79 spider loses idle after some 15 minute drives.

[Fiat88]

Hey everyone!

First let me say I'm 20 and new to the mechanical aspects of cars. Have a problem with my 79 spider with automatic trans. It has a stock carburetor. The symptoms: The car starts up easily and idles well but sometimes when I drive it over 15 minutes it likes to start to stall and sputter at red lights. The electric fuel pump works. If I turn the car off and try to start it, it won't fire up. Any advice would be appreciated.

[So Cal Mark]

you're going to need a couple of basic tools to do any troubleshooting, but first, if you just let it idle in the driveway will it act up after 15 minutes?
After driving, does it stall when you're at idle, or when you start to accelerate? Does it run normally once you get up to speed again?

[Fiat88]

if you just let it idle in the driveway will it act up after 15 minutes?

No, I don't think so. I never had a problem.

After driving, does it stall when you're at idle, or when you start to accelerate?[/quote ]
Today I drove it about 20 minutes to my grandmothers and it was fine but driving it back home later in the day it sounded like it was sputtering a little on the freeway. When I got home and was about to go into my driveway it started sputtering more. I went into the garage and turned it off but was not able to restart it. My father looked down in the carberator barrel and said fuel was only dripping out not shooting out if that makes any sense.

Does it run normally once you get up to speed again?

Yes.

[So Cal Mark]

fuel was dripping into the venturi with the engine off? That will flood the engine. You could have too much fuel pressure, a defective carb float or needle valve, or merely just a misadjusted float

[Fiat88]

The engine was off and as I was starting it and pumping the peddle, my father said fuel was just slighty dripping out.