[alfaromega]

the distributor for my 1987 milano 3.0 is part number 0 237 322 001.

1) I opened it and found no flyweights or springs inside! Is this normal or they are somehow missing???

2) Does anybody have or know where to find the advance curve for this distributor/engine?

the problem is that at WOT the car won't pass 4500rpm, but if i let go of the throtle just a smll bit, it continues to the red line (very badly, faulty & almost without power), like if the air flow meter would be touching outside the strip. But the AFM is OK, so I was told to check on the advance/distributor. When I opened it, I found no flyweights nor springs inside (actually there was a small loose spring rolling freely inside ¿?¿??) .
Is this normal on this distributor system?

thanks
chris

 

[alfaparticle]

Could be a fuel problem. Hook a pressure gauge into the line to the CS valve and monitor the pressure. It should not drop when you rev the engine hard. Loss of pressure could be fuel filter or fuel pump.

 

[Gubi]

That loose spring: that's not the spring under the "button" in the center of the cap that fell out or something, is it?

Also, make sure you verify your tach with an external one. The stock tach gets notoriously slow after a few years.

 

[Fedezyl]

As we spoke before, L-Jet does not have a timing advance curve, the advance is provided by the distributor via those counterweights, the best would be to source a distributor from a V6 and install it.

 

[alfaromega]

found this old post, http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/alf...938-advance-curve-early-gtv6-distributor.html with exactly the same symptoms and problems as I, but I still don't understand if the flyweights are missing or the advance is actually controlled by an independent advance ecu (two people already told me this, that there is an advance module near the passenger footrest - apart from the ECU). So I have opposite oppinions on the same matter

Fuel system is OK. new pump, new regulator, injectors cleaned 4000miles w/new o-rings, filter has 5000miles.

 

[slyalfa]

The dizzy has no advance . it is controlled by the smaller of the boxes in the footwell.

By what you say I do not think there is anything wrong with it.

It sounds like you have a fuel problem, but it could also be a weak spark.

The easy way to to instrument some stuff.
a fuel PSI meter when it happed will tell you if you run out of gas due plugged system or bad pump.
a scope or maybe a strobe will tell if the spark goes missing.

But I would try the easy first (new fuel filter as it should be changed any way) you might get lucky.

It is best to know which is bad before you do too much. is is spark or fuel.

 

[alfaromega]

thanks for the advice.

A friend told me to unplug the TPS and try again at WOT.

I unplugged the TPS, went to try it out at WOT and BINGO!! It revs all the way up to 5700rpm in any gear without any bad running at all even at idle!!

But now I don't know if the TPS is bad, or something that de tps signals is being fouled up somwhere else (like if it is an ECU problem not doing what the tps "orders").

any ideas?

 

[John Brase]

Greg Gordon's excellent Ljet Page has a section covering the TPS that might be helpful.

 

[slyalfa]

Also the junkyards is full of them. it is very hard to find the pot type most are the switch type. pop the hood and look. if it looks like the same type is is 99.9% chance it is.
And if you do find a pot type that looks like the switch type it is very rare and worth some cash.


Also you can clearly hear the click on this type when working. but take a meter to the junkyard. Then you know it is a good one. listen for a good click when close to closed. and check with the meter both the open and closed part. you can't hear the WOT side as that switch if a different type. (just a blade pushed into the other blade) but the closed switch is a micro-switch and make a nice click.

 

[alfaromega]

tested the resistance of the TPS with a tester, following Greg's indications.

It throws exactly what it should be, both with closed or open throttle.

but still with the same problem: the only way I can get 5700rpm is with the tps disconnected.

 

[slyalfa]

That does not sound right. Everything in the middle is the same as if it was unplugged.
when you get most of the way open then the WOT switch is closed and you should get extra fuel injected. But until you are WOT and not closed both switches should be open.

 

[Gubi]

All I can think (and this is a shot in the dark) is that something is very wrong with your mixture when you go open loop. When the WOT switch trips the L-jet starts ignoring the oxygen sensor output and enrichens the mixture based on a table of speed, temperature, and load. If something is causing the mixture to be way off it might be affecting your running because there's no way for the ECU to know or correct for it. Did you go through the full L-jet guide, including checking your fuel pressure?

If I were troubleshooting this, I would start by looking at the oxygen sensor output voltage to get some idea of what might be wrong. Greg Gordon's page has some tips on doing this and what you should look for.

One thing I've done is run a long wire with a clip from the oxygen sensor output (leaving that plugged in to the ECU) to the engine compartment, and then driven around with a voltmeter hooked up to the wire. See the very bottom of Greg's guide for details on what you should see.