Dies when warm

[5yearplan]

does it run rough for a period during the warm-up phase, then die, or run fine then stall immediately?
I'd check the battery voltage while its running, see if anything drops off. Also I forget how the distributors work in these cars, maybe it's not advancing?

[Lugnut]

I did some more searching around the board and I'm going to pick up a Bosch NOID test light so I can make sure the injectors are firing. Then I'm going to check the filter and the in-tank filter. There is a chance I'll get in there this weekend... maybe a small chance, but a chance!

[GVVGTV6]

Sorry you haven't figured this one out yet, pulling the in-tank filter isn't very fun - I'd say to bypass the roll-over switch but usually when they act up it is all or nothing, the car will not start again.

The other one is the bosch fuel injection relay located at the top of the fire wall on the passenger side of engine compartment - new one is around $80 - these can be a hard one to diagnose - but if it has never been replaced it is most assuredly due.

GV

[5yearplan]

yeah mine was weird, about every 4 or 5 times i started the car it wouldn't start, i had to unplug that double relay and plug it back in, and it'd start again.

[AAR71]

It would be easier if it died and stayed dead, wouldn't it?

There is a fine black wire that goes into the relay harness on the passenger side firewall. In my car it is grounded to the wiper motor case. It comes loose within the plug sometimes and gives the symptoms you describe. You can sometimes get lucky and create the problem by wiggling it with the engine at idle. Take it out, clean it and tighten up the terminal's grip.

I'd also suggest checking out the fuel filter near the pump.

Failing that, put the old coil back on. Coils will go funky straight out of the box. Your new coil/ballast resistor are wired right too?

[Lugnut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5yearplan does it run rough for a period during the warm-up phase, then die, or run fine then stall immediately? I'd check the battery voltage while its running, see if anything drops off. Also I forget how the distributors work in these cars, maybe it's not advancing?

[Lugnut]

New update!
I jumped the double relay 88Y to 88D. When I do this, I can hear the whooshing of fuel coming up front and I can feel the fuel pump chugging when I feel it under the car.
When I start it, let it run for the 40 seconds or so til it dies, I can feel the fuel pump whirring away the whole time when the pins are jumped.
I tried it with the TTS unplugged, no change.
I move the arm on the AFM, I can hear the relay click. Changing the position of the arm or actuating the actual flapper doesn't keep it alive.
I have spark all the way until it dies.
WTF!!! What is there left to check?!

[5yearplan]

well if the fuel pump doesnt lose power, see if the spark quits, or fuel injectors.

[Lugnut]

Ok, MORE updates!
I plugged in the noid light and the injectors cut out, causing the car to die!
What will make my injectors stop firing?

[85gtv6]

Lugnut,

If you haven't already done so, replace the two fuel injection fuses (5 and 8 usually). I had a similar problem and both fuses looked good but after I replaced them the problem went away. The reason was that one of them had a harline crack across it. See Greg Gordon's L-Jet tune-up page (about 1/3 of the way down.)

Good Luck

Jeff





L-Jetronic

[Lugnut]

Fuses replaced. No change.

I adjusted the TPS so that I can hear the click once the throttle comes off idle. No change.
I adjusted the idle up and down, looking for any sort of difference. No change.

It seems I had a fluke start, where I started the car and revved up to 3k and held it there for a good minute. I released the pedal and got an irregular idle, UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN. Then it died. I haven't been able to repeat it since then.

[Venci]

I had similar problem with my 2.5 Alfa 90. She was starting cold and runing a couple of minutes. Then the idle was disappearing and the engine stop. If I tryed the engine was starting again but without idle. I changed a lot of things but there was no effect. Finally i have found that the connector in red circle was loosen. My opinion is that your car sucks air from somewhere - some hose, the gasket of the throttle body or even the servo...

[ToonRboy]

Interesting that none of the Alfa technical Advisors have chimed-in with any advice. Back in April when you wrote:

Quote:

I finally got my GTV6 running this morning! New plugs, wires, coil, hoses, plenum couplers, battery... Fired it up and VROOOOM!! It's running GREAT! Lots of power, great idle, fabulous pull all the way to redline. Until it gets warm, that is...

[Lugnut]

Ok, maybe my final status update here.
It's running!
I went and re-checked all of the grounds. It turns out I missed an important one: the injector harness at the valve cover bolt! It seems it had been crossthreaded at one point and was basically just sitting in there, finger-tight in the one thread it had left. I moved them to a different point, got them all cleaned up, and it started right up and stayed running.
I adjusted the idle with the car actually running and now it's rock-steady at a hair below 900rpm.

And to answer the last question, I picked up the hose kits from Greg Gordon and everything else came from IAP. The car was a non-runner when I bought it and I was just doing general tune-up stuff. Then it ran great for a couple days and acted up like this.
Like Greg says, Alfa attributes 80% of its problems to bad grounding. Anyway, it's working now.
Thanks, everyone, for all of your help.