Lancia 2000TC

[shaun]

I have an annoying problem with my potential donor car. Following endless little troubles I have now arrived at the not so little troubles. When the car is cold the engine runs and pulls well under load. Once hot, there is an intermittant cutting out with no backfiring, this last for between 2 and 6ish seconds. I beleive the problem is fuel related although have only changed the fuel filter. The car is a late 2000ie beta coupe with 35000miles. Apart from buying a car ready built and dumping the donor, any ideas?

[Matt No VAT]

Shaun,

I've had Betas for 15 years (they were what got me into Lancias in the first place) I'm pretty sure that I've had the same problem - email me and I'll send you a photo of the offending part (I can't remember what its called right now....mental blank!!)

I'll also look up the proper part name when I get home, as I have the all the official Lancia Workshop manuals for all Beta's.

When I've had this problem in the past it was a process of changing the fuel pump (mounted on the rear crossmember) or changing this part that I'm talking about.

I did both, but it turned out not to be the fuel pump but the other part.

Matt
mattnovat@btopenworld.com

[shaun]

Would the part you are talking of be the fuel pressure regulateur, situated on the end of the annodised fuel rail tube? This appears to do nothing in my case, the easy solution was to stop and have a pee and then drive home normally. I have never played with fuel injection so this is all part of the learning curve.

A cracked fuel pipe has lead to a sheared cam carrier bolt which has lead to a cambelt change that has lead to..............

I will be ready for a stratos build soon and I bet the engine still cuts out then!

[shaun]

This is the fellow.

[CorseChris]

Shaun,

You say you fitted a new cambelt.....

....way back when I too had a beta 2000ie Coupe, I had to change the headgasket etc etc. I put it all back together and it seemed to run just fine, but it had developed an infuriating habit of stalling when warm. To cut one of my normally very long stories a bit shorter, I had gotten the cam timing wrong by a tooth on the inlet cam. It ran fine, pulled like a train, but once hot, would just quit, apparently randomly, when idling. Don't believe the timing marks at the back! Use the ones at the front (or was that the other way around....).

Just a thought.

[shaun]

"Currently" fitting a new cambelt is probably a better discription. The cam timing/cambelt could be a possible cause since I think it was changed just before the car went into hibernation, maybe that is why! I think the symptoms are of fuel starvation but I would like some other opinons before I start changing pumps, regulateurs etc.

As an after thought did you remove the bottom pully or is it traditional to squeak the cam belt thru the gap?

[CorseChris]

It was a long time ago but I do recall I had to go to my friendly local Lancia dealer and borrow their air-impact to get the bloomin' crank nut off....

No way I wanted to force the belt past the very tight gap betwixt pulley and front oil seal plate and risk putting a crimp or nick in it. (No offense Nick......).

If you are sure it's a fuel related problem then I think I'd suggest getting a fuel pressure gauge on it to be honest. They aren't expensive and can save an awful lot of piddling about. The fuel pressure regulator that you are looking at could certainly be a problem of course but I don't personally have any experience of trouble with them (although others have I am sure).

Good luck.

[Matt No VAT]

Shaun, sorry I didn't get a chance to get to the garage last night - had to finish building the stud partition walls for my en-suite before the plumbers arrive - so up against it as far as time goes. Went down there thismorning with the digital camera and the batteries had gone flat - thier re-charging now!

[Matt No VAT]

Shaun,

Sorry for the delay, but I'm on a bit of a tight schedule for getting the bathroom + en suite ready for the return of the plumbers!

While building the en-suite stud though I got to thinking - yours is a IE which would have been different to mine as mine was a 2000 noramlly aspirated.

This in a way makes things easier as its either your fuel pump, or you have a blocked injector or one of the ends on the injector has worked loose.

The cheap fix would be take out the injectors make sure the ends are secure and not fouling the fuel flow.

If that doesn't fix it then try the fuel pump, other than that I can only think of a dodgey ECU - if you need another to test it I have one that your quite welcome to.

Cheers

Matt (back to the building work!!)

[shaun]

After a good wander around the breakers yard today I found an opel fuel regulator that was about right. There was also a choice of an alfa twin spark but that looked like a long job to get off. Anyway, that made sod all difference - luckly it was only 2 quid.

Looks like the fuel pump as a pressure guage shows about 2 bar, dropping to 1.5 and then the engine cut out between 1-1.5. With a jerry can to keep the bonnet open, the test drive proved a little traumatic. I guess in a stratos it is easier since the car behind can read the guage. Might not be funny when the engine cuts out though.

Challenge now is to find a fuel pump that 'is about right'

Thanks for all the ideas, the pump could still be a red herring.

[Matt No VAT]

Ahhh now..... I could have a solution to that - now remember that my Strat started off with a Beta VX engine fitted - well it also had a nice shiney Facet fuel pump system - which I still have as a complete set and is sitting there doing nothing - would this be of any use to you?

If it could cope with a Guy Crofted VX engine I'm sure it could cope with a 2000ie.

Cheers

[Stratos]

Get a fuel pump from a fuel-injected Opel. It will cope with everything up to and including a tuned V6.

Mine came from a Vauxhall Cavalier (same as opel vectra). It's the same pump on all the injected models from the Nova/Corsa right up to the Omega.

[shaun]

Matt,

Not sure if i'll take you up on the pump offer, I will try and get something a little closer to home. If not I will email for a price.

Did come across a 1600 cdi astra with the pump in the tank!

I also removed the old pump, ran a litre of petrol through it an now it sends the guage off the scale 6Bar+

I wonder if it was just blocked as there is no filter between tank and pump........

[chris.richard]

On the Vauxhaull pump, which wire is the positive, and which the earth? Mine's got a brown and a blue wire, and the spade terminals are different sizes.

[Stratos]

Originally posted by chris.richard
On the Vauxhaull pump, which wire is the positive, and which the earth? Mine's got a brown and a blue wire, and the spade terminals are different sizes.

Chris,

I think we sorted it out for you before on another thread.

If not, I'll check mine for you.

[chris.richard]

You sorted me out with the input / output, and there's a lot of discussion about plumbing, but not the wiring. I know I could find out with a couple of wires, a battery and a bucket of petrol, but asking on here seemed safer somehow!:eek:
Muchas Gracias, Senor!

[Stratos]

Chris,

I'll try and do it sometime on Sunday when I get back, because I'm loading the car on the trailer soon to go to the Fat Albert Stages.