[GregTV]

My 71 GTV has been in storage for 10 years. It ran when it was parked and it was started almost every year. It’s in pretty rough shape and I'm going to do a total rebuild but first, I want to at least drive it around the block.

So… I got it started last night but it would only idle. When I tried to rev it up, it died. Seemed like it was starved for gas. I did some reading and decided it must be

1. A dirty fuel filter.

2. A stuck open pressure relief valve

or

3. Plugged up return gas line.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Greg

 

[conedriver]

It could be a stuck rack in the injection pump. There has been considerable conversation on the BB regarding bringing stored SPICA systems back to life. You can use the search function to find these but, after 10 years, I suggest sending the pump off to Wes Ingram for one of his excellent and complete rebuilds.

My 71 GTV has been in storage for 10 years. It ran when it was parked and it was started almost every year. It’s in pretty rough shape and I'm going to do a total rebuild but first, I want to at least drive it around the block.

So… I got it started last night but it would only idle. When I tried to rev it up, it died. Seemed like it was starved for gas. I did some reading and decided it must be

1. A dirty fuel filter.

2. A stuck open pressure relief valve

or

3. Plugged up return gas line.

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Greg

 

[144]

Is the fuel low pressure warning light working correctly?

Was the engine and fuel system pickled correctly, or left to sit derelict? If the latter, the fuel system is probably badly corroded and gummed up.

 

[GregTV]

Thanks Roadtrip. I read many of your post last night.

The tank was filled with bad gas which I removed and replaced with fresh gas. I think its going to take a complete system rebuild eventually but I'm hoping for something simple for now, just to hear her run before the big tear-down begins.

The PO did some creative wiring and the low pressure warning light can't be trusted. The cold start celinoid was not hooked up, as was the FCS and the ignition is wired to a simple on/off switch. I striaghtened things out and it started right away. Purrs like a kitten but I can't rev it up. Tap the throttle and it stalls.

 

[alfafan61]

Spica queation

Make sure the long and short rods are connected properly

 

[144]

I could be a long or short rod not connected. The system is probably badly out of tune with a bad thermostatic actuator as well. Let the engine warm up completely and see what it does.

 

[gprocket]

Obviously the problem is that the color is all wrong - shouldn't it be French Blue There is a nice one on eBay right now with your name on it...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-Alfa-Romeo_W0QQitemZ190161422669QQihZ009QQcategoryZ5356QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I had a similar problem with my mothballed '71. After 20 years in storage, I was able to get it fired and idling in short order. But it had absolutely NO power. Rogerspeed picked off the issue: I had the firing order 1-3-2-4 instead of 1-3-4-2. Swapped wires and it ran like a top.

Regardless, I'm with John - you should do a complete SPICA tune up. It is so important to do every step in order. I heard Wes Ingram say that the motor actually runs worse as you step through the procedure until the final adjustment of the FCS and then it all comes together. That used to drive me nuts - I'd be half way done and it would be running like hell...

Also, as John mentioned, if the motor wasn't properly stored there is a big risk that the pump looses it's sealing ability. The real killer in this is that the fuel gets into the oil, lubricity goes out the window, followed by bushings, bearings and rings - not a pretty sight. So it is a good idea to carefully examine the oil for gas. I think I read that the simple way to do that is to draw some out oil and put a match to it. It there is fuel present it will readily ignite. If that is the case, don't run the motor. Send the pump to Wes.

Finally, I would be a little nervous if the PO just started it once a year. Just enough to promote condensation to collect... I think a properly pickled motor should be left alone (Certainly proved to be the case with my '71). Hopefully not the case for you but something to worry about if things are going too good so far...

Good luck and lets see some pics...

 

[conedriver]

I'm with John Stewart,

Warm the engine, and see if it behaves better. If it still stalls upon throttle application, it is either stalling because it it is too rich, or too lean. An example of stalling rich would be if the long or short rods are way out of adjustment and there is insufficient air from throttle body opening to match fuel from the injection pump. Stalling lean could be the injection pump not providing fuel to match the air from the throttle body opening (like a stuck rack from partially solidified oil in the pump). You can view the rack by removing the plate on the side of the pump.

If you choose to remove the pump with the engine in the car, the easiest method is to split the pump and leave the base attached. Use a shortened 1/4 in. drive 10mm socket with a universal joint and extension to access the six nuts that attach the pump to the base. You still need to remove the brace connected to the motor mount, and the fuel lines, but this is much easier than removing the entire pump and base.

I could be a long or short rod not connected. The system is probably badly out of tune with a bad thermostatic actuator as well. Let the engine warm up completely and see what it does.

 

[GTA ALFA]

Greg,
Just a thought, did you rev it while in the car? Is so, maybe the throttle cable snapped or jumped out from the bell crank assembly. If this happens the car will bog down, and not rev up.

 

[GregTV]

Thanks for the tips! I’ll certainly give them a try. However, I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that I need to forget about the possibility of a quick drive around the block before I start tearing this thing down. I'm going to try clearing out the return gas line and installing a fuel filter Saturday morning. If that doesn't work no biggies, a full tear down and rebuild of the entire car begins. I learned a lot the first time around, this time will be a breeze right?

More pics soon.

 

[144]

It's really a shame when these cars aren't put into storage correctly. The amount of time and expense to properly put the fuel system into storage pales in comparison to what it takes to clean and repair the damage after sitting derelict.

 

[alfafan61]

I can attest to that!!!

 

[GregTV]

Well... I now have a running GTV. Thanks for all the tips guys!

I cleaned out the return fuel line, checked the long and short rods, messed around with the pressure relief valve, fixed a leak in the fuel line, wired in a new ignition switch and made sure the SPICA system was wired correctly and, like magic, it started right up. Its still running a little rough but it feels like a spark/timing issue now. Wires, plugs, cap, rotor and points on the way. Unfortionatly I broke all 4 lugs on the drivers side front so I couldn't run it around the block