New Fulvia owner

[Bill Rempe]

Thanks to everyone for your advice and assistance back in July. I bought a 1974 Fulvia in Brescia and had it shipped here to Atlanta, and it finally arrived last Saturday. If I did it correctly, you should see a picture of it here:



I shopped for quite a while and the delivery process all went very smoothly. Unfortunately when I started the car, I found that the number 2 cylinder is no longer firing properly. The plug is getting a spark, but there is no ignition and the plug is wet. When the car arrived the tank was empty and the car had been sitting some months, so I thought maybe a carburetor jet may have been fouled by contaminants at the bottom of the fuel tank. Is this possible? I have talked to several people about this, and others have suggested that it could be the valve timing. I have ordered all the manuals, and while I'm waiting for them to arrive, I wondered if anyone has any ideas or suggestions. Other than this, I am very happy with the car - it is in great condition and seems to have been very well maintained, and I can't wait to drive it. Thanks, Bill

[Bill Rempe]

My attempt to post a photo didn't work so here is the url :

http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... via026.jpg

[Bill Rempe]

One last try

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... via026.jpg

[Ed Levin]

Bill,
Congratulations, the car looks great (the pictures didn't post; I used the URL).

Have you changed the spark plugs? In other words, when you say "the plug is getting a spark", are you sure the plug itself is firing? If the #2 plug is "wet" from fuel, then the plug itself probably isn't firing, and replacing all the plugs (which wouldn't be a bad place to start anyway) may take care of it.

If the #2 plug is oiled, and changing the plugs does nothing, you've got a different problem; I assume you've already checked the coolant and dipstick to make sure it isn't a head gasket issue. In any case, it doesn't sound like "valve timing", which would almost certainly affect more than just one cylinder.

Hopefully, it's just a bad plug. Good luck.

[Bill Rempe]

Hi Ed,

I pulled the plug and observed it actually sparking. The car has a sticker showing that it was serviced less than 500km ago, but there is no date so who knows when that was. In any case, the oil level is good and it looks new and clean, and the coolant level is good and it also looks new and clean. When the car is running there is no noticeable smoke or fumes coming out. I looked more closely at the plug, and the wetness on it is dark and looks more like oil than gas, which can't be a good sign. I hope that the engine wasn't damaged somehow by the guys who drove it during the delivery.

I'm fairly handy, but I'm not a mechanic and I haven't had any luck finding anyone who knows anything about Fulvia's in my area so if this turns out to be something serious I may have to send it off to be repaired. Too bad, because I spent quite a bit of time trying to find a car in good condition that didn't need immediate attention. Oh well, as the Italians say - che chi sta peggio!

Thanks, Bill

[Geoffrey Goldberg]

Are there any good Ferrari mechanics (ex FAF) in your area? Or isn't Paul Spruell Alfa around there? Any of those guys ought to be able to get to the bottom of this for you.

Good luck -

Geoff

[John Simister]

If a plug is marginal, it might be able to spark in the open air but might not under cylinder compression when the same distance between the electrodes is filled by many more air molecules. Changing plugs is easy so give that a go before doing anything else. They're normal Champion N7Y or equivalent, NGKs are usually best. You could also try new HT leads, especially if they look like they haven't been changed for a while. Make sure you get leads with suitable rubber shields at the plug end to keep dirt and grit out of the plug wells.

Do the compressions sound even on all four cylinders when you spin the engine on the starter? If one sounds weak, maybe there's a sticking valve through lack of use. If you suspect this might be the case, you could take off the cam cover and check all the valve clearances. A stuck valve would have a much wider clearance.

The car looks great, by the way. So many Fulvia Coupes have been restored and have lost the jacking points under the sills, but yours are present and correct. Is the body all original? If so, I'm very jealous!

John

[Neil Cundy]

If you think you have oil on the plug, check the location and condition of the spectical gaskets under the cam cover around the plugs. If these have a path through, usually it results in oil in the plug recess and it may capillary down the thread. Alternatively you may have a worn valve guide, which is a bit more tricky to fix.

[Bill Rempe]

I checked with Paul Spruell, and unfortunately he now specializes only in Alfas and racing prep. Also have tried Ferrari and Fiat people in town but no luck yet. I did find a place in Raliegh NC that has experience with Fulvia's, so worst case I can truck it up there.

I'll try replacing the plugs also and check for a sticking valve when I get a chance. Thanks for all the tips, and I'll let you know how it turns out.

I haven't found evidence of significant body work yet and the underside of the car looks very clean also. I don't know about Fulvia colors so don't know if the red is original. If it's not, they did a good job on the repaint because I can't find anything other than red even in the recesses of the engine compartment. There are a some bubbles in the paint on the fender behind the front wheel, and I'm sure there's something bad going on under there!

Bill

more pics:
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... via024.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... via045.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... Fulvia.jpg
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... via034.jpg

[John Simister]

It looks an original sort of red to me, and plenty of Fulvias are that colour (including mine). That looks like a really nice, straight, original, unmolested car. One possible unoriginal thing is that I think most Fulvia 3s had green carpets regardless of exterior colour, a surprising aesthetic blunder on the part of Lancia. I see yours has a much more appropriate carpet colour.

Good luck with it, and try to drive it as much as possible once it's running properly. They feel much better to drive if exercised regularly. I reinstalled my car's rebuilt engine at the end of May and I've done 4100 miles in it since, every one a joy apart from some high speed misfires cured by, yes, new plugs. I thought the old ones were still OK when I put them in the rebuilt engine. They were not.

John