Advice - Alot of Changes newbie errors and getting desperate

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
JohnD
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 8:51 pm
Your car is a: 1971 Fiat Spider 1608cc

Advice - Alot of Changes newbie errors and getting desperate

Postby JohnD » Fri Aug 25, 2017 5:33 pm

Hi,

I am a long time owner of a 1971 fiat 124 spider.

Current specs
1608 with high compression pistons (newly installed)
34 DMS carb
Fireball ignition - installed 14 years ago but purchased in 1998

Recently I had new pistons and a rebuilt head installed on my 124 Spider. It does run but it does backfire through carb and runs rough. It backfires when I push on the accelerator. I have checked the timing and my friend who is a mechanic confirmed it also. He also checked the compression and it is good even though I don't have the exact specs.

Additionally, I have a fireball electronic ignition that bypasses the points and condenser. When the car runs it will run for a bit and then the plugs are fouled (as if running rich, brownish). In other words, I get the car running and then when I shut it down it won't restart unless I pull and clean the plugs. Even then it can be difficult to start.

Also, when I pull the coil the spark from the coil seems very strong but when I pull a plug (sparkplug attached) and crank the spark seems much weaker. Any thoughts or input would be appreciated. I would love to know more and a goal is for me to be able to maintain this car myself. Any thoughts, direction or guidance would be appreciated. I am thinking it is the ignition module. My car has been down for 2 seasons and I am getting desperate.

Thanks,


John D. Nicosia

klweimer
Posts: 550
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:45 am
Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: Arvada, Colorado

Re: Advice - Alot of Changes newbie errors and getting desperate

Postby klweimer » Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:11 pm

I would start by checking the cam timing and making sure the cam wheels are on the right cams. Lots of threads here on this topic.
Kirk

User avatar
johndemar
Posts: 716
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:12 am
Your car is a: 1976 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Phoenix

Re: Advice - Alot of Changes newbie errors and getting desperate

Postby johndemar » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:42 am

Any possibility the carb is running rich?
76 Fiat 124 Spider
One owner since July 20, 1976
Amadio Motor, Jeannette, PA

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lglade
Patron 2018
Patron 2018
Posts: 327
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:05 am
Your car is a: 1984 Pininfarina
Location: Mukilteo, WA

Re: Advice - Alot of Changes newbie errors and getting desperate

Postby lglade » Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:57 am

I'm with Kirk. The fact that you recently had head work done suggest a possible issue with cam timing. Verify that the cam wheels are on the correct cams and verify the cam timing (e.g. one cam could be off by a single tooth). There are several great postings here that describe what to do or a good shop manual will describe how to do it. Do you still have the original distributor? If so, I'd then temporarily swap back to it, or another known good distributor, to cross it off the list of potential suspects. It's possible that your distributor has a bad module.

It sounds like you've made several recent changes to your engine, and I would verify that all of these are fully functional before looking for a different root cause. You'll find your problem if you keep looking. Don't get discouraged...we've all been right where you are now. It's not always practical, but try to change only one thing at a time and then confirm success before moving on to the next change. When things don't go as expected, it's much easier to diagnose the cause.
Lloyd Glade- Mukilteo, WA
1984 Pininfarina Spider Azzurra
1962 Fiat 500D - wife's car
2015 Subaru Outback
2017 Ford Focus RS

JohnD
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 8:51 pm
Your car is a: 1971 Fiat Spider 1608cc

Re: Advice - Alot of Changes newbie errors and getting desperate

Postby JohnD » Sun Oct 01, 2017 1:26 pm

I am including images of my timing marks. The car starts but continues to back fire through the carb. As stated earlier I have a fireball points replacement ignition. I get tons of spark ouit of the coil but a very weak spark from the ignition wires. The installation manual for the fireball states that you should time the ignition from the #1 piston. Does that make sense?

http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/JohnD999/media/Both%20Timing%20Marks%20Cams_zpssdb7vw13.jpg.html?filters[user]=140741462&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

[url]http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/JohnD999/media/Exhaust%20Timing%20Mark_zpsntvnxfnm.jpg.html?filters[user]=140741462&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1[/url]

[url]http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/JohnD999/media/Exhaust%20Timing%20Mark_zpsntvnxfnm.jpg.html?filters[user]=140741462&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1[/url]

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RRoller123
Patron 2020
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Posts: 8179
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:04 pm
Your car is a: 1980 FI SPIDER 2000
Location: SAGAMORE BEACH, MA USA

Re: Advice - Alot of Changes newbie errors and getting desperate

Postby RRoller123 » Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:32 pm

Maybe this will help.

Image
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle


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