Car runs for 30 seconds and dies.

[Nicola]

Hey all,

I have a 1982 fiat spider and it will start and run for about 30 seconds then it will just die. Me and my mechanic have been trying to figure this thing out and we cannot. He has gotten to the point where he doesn't want to work on the car anymore. Does anyone have any suggestions of what could be wrong? We have replace a lot of different parts on this car, because we have no real way to test the parts themselves.

Nicola

[Nicola]

Hey all,

I have a 1982 fiat spider and it will start and run for about 30 seconds then it will just die. Me and my mechanic have been trying to figure this thing out and we cannot. He has gotten to the point where he doesn't want to work on the car anymore. Does anyone have any suggestions of what could be wrong? We have replace a lot of different parts on this car, because we have no real way to test the parts themselves.

Nicola

A bit of an update,

We have found the actual problem, but we do not know what is causing it. When the car starts the cold injector runs great, but when it switches to the main injectors they stick open. We confirmed it with a lab scope to watch the injectors. Instead of the injectors giving little squirts it just stays full open and floods the car and it dies.

[majicwrench]

Forgive me, but I gotta say it, if your mechanic is baffled by an old FI like is on a Spider, you need a new mechanic. Parts can be tested, by a qualified mechanic. Throwing parts at a car is a good sign of his abilites.
Again, forgive me, I gotta go find my coffee pot...
Keith

[narfire]

Check the grounds for the injectors. There are two of them attached to the bolts holding the intake plenum together.