Starting Problems, Starting with Throttle but Won't Idle Options

[nmkimosabe]

My 1974 1.8 with fuel injection will only start by manually opening the throttle but I can't get it idle and thus run properly. I recently had the AFM rebuilt and replaced the points, plugs, condenser and replaced the CHT sensor but the problem continues as it did before. I've looked for vacuum leaks to no avail with starter fluid. I now seek the expertise of the members of this forum for additional suggestions.

[wonkipop]

@nmkimosabe

re 87 alfa romeo spider. thats a coincidence. one of the guys here at the workshop has exact same car. an 87. gold paint. he picked it up last year from up country. its been here for about 20 odd years. orig came from mid west USA. the guy he bought it from privately imported it and converted it to right hand drive using a very high quality english kit. quite a simple conversion from left to right hand drive using tube rod control levers that leave clutch operation and brake master cylinder on left hand side of engine bay firewall. uses a right hand drive steering box sourced from original parts and a very high quality dashboard moulding.

it was running like (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) when he first got it. but apart from that was in first class shape cosmetically etc. basically had been a summer car in the USA since new.
he mucked around with it for a while after he first got it trying to get it right. i had tossed him some tech lit on L jet but like a lot of old school guys he failed to read it and persisted with his stoopid carb mentality, turning idle screws etc and going nowhere.

one day i just got sick of him hogging the service space and walked over - grabbed the plastic intake boot that ran from the air cleaner to the throttle body and wiggled it around while it was idling. engine died. he looked at me with a face that was a big question mark. i just said read the literature. its got an air leak you clown. sure enough the boot had cracks everywhere on its underside hidden from view and when you revved the engine to take off from the lights just twisting on its engine mounts was enough to open up the cracks and either kill the engine or make it stumble horribly.

car runs great now and is a very nice piece of kit. in superb condition. very low miles and still all original. paint etc.

as to citroens. i briefly owned an XM. very interesting car. very pleasant to drive.
when it was going. i eventually lost patience with it and moved it on. got that out of my system. too smart for their own good those cars. but people who like them seem to really like them. however it won't be long before it gets just about impossible to keep one on the road. big big problem is getting hold of the hydraulic pressure spheres. supply has dried up and we are pretty much down to one guy in the whole of aus who will recharge and recondition them. once you can't get those its all over for those cars.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[nmkimosabe]

@nmkimosabe

re 87 alfa romeo spider. thats a coincidence. one of the guys here at the workshop has exact same car. an 87. gold paint. he picked it up last year from up country. its been here for about 20 odd years. orig came from mid west USA. the guy he bought it from privately imported it and converted it to right hand drive using a very high quality english kit. quite a simple conversion from left to right hand drive using tube rod control levers that leave clutch operation and brake master cylinder on left hand side of engine bay firewall. uses a right hand drive steering box sourced from original parts and a very high quality dashboard moulding.

it was running like (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) when he first got it. but apart from that was in first class shape cosmetically etc. basically had been a summer car in the USA since new.
he mucked around with it for a while after he first got it trying to get it right. i had tossed him some tech lit on L jet but like a lot of old school guys he failed to read it and persisted with his stoopid carb mentality, turning idle screws etc and going nowhere.

one day i just got sick of him hogging the service space and walked over - grabbed the plastic intake boot that ran from the air cleaner to the throttle body and wiggled it around while it was idling. engine died. he looked at me with a face that was a big question mark. i just said read the literature. its got an air leak you clown. sure enough the boot had cracks everywhere on its underside hidden from view and when you revved the engine to take off from the lights just twisting on its engine mounts was enough to open up the cracks and either kill the engine or make it stumble horribly.

car runs great now and is a very nice piece of kit. in superb condition. very low miles and still all original. paint etc.

as to citroens. i briefly owned an XM. very interesting car. very pleasant to drive.
when it was going. i eventually lost patience with it and moved it on. got that out of my system. too smart for their own good those cars. but people who like them seem to really like them. however, it won't be long before it gets just about impossible to keep one on the road. big big problem is getting hold of the hydraulic pressure spheres. supply has dried up and we are pretty much down to one guy in the whole of aus who will recharge and recondition them. once you can't get those its all over for those cars.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

@wonkipop
My wife actually bought the Alfa new and it's in great shape and only has around 80,000 miles on it and looks brand new. She thought about selling it this summer but in great shape these cars generally max out at $18,000 if you're lucky. So why sell? I replaced all cloth vacuum hoses with rubber ones this summer and replaced the short boot connector towards the throttle body as it had a slight crack. Converting to a right-hand drive sounds like a major operation to me. My other project right now is getting my neighbors Vespa running. He's an older guy and it's been sitting for like five years so I've replaced the fuel line, vac line, had the car refurbished and replaced the petcock. I'm waiting on the intake manifold boot which has a crack and these things are highly sensitive to vac leaks as well. He was just going to trash it which is really stupid as they aren't cheap.