Alfa Romeo Forums banner

89 spider hot start issue

3K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Pascalg 
#1 · (Edited)
89 spider hot start issue, fixed!

My 89, very reliable for the last 5 years has developed a serious hot start issue.

It started a few months ago when it woudl take 10" of cranking to start when hot. Then it woudl fire and run fine with a slight fuel smell initially , whcih would clear right away

It got worst. Now after a run (20' or more) it will not restart unless it has cooled for 45 minutes. It cranks fine, tries to fire up and missfire badly as if running on two cyl. Needs a lot of throttle to keep running. After about 30' of sitting hood open it will run a little better, like on 3 cyl, but still undrivable.... another 15/20' and it will start and run fine. Plenty of power, runs great

So far, I have thrown the following parts of the problem.

Coil, crank position sensor, external fuel pump, fuel filter. No luck

What could it be? The Heat part of the issue makes me believe it's something in the engine compartment and not the in tank fuel pump. What could be affected by hear? Air flow sensor?

I don't see vapor lock as the problem as after some rough running it seems like fresh fuel woudl be forced thru and the problem woudl clear up

Thanks for any leads
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Check the Fuel Pressure Regulator. Best done by using a fuel pressure gauge but a quick-n-easy test is to remove the vacuum hose at the FPR and check for the presence of raw gas (should be none).

Also try removing the gas cap. If there is a noticeable rush of air then the Vapor Recovery System might be block allowing a vacuum to build up in the tank.
 
#5 ·
"Also try removing the gas cap. If there is a noticeable rush of air then the Vapor Recovery System might be block allowing a vacuum to build up in the tank."
I have this happen occasionally to my '88 Spider as well - mostly when the tank is under 1/2 full. Removing the gas cap takes care of the problem.
 
#6 ·
#8 ·
Finally solved the issue... did what i should have done from the start and have an alfa expert handle it :)

Took the car to Auto Veloce in North Miami who had worked on it the past. Turned out the regulator needed replacing but that didnt solve it. The problem was two weak injectors which when hot were drawing too much juice and killing the other two.

Car running great now...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top