Starter Bad?

[RedWolf]

Hello,

First of all - I'm not very mechanical at all and have a predicament as I always have a shop fix my car. However, neither local Fiat shop can get to the car for months and it's killing me not being able to drive it.

The car cranks but doesn't start and I know that the battery is fine. Since other shops won't have Fiat parts laying around - I'm trying to at least figure out what the problem is and get the part FedEx'd to a regular shop.

Does anyone know of some tricks to verify if the starter is bad or think of any other type issue(s) I might have. Any help is very much appreciated.

The car is a 1977 Fiat Spyder, converted to an automatic w/the 2.0 liter engine.

Thanks

[So Cal Mark]

all the starter does is crank the engine, it doesn't start it. So if the engine cranks the starter is fine. I'd first check the points and see if they have the proper gap.

[billstyer]

2.0L engine? Is it fuel injected? Makes a big difference when troubleshooting.
If it is FI, then it has a fat black hose going across the top of the engine, left to right. Hard to miss, it's about 5" wide.
Good luck,
Bill

[Mathew26]

If the engine turns over but won't start it's not the starter, but you are not getting spark. 9 out of 10 times its either the control module or the magnetic pick up. Now that is on the assumption that you are using the 2.0 distributor as well. If you still have your 77 distributor then Mark is right check your points.

Matt

[RedWolf]

2.0L engine? Is it fuel injected? Makes a big difference when troubleshooting.
If it is FI, then it has a fat black hose going across the top of the engine, left to right. Hard to miss, it's about 5" wide.
Good luck,
Bill

It's not FI. Thanks

[baltobernie]

You don't need a Fiat-trained mechanic to troubleshoot your problem. Any local garage with a genuine mechanic can determine if your engine is lacking fuel or spark. A lawnmower or tractor mechanic could get your points + carb engine running.

Do you have any car clubs in your area? Muscle car, hot rod, etc.? Even an amateur with a timing light could point you in the right direction.

It's a frustrating and expensive proposition to have FedEx service your car. The older technology used on your engine requires lots of adjustments (as opposed to replacements) to run correctly, or at all. It's not practical to order commonly-used replacement parts before diagnosing the problem. Your general-purpose mechanic can get ignition and carburetor parts from the same sources we do.

[bajacalal]

Fuel, air and spark make a gasoline engine run. Obviously, it's a little more complicated than that (timing, fuel metering and such) but armed with that knowledge, you should be able to determine the nature of your problem.

You don't really even need tools to get a rough idea of what's happening, just use your senses. Is your carburetor getting fuel? Can you see or smell fuel squirting down the barrels of the carb when you pump the accelerator? Even if it were fuel injected, can you smell fuel at the exhaust when you crank it? With either setup, can you hear the electric fuel pump running?

Take off a spark plug wire and check for spark against the engine block (be careful not to touch the metal conductors, shocking yourself). Use a spark plug to check for spark, hook it up to the wire and hold it against the block, looking for sparks while cranking (it doesn't have to be a Fiat plug, use any old spark plug and be careful not to shock yourself on the metal conductor).

While you may not be able to determine your exact problem, you should at least be able to determine whether something is fuel related or ignition related. Any good shop should be able to fix it, though they may not know where to get the parts. Carburetors, Bosch fuel injection, distributors... they all work pretty much the same on any given car of that era.

I can even crank the engine on my Spider while standing in front of the engine by reaching through the door and turn the ignition key.

BTW, I like your username.

[wachuko]

Where are you located? In case some of us are close by and can lend a hand...

[wachuko]

Irving Texas, got it... helps to update your profile. Found it in your welcome thread.

[RedWolf]

Turned out to be a frayed wire to the distributor - got off pretty cheap. Thanks for the replies.