Stalling out...77 Spider

[John Donohue]

Hey all - the saga continues (see electrical issues) - we thought the reason my spider was losing all power was the ignition switch, but after dropping a new one in, it still loses power while driving. We noticed twice now that after a 6 mile or so drive, and a 30 - 60 min stop, that the car starts the stalling. Once warmed up again, it seems to run better, but no telling when it would start stalling again.

Another thing we noticed was that while the tach drops to zero when it loses power, the other gages still have power - which suggests that ingition switch was not the issue. Upon further inspection, we thought mayby a vapor lock or air intake issue. We inspected the air cleaner, and it seemed as if it was soaked in gasoline. Could it be that the car is not getting enough air??

Thoughts or other suggestions for diagosing this problem would be appreciated. I would like to get the car on the road - reliably - as the weather is turning nice.

[So Cal Mark]

more than likely the air filter is soaked with oil coming up the breather hose. If the oil level is too high the excess crankcase pressure will force oil into the air filter. That will kill the motor

[John Donohue]

I will check my records (as well as the dipstick) - as to when I last changed the oil in the car, vs when I started having the problem. thanks for the tip.

I also plan on ordering a carb kit to rebuild the carb - couldnt hurt in the long run anyway.

[So Cal Mark]

if you find the oil level way overfull and don't remember adding oil, you may have a fuel pump with a leaking diaphragm. That allows fuel to enter the crankcase and mix with the oil. Smell the dipstick if it reads high. If you can smell gas, make sure you change the oil and the fuel pump!

[John Donohue]

Well, I changed out the air filter, and took the spider for a drive, similar to the drive I have been taking over the past few weeks. Drive for about 8 miles, then stop for coffee for a 1/2 hour or so. Get in the car, and it starts, then a few minutes later, the stalling starts. Generally, when at low RPM's. It also dies as I am driving at 55 MPH - when this happens, we generally have enough forward momemtum to pop the clutch, and the engine restarts.

Although I havent been stuck on the side of the road in a while, this stalling tends to happen at the most inopportune time, as in crossing a major intersection, etc. The result is that I do not trust my car to drive more than 10 miles from home, and that is not good. As we all know, we own these cars to drive them!

One theory surfaced recently, out of a lawn mower repair incident - again an issue of the engine running OK till warm, then stalling. It turned out to be the coil. Could it be the coil on the Fiat that is spotty? No joke intended on the lawn mower reference, although I do think that a Fiat with a mower deck would be a sight to see. Definitely would get the mowing done quicker!

Any further suggestions or advice on this issue would be appreciated.