Hot Starting Issue

[beebee246]

Hi,
Wonder if I could seek some advice from the Forum, please.
My 2400 spider is a swine to start when the engine is hot. I have a good spark, and sufficient fuel, but it simply will not start if it is hot. I've owned a lot of Fiat Dino's, and several have been difficult to start when hot, but I've never experienced a total refusal to start before. Any hints would be helpful. I'm away from my PC next week, so please don't feel I'm being ignorant if I don't respond to your posting immediately,
Thanks, Brian Boxall BS 1470

[Tobi]

If you've owned a lot of Dinos, you've already tried to push the pedal when cranking.

[Dinoswede]

Two suggestions re your starting problems. First, an old, not-so-good, ignition coil often behaves like this - it works when it is cold, but not at all when hot.
Secondly, do your Dino have any fuel hoses or tubes running close to hot engine parts, making the fuel change from fluid into gas? If so, it will never reach
the carburettors, until cooled down.
Well, just a thought...

Dinoswede

[Dario]

Hi, can you be more specific? Does the engine turn over normally or sluggishly? Do you follow the owner's manual instructions for warm start?(floor the accelerator, do not pump it)

[Dario]

Oops, sorry Brian, I didn't see it was you. I think you know more about these cars than most of us... My battery has difficulty cranking the engine when it's hot, but it's a bit smaller than the recommended size (which is pretty huge). Concerning the gas supply, there should be enough in the carb bowls to start even without the fuel pumping. Vapour lock in the carbs?

Best,

Dario

[alh]

Can you tell us what ignition setup and plugs you have in place?
If you keep the throttle fully open while starting, how long does it take for the engine to catch?

[beebee246]

Thanks for the reply Tobi,
Yes, I hold the throttle open when hot starting, and when the car starts to catch, I feather the throttle (so as not to lose it), and then usually good to go..........except with this spider!

[beebee246]

Two suggestions re your starting problems. First, an old, not-so-good, ignition coil often behaves like this - it works when it is cold, but not at all when hot.
Secondly, do your Dino have any fuel hoses or tubes running close to hot engine parts, making the fuel change from fluid into gas? If so, it will never reach
the carburettors, until cooled down.
Well, just a thought...

Dinoswede

Hi Dinoswese,
Thanks for your reply. The coil looks in good condition, but as you suggest, I'll swap it over to see if I can improve the hot starting. I have all new fuel lines fitted, and they run no closer to the engine than on any other spider I've owned, but I did think that maybe the issue was fuel vapourisation, and was trying to work out a way to cool the fuel charge. Still trying to work that one out!

[beebee246]

Hi, can you be more specific? Does the engine turn over normally or sluggishly? Do you follow the owner's manual instructions for warm start?(floor the accelerator, do not pump it)

Hi Dario,
Thanks for the reply. The engineturns over normally. I do hold the throttle wide open when I start the car when hot. On most Dino's that works for me, but on this one, no joy!

[beebee246]

Oops, sorry Brian, I didn't see it was you. I think you know more about these cars than most of us... My battery has difficulty cranking the engine when it's hot, but it's a bit smaller than the recommended size (which is pretty huge). Concerning the gas supply, there should be enough in the carb bowls to start even without the fuel pumping. Vapour lock in the carbs?

Best,

Dario

Hi Dario,
No problem! we hide behind these e mail "handles"!
The battery seems OK. Although the car doesn't crank over particularly quickly, the battery must be strong because I tried to start the car for about 90 minutes (off and on) when I broke down the other day, and it still cranked the engine over. I'm also wondering if it's fuel vapourisation, but I'm intrigued that it simply will not fire when hot. It's no just that I have "trouble" starting it: I just CANNOT get it to start;period.