Stalling at idle when warm

[Workman]

I have a 1983 Spider 2000 that stalls after it warms up, but only at an idle. It takes about 15-20 minutes of driving before it will start doing this. It doesn't "sputter" and die out, it shuts off just like turning off they ignition. I can start it up and it will run for a couple seconds and then stall unless I rev a little. I turned the idle up to about 1.5k and it quit stalling but I'd like to get it fixed. Thanks for any help.

[So Cal Mark]

what did you adjust to raise the idle? Have you checked for air leaks between the afm and throttle body?

[rlux4]

Could be a cold start component. If the thermo-time switch is not opening when warm it would still send a signal to the cold start valve, causing too much fuel input in the fuel/air ratio for a warm engine. Or your cold start valve may have failed in the open position. After checking for air leaks as Mark suggests, try disconnecting the wires at the cold start valve after it warms up to see if it runs better.
Ron

[bradartigue]

sounds like the temp sensor for the FI system is acting up. Not much else makes the motor flat out die. It gets hot and starts sending garbage to the ECU, which then shuts off the injectors like the car is in deceleration mode.

I have a 1983 Spider 2000 that stalls after it warms up, but only at an idle. It takes about 15-20 minutes of driving before it will start doing this. It doesn't "sputter" and die out, it shuts off just like turning off they ignition. I can start it up and it will run for a couple seconds and then stall unless I rev a little. I turned the idle up to about 1.5k and it quit stalling but I'd like to get it fixed. Thanks for any help.

[kristoj]

All good sugestions. It probably would be a good idea to to a general check of the FI system. Brad put together a very handy guide for checking/testing the various components of the system, including the temp sensor:
http://www.mirafiori.com/faq/fiatFI_may2002.pdf

[bradartigue]

That guide is outdated, use the new one at http://www.artigue.com/fiat it is the first "book"

All good sugestions. It probably would be a good idea to to a general check of the FI system. Brad put together a very handy guide for checking/testing the various components of the system, including the temp sensor:
http://www.mirafiori.com/faq/fiatFI_may2002.pdf

[Workman]

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll have to look over everything tomorrow. I'm pretty new to Fiats but overall it seems like a great car.

Also, what are some common issues to look for on these cars? I did a quick search but couldn't find anything. Probably just searching the wrong keywords.

[rlux4]

If you haven't done it yet, it would be a good idea to put the car in up on stands. Get underneath and check the driveline starting at the flex joint immediately behind the tranny. Check the u-joints and carrier bearing. Check for play in the ball joints and tie rods. If you don't know when the fluids were changed last, change the tranny and rear end gear oils. The rear end uses normal 90w, the tranny needs Gl1. Check the condition of the brake hoses. Each of these things has horror stories related to it.
I assume you've already checked for structural rust issues.
Ron

[kristoj]

Likewise if you don't know when the timing belt was last changed, you need to change that first.

[Workman]

Everything feels tight in the driveline. Tranny needs a rebuild though, it won't engage 4th gear. I'm guessing it's a bent shift fork. That shouldn't be too hard as long as I can find the replacement parts. I just flushed the cooling system a couple days ago at work and the other fluids looked good. The biggest rust issues are at the rockers, which seems to be a cover over the rockers but I haven't looked to far into it, and rust above the rear wheels. I have replacement panels for those. Timing belt was replaced about 10k ago.

Another question, is the odometer in miles or kilometers? The previous owner says it's kilometers. I can see that since the oil pressure measures in Bar and the temp is celcius. But the speedometer shows mph as the bigger numbers.