non start issue

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MikeHynes
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Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: Central Il.

Re: non start issue

Post by MikeHynes »

Fiat designed their 4 cylinder engines to have the cam timing set off of the #4 cylinder. That's where the marks line up. Use the #4 cylinder to set cam timing.

Either #1 or #4 can be used to set ignition timing. Period.

If you're skeptical try it. Connect your timing light to the #4 cylinder and check the timing. You should see it flash at about 10' BTDC. Now, connect the light to #1. It will be exactly the same. Exactly.
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seabeelt
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Your car is a: Fiat Spider - 1971 BS1
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Re: non start issue

Post by seabeelt »

Very true as far as the timing light goes, and yes you are correct that fiat set the cars to be timed off of number 4; however and this was my key point, that the ignition firing should be on the compression stroke, not the exhaust stroke and that needed to be corrected, period. The standard fiat ignition only fires once for each cylinder. If you are running a Computronix, then it fires twice and it wouldn't matter number 1 or number 4.
R/
Michael and Deborah Williamson
1971 Spider -Tropie’ - w screaming IDFs
1971 Spider - Vesper -scrapped
1979 Spider - Seraphina - our son's car now sold
1972 Spider - Tortellini- our son's current
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RRoller123
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Re: non start issue

Post by RRoller123 »

+1
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
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2003 Jaguar XKR
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georgeramos
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Your car is a: 1971 124 Spider 1608

Re: non start issue RESOLVED

Post by georgeramos »

We rotated the dizzy but it wasn't quite enough so we rotated it some more and were able to advance it enough to get it to start. And it sounds amazing with Dual 44's from AR! He just had a custom stainless 2.5" exhaust installed and this thing is almost ready to go! We went through electrical and almost everything works. Just needs some work on the horn and the wipers may need lubrication but they seem to want to work.

Thank you to all who replied!
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MikeHynes
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Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:55 am
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: Central Il.

Ignition timing can be set from 1 or 4.

Post by MikeHynes »

I am not interested in starting a flame war, but this is a topic that has many people confused.

Ignition timing of the Fiat 4 cylinder engines can be set from the #1 or #4 cylinder. End of story.

Please don't forget that the dist rotates at half the speed of the crank.
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RRoller123
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Re: non start issue

Post by RRoller123 »

Right, but that is not the issue at hand. The issue is whether they have the #4 cylinder set to fire on the overlap stroke versus the compression stroke.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle
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