Depressed,but not questioning my alliance to Fiats

[azygoustoyou]

Sorry to hear about the problems Craig. I see my other buddies having issues come and go. But that's what were here for, Moral support. You know it's going to pass. And think about it. Can you really sell it after you get it going again??? It's just something that's keeping you on your toes. The car is just trying to keep you looking sharp so when you hang out again.
Good luck figuring it out.

[narfire]

Craig.. sent a PM

[NCArachnid]

I know how you feel. I always get down when one of my babies (read cars) is sick. Our cars are around 30 years old and in my experience all makes of that age tend to have things break or go out. I just did the timing gear in my '68 Chevy pick-up 3 months ago. I would have rather been working on the Spider. If we wanted reliability we would all drive Civics; but that would be boring. We are very fortunate to have a great Fiat community to draw upon.

Ensure that the angle of your jaw to your neck is greater than or equal to 90 degrees.

[Europa]

Craig, sorry to hear about your FIAT challenges.

You have good spark and fuel. Next up is good compression. Let us know how the leak down test goes. If you need it, I can send you my NOID light set. Let me know.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

[BartusCompater]

One of my favorite books is called "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It's a philosophically-driven story about a man who is making a motorcycle trip and relating his philosophy to the maintenance of a motorcycle. In one chapter he discusses the topic of "gumption" and "gumption traps". One of the biggest gumption traps is an intermittent failure in something. And one of the best ways to get gumption back is to take a break from what you're working on. It's a good read if you're interested.

I like the word "gumption" because it’s so homely and so forlorn and so out of style it looks as if it needs a friend and isn’t likely to reject anyone who comes along. It’s an old Scottish word, once used a lot by pioneers, but which, like "kin," seems to have all but dropped out of use. I like it also because it describes exactly what happens to someone who connects with Quality. He gets filled with gumption.

The Greeks called it enthousiasmos, the root of "enthusiasm." which means literally "filled with theos," or God, or Quality. See how that fits?

...

The gumption-filling process occurs when one is quiet long enough to see and hear and feel the real universe, not just one’s own stale opinions about it. But it’s nothing exotic. That’s why I like the word.

You see it often in people who return from long, quiet fishing trips. Often they’re a little defensive about having put so much time to "no account" because there’s no intellectual justification for what they’ve been doing. But the returned fisherman usually has a peculiar abundance of gumption, usually for the very same things he was sick to death of a few weeks before. He hasn’t been wasting time. It’s only our limited cultural viewpoint that makes it seem so.

If you’re going to repair a motorcycle, an adequate supply of gumption is the first and most important tool. If you haven’t got that you might as well gather up all the other tools and put them away, because they won’t do you any good.

Gumption is the psychic gasoline that keeps the whole thing going. If you haven’t got it there’s no way the motorcycle can possibly be fixed. But if you have got it and know how to keep it there’s absolutely no way in this whole world that motorcycle can keep from getting fixed. It’s bound to happen. Therefore the thing that must be monitored at all times and preserved before anything else is the gumption.

A person filled with gumption doesn’t sit around dissipating and stewing about things. He’s at the front of the train of his own awareness, watching to see what’s up the track and meeting it when it comes. That’s gumption.

Just go here, and hit Ctrl + F and search for gumption, then start reading from there. Unless you feel like reading the whole book.

[baltobernie]

Craig, if you think you got problems:

Yesterday, an achingly beautiful blue-sky day, I come out of the local market with a few items and get into the Fiat. A man's voice: "I used to have one of those." How many times have we heard that? I look over, and it's a guy my age in the driver's seat of a NissHoYota. "Yeah, I couldn't afford one myself back then, but I'm sure happy with this one." Me and a buddy used to double-date in a Spider!", he says, laughing about the girls in the back being blown about.

Ten feet in front of us, selecting produce items from an outdoor display, an indistinguishable lump of a woman with too much hair, too much makeup, and big sunglasses. "No, no no," she scolds, wagging her bejeweled hand at him. As I start the car and fish for reverse, I look over at his expression, equal parts of humiliation, loathing and disgust.

Cheer up, buddy. At least you didn't have to go home with that.

[mdrburchette]

Good grief, Bernie's right, Craig! You have an awesome wife that just let you buy another dang motorcycle! Count your blessings, boy.

[Snoopy]

You drive this spider for years... dont worry.. dont give up
I had the first breakdown after 20 miles on the first day and searching nearly 3 weeks for the bad connection...
I hate it in this moment but now i love it again...

[wachuko]

There is power to the injector.I was hoping for a partially clogged one!When I pulled the rail with the suspect one,I had my daughter cramk while I watched.It was spraying,but it was hard to see if it was a good pattern. Since the rail was off and Chris had kindly offered a injector,I thought it worth a shot.You can hear it clicking ,it is energized.I dont have a noid light,but there is power at the plug via multimeter.
Thanks for the encouragement guys.I probably shouldnt have posted when I was so PO'd.I have already missed several events,so as long as it is ready for FFO... I am going to list the 76 for sale.I just dont have the time,money,know how,or tools to undertake a rebuild.Someone could get a steal on it.I just want my investment back.I hope someone will want it intact.It is way too nice to start parting out

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get it over to my house and I can work on it, once fixed just drive it back home!!! Don't get rid of it!!

[SLOSpider]

I think Mark has some good suggestions for you on checking the cam lobes and springs. May also be time for a head job as I had a seat coming loose that gave me the same issues. Make sure you have all your air cleaner nuts still too as one could be floating around in the intake system.

[htchevyii]

Hang in there buddy, you'll get it and don't even think about parting that '76!

[rlux4]

I don't get it Craig. Didn't your 82 win a trophy? Isn't that enough? You want it to run well too???
I wish I could be there to encourage you and work on it together.
Ron

[ga.spyder]

Thanks everyone for all the encouragement.This is one of the drawbacks from living in Fiat purgatory,that there are none of my Fiat Friends nearby to help out with issues.I have had several kind offers of driving here to help.Also,The Fla guys have offered labor and a garage.The best part of these cars is the people you meet!
I have gone as far as I can with the diagnosis of the 82.I am towing it to a friends shop this week.I have been helping him with a project at his place,so it will be a 'trade off' on labor.Hoping its fairly minor,but I will do and spend what it takes to get it repaired.
I am looking for a good home for the 76.I dont have the time,etc... to ressurect her.Ther are a few people interested who will finish the project,and I am hoping that will happen.I have put a lot of time and effort into the car,and I am heartbroken over the issue that it has now.I do not intend to part the car out!Thanks again for all the kind offers and words.

[ventura ace]

Craig, it's probably not much consolation for you, but I can attest that my '70 spider is still torn apart and sitting in the garage since last November. I know what it's like to have to miss events with a broken Fiat, but it doesn't help to anquish over it. I've been fortunate that good friends have come to share Fiat rides when I don't have mine running. I've ridden shotgun with Mark, Rey, Ron, Gary, Jeff and many others, including you guys back East, and enjoyed the time getting to know the other folks better -- so there are some benefits to having a broken Fiat!! I've learned to be patient and not push it. It's not easy. I got very impatient at one point several years ago, partially my fault for not being flexible to accept that things don't typically go as good as I would expect.

And then, when everything came together and was running perfect, I got nabbed driving too fast and had no license for 2 months, so had to ride shotgun again!! (another positive reason for having Fiat that doesn't run so good!).

Find the silver lining -- it's there in the clouds somewhere.

Alvon

[BEEK]

craig, i can give you the number of a guy in suwanee, if i can find it, we used to be partners 15 years ago, he still works on fiats, if that will help