1977 124 spider

Yes, I played around with those a lot on my Fiat Uno some years ago. Aren't there just the two screws - mixture and throttle stop?

As I recall, the mixture or 'volume' screw is located inside a narrow hole in the carb body. You have to approach it from the windscreen position pointing forwards. Get in there with a very slim headed conventional screwdriver. The process involves turning down the throttle stop until the care is almost stalling, and then fiddling with the said volume screw slowly until you find the fastest tickover. Repeat the operation, possibly three times, until you are sure the volume screw is right. Then finally adjust the tickover to the required rate using just the throttle stop.

Yes you are correct in your memories.

The idle mixture and idle speed control work together. The speed control adjusts the throttle plate / accelerator pedal linkage. The idle mixture adjusts the fuel flow in the "progression" range of the carb. For those interested in old technology in a carb the throttle plate resticts the air flow. When fully closed the engine would stall were it not for the progession holes. These are one or more bypass feeds around the throttle plate closure position.

To adjust the idle mixture turn the screw in till the engine wants to stall. Note the position. Unscrew the position till the engine hunts/lumpy. Note the position.

Split the difference in half turns and set to midway. Now adjust the idle speed control. Set to desire speed. Probably 850 rpm.

Now adjust the idle mixture again. Go to lean/cutoff and unwind (count the half turns) till hunting/lump occurs. Backoff to the midway position.

Check the idle speed.

Repeat as necessary :-)

To adjust other than idle mixture one has to adjust the jet sizes and this can become quite an involved and repetitive exercise.

Nick /////

And the jets are two brass tubes, plus two shorter screws, that drop vertically down into the carb body. Four screws in line at the top are visible. I recall getting some benefit to acceleration, or pedal response at least, by changing the longer ones for tubes with slightly bigger jet size.

Yes, the emulsifier tubes, with a scattering of holes up the side of the tube. Worth swapping and experimenting with, if you get the opportunity. I had several carbs with various jets, to play around with.

So U finally rembered the "emulsion" tubes!

Main jet is at the bottom. The emulsion tube in the middle and the Air Corrector/Correction at the top!

For twin choke carbs one of course has two of these assemblies.

I must admit this brings back memories of tuning my Uno (1.3) SX on the road. Standing starts, fixed gear timer accleration etc. etc. I soon got it down to a fine art and had 6500+ miles race track fun with her. Modesty hat on but Nick and his Uno SX is(was) was very well known around many UK circuits/clubs and astounded many cars and drivers as to what could be achieved with 46BHP at the wheels AND a good handling car.

Today I have still have a Strada Abarth, Fiat Coupe, Stilo Abarth and Barchetta but really miss my Uno. Underpowered she was but bags of fun on the track and respected! :-)

Call me sad or what!

I really liked my two Unos. If you think you are sad - I am seriously thinking of getting one for a couple of hundred, just to play around with it. Also, great for carrying bits of furniture, etc., around with.

I remember the problem that ultimately led to my knowledge of the carburettor. I kept finding little bits of black powder in the chambers, and the car periodically stalled and died for ten minutes, after which it would start up without a problem. That plagued me for maybe two years. Even after I switched carbs, and engines, it still persisted.

Answers anyone? I found it, but this is a quiz for the bank holiday.

Degrading rubber fuel hose? Float rubbing on chamber wall ? (leaves bits and messes up fuel level)

Nick /////

The strange thing was that the cylindrical mesh filter where the fuel goes into the carb was not blocking up or collecting anything, even though the bits in the carb seemed a lot bigger than the mesh. But yes, it was a poxy little length of black rubber tubing connecting fuel pump to carb. I was just cleaning the carb out in my kitchen for the umpteenth time, but this time happened to have the tubing still with it. I casually tapped the tubing on the counter and a little pile of powder appeared. Can you imagine the relief, after two years, and even after episodes of being stuck on motorway hard shoulders, pushing the car around, taking off the petrol tank to clean it out, etc??

So I was right in 1 go!

Please send me my prise :-)

Yes, absolutely right. Even the 'experts' failed to pick it up at the time, but maybe I am giving more clues here than I did then. But not to take away your glory moment....

Where would you like to be prised??

(:oD

Thank you one all, what a wealth of knowledge. Nick you procedure was exactly what I needed thanks, worked like a champ. My 124 is running so much better.

Bobby

Hi Bobby

This is good news and I hope stability remains.

This is all kind of funny / sad / strange etc.

In the old days decent mechanics new exactly how to setup carbs but were no so good on modern fuel injection technology.

Today the reverse is true. Plug in the computer and wait for the readout!

We had a Fiat Tempra that was pinking. Dealer checked everything out, max rpm/limiter, timing etc etc. No fault found.

I went back to 1st principles, got the old fashion timing gun out and found that the TDC sensor was misaligned by 5+ degrees. ECUs take their reference point from TDC/BDC and measure everything from there. Put the sensor in the wrong position and everything esle will be incorrect!

I'm not sure which era I prefer. Older simpler and variable technology or the modern so called precise and stable technology that ver goes wrong (in yor dreams). Old technolgy most can be fixed, bodged, bypassed but modern stuff often requires a cheque book to sort out :-)

Live and learn

Nick /////

HI Nick, at some level I love the old technology because of it's simplicity. However I love the new stuff because of the increased performance. Back in the day a engine came from the factory with very wide tolerences and a good mechanic could increase the performance and relability by blue printing the engine. Which was little more than rebuilding acording to the spec. Today they come from the factory much, much closer to the spec. As far as the mess of computer controls, well the problem there is not the computer but the training of the folks who do the maintenance. Even with the computer, internal combustion basics are still the same. And if you got a program plan that explains what should happen when a mechanic with a tach, a vacumm gauge, a VOM meter and a timing light can do everything that the computer will do and as you demonstrated sometrimes more accurately. Computers are a function of action reaction....at a given set of conditions this will happen. There is just more of it. I would love to have fuel injection and turbo performance on my little Spider..........maybe this is a project in the making.

Bobby

"Nick /////" wrote in message news:4457b645$0$9269$ snipped-for-privacy@ptn-nntp-reader01.plus.net...

Order of priorty!

1) Supercharger (bottom end) + Turbo (top end) 2) Supercharger only 3) Good natural aspiration 3) Turbo only

Find a rotten Lancia Beta Volumex for an engine transplant.

Or, if you're feeling really evil, don't forget that the Delta Integrale is a Lampredi lump, so there's an easy 200-odd bhp available from one of those.

Strada Abarth 130TC lump will easily do the trick. Standard form 130BHP with 130ft lb torque. The torque curve is the killer spec. FLAT (well almost) across the entire rev range. 1st, 2nd, 5th and you are still smiling. Do that in an Integrale (or other turbo car) and one might as well stop and get the lunch box out.

Lets face it. *ANY* Fiat/Lancia twin cam Lampredi lump (with or without turbo or supercharger) is going to be the bees knees!

Nick ///// ( am I biased or bothered?......)

It's a great lump, no doubt, however, as a standard lump, I'd have to say the old Alfa TSpark 8v lump shades it.

But I would say that......

Mine's a 20V Turbo Coupe . Easily the best lump I have ever had (in my car).