in that she starts easily and the engine sounds fairly good for the 3 or 4 seconds that she runs. But then, she stalls. Here's what I've done so far: I got ready to pull the plugs and realized I apparently didn't have a socket for this. Largest I have are 19s, which are just a tad too small. So I decided to prime the engine and give her a test start just to see if there was any change from what I remembered a few years ago. I used the starter to prime because it seemed I'd need to pull up the radiator to get at the bolt referred to for manually cranking. Then I added 4+ gals of 92 octane to the tank along with a bottle of injector cleaner. Now when I insert the key and turn it part way, I get all the dash indicator lights, and I hear a "click" in the passenger rear side of the cockpit. I don't hear a fuel pump running and can't remember if I'm SUPPOSED to hear a pump running like I do in my Audi (which has CIS). If I turn the key over -- this reminds me of a joke Steve Schaeffer used to tell about starting Alfas where the punch line was "Si si si? NO! Si si si? NO! Si si si? NO!" -- she starts right away. "Si si si? Prrrrrrrrrrrr ...." But the engine only runs for about 3 or 4 seconds, and then stalls. Not dramatically or with hiccuping or anything; the engine just stops running. If I feather the throttle, this if anything seems to make things worse and she I think hiccups or at least gasps and then stalls more quickly (I think). There are no holes or cracks in the plastic hose, BTW, that goes over the top of the engine from the air filter to the intake. I remember about keeping an eye on that one. So I am puzzled. I don't understand how -- if the fuel pump isn't running, for example -- the car would run at all. I am also puzzled at Biba's post. You don't say whether I need to check the fuel pump with gas out of the tank (which would mean draining it yet again.) It would be helpful for me to understand how to test the circuit since there is fuel involved. Any new ideas? Thanks again, Tess in Bellevue, WA USA -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected] ----------------------------------------------------------- This message contains confidential information intended only for the use of the addressee(s) named above and may contain information that is legally privileged. If you are not the addressee, or the person responsible for delivering it to the addressee, you are hereby notified that reading, disseminating, distributing or copying this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message by mistake, please immediately notify us by replying to the message and delete the original message immediately thereafter. Thank you. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifies and with authority, states them to be the views of DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL INC.. -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected]
