Rough running '78 after 6 years storage

[howdo]

Picked up a '78 spider that hasn't been on the road in 6 years. I think the previous owner couldn't get it running and it sat til i bought it.
I drained the gas from the tank and also the line to the carb. I filled with fresh gas. It wouldn't start. I checked the spark and it looked weak, so I replaced the starting points, and it started. Now there is a high idle (2200 rpm), and the exhaust smells really bad (rich or lean, I can never tell the difference). I ran the car four about 4 minutes thinking it would run better once all the old gas was out of the carb, but it still runs the same.

One good thing is that it starts right up, no hard starting.

I was going to rebuild the carb, but maybe that's just throwing parts at it.

Any suggestions on what I could check?

thx

[joelittel]

Get Brad Artigue’s book, Maintaining the Italian Roadster.

When I got my car I found a pdf version of what became his book, and worked my way through the entire thing.

It was that easy. He spells the resurrection process out step by step and in terms I could easily understand.

Well worth the few dollars he charges for the book. As a side note I believe profits from the book held to support the FIAT community in various ways.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Since it starts right up, I think the ignition system is probably OK for now. I do suggest rebuilding the carb and giving all its passageways a good cleaning out with carb cleaner. You'll probably need to check all the emission control items, and we could try to help you through that.

The engine could also be badly out of tune, a distinct possibility since the previous owner might have attempted to "fix" things and so who knows what he / she did.

-Bryan

[wetminkey]

Howdy!
Yeah,...rebuild the carb, for sure! That means complete disassembly, carb-cleaner soak, rebuild, make initial settings, and tune.
I store vehicles all of the time (see my present collection below) and this Spider has sat for too long!
It should have been stored with fuel stabilizer, and run frequently,...The alcohol that is mixed with our gasoline (for pollution control) causes the fuel to absorb water. Important fact to keep in mind,...
I fuel stabilize all of my vehicles that are not on the road regularly,...and I hope that the premium gas that I fill them with will retain it's volatile nature longer.
Four minutes running time will not tell much, but I think you made the right call, to shut it down and address the carb issue.
Best of luck with your new Spider!
Todd.