Poor cold weather starting / no power below 2000 RPM

[jasonaedwards]

Hi all,

First of all, thanks to everyone for making this site such a great resource for Fiat owners! It's difficult to find information on Fiat's in Canada, and this site helps to compensate!

That leads me to my first question...

I have a 78 Fiat. It was running fine for a while, but recently has been VERY difficult to start when cold. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes to turn over successfully, and I have to basically hold the pedal all the way to the floor until the engine warms up. If I take my foot off the gas before it is warm, it will stall. Once the engine is warm, it will idle, but quite poorly.

The bigger issue, at least in terms of driveability, is the very poor engine performance under 2000 RPM. Even when warm, if I push the pedal right to the floor, the engine takes a long time to pick up, eventually creeping up to 2000 RPM, at which the power kicks in and the car drives as normal. The car drives great as long as I keep the RPM above 2000.

Does anyone know where to start looking or possible problems? The car is in storage right now, so I won't be able to check it for a few weeks, but I wanted to narrow down the possibilities when I do start working on the car again.

Thanks!

Jason
1978 Fiat Spider
Vancouver, BC, Canada

[So Cal Mark]

first check the point gap in the dizzy, Then remove the air cleaner lid and see if the choke plate is closed, and if it will open

[fischettie]

not sure but if its carb u can check your -carb idle cutoff solenoidthere around $30 r $40.check out intrenational-auto.com they may have some helpful hints . hope it helps good luck

Hi all,

First of all, thanks to everyone for making this site such a great resource for Fiat owners! It's difficult to find information on Fiat's in Canada, and this site helps to compensate!

That leads me to my first question...

I have a 78 Fiat. It was running fine for a while, but recently has been VERY difficult to start when cold. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes to turn over successfully, and I have to basically hold the pedal all the way to the floor until the engine warms up. If I take my foot off the gas before it is warm, it will stall. Once the engine is warm, it will idle, but quite poorly.

The bigger issue, at least in terms of driveability, is the very poor engine performance under 2000 RPM. Even when warm, if I push the pedal right to the floor, the engine takes a long time to pick up, eventually creeping up to 2000 RPM, at which the power kicks in and the car drives as normal. The car drives great as long as I keep the RPM above 2000.

Does anyone know where to start looking or possible problems? The car is in storage right now, so I won't be able to check it for a few weeks, but I wanted to narrow down the possibilities when I do start working on the car again.

Thanks!

Jason
1978 Fiat Spider
Vancouver, BC, Canada

[kilrwail]

You might want to check the accelerator valve on the carb. The rubber membrane can tear, leading to symptoms like yours. Open it up and inspect it.

[jasonaedwards]

Thanks for the hints.
I have been driving the car for a few weeks now, and have some new updates.
We replaced the idle stop solenoid, but this had no effect. It definitely is clicking, so we know it is working.

For some reason, we are unable to adjust the slow and fast idle at all. Turning the adjustment screws has no effect on the rpm. The car will not idle at all, and will stall as soon as I stop pushing on the accelerator pedal.

Could it be a vacuum problem? Or an issue with the carb itself?

Thanks again,

Jason