New Lancia Beta Coupe Owner

[LincolnLancia]

Hi all,

After an impulse ebay purchase I'm now the owner of this car below-







It is the 2l model.

I'm actually very impressed with how solid the car is, underneath has been well cared for with no immediately obvious rust issues.  The car does have a few problems though, the left indicator doesn't flash, the intermittent wipe doesn't work and neither do the front or rear fog lights.

The main issue is with the engine, it starts up fantastic first time every time, but then pretty much refuses to accelerate on anything but full throttle in first gear, in second it is absolutely perfect and fully responsive at any throttle position and revs right round to the red line, then 3rd and 4th it splutters sometimes accelerating sometimes nothing for long periods of time.  In 5th it once again accelerates as you would hope.

Now i'm not particularly mechanically proficient, but it sounds like a fuelling problem to me?  Any help guys?

Also does anyone know the car?

Well nice to meet you all (electronically at least!)

Dean

[MattNoVAT]

Hi Dean,

Welcome to the forum !

Indicator issue is likely down to bad earth, at front of car under headlight assembly there is a multi-earth point (round with about 6 / 8 terminals off of it)  Make sure that all earths are connected and clean them up.  That could be the issue with your fog lights too.  You really need a multi meter to test them out properly to see if your getting 12v live feed. 

There are multi earth points under each headlight, there is another under the steering column (well its kind of mounted on the side actually)

Make sure the fuel filter is new and fitted correct way round, if thats OK then check maybe sounds like the carb could do with a refurb - possibly blocked jets, dodgy float or diaphram - give the jets a clean (pretty easy to do and there's notes on this forum on how to do it)

[hutch6610]

Spluttering (hesitation) sounds like blocked accelerator pump jet.
check out http://www.betaboyz.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=232.0
You will be surprised how something as simple as this causes the symptoms you describe.

Do as Matt says - new filter, clean the jets (blow these out with compressed air) a bad diaphragm would leak so you would notice this.
Also get the distributor done with a timing light, and have a look at the distributor cap inside - make sure the carbon pencil is intact, replace the cap and rotor if they look suspect.

Looks like somebody has done the "electrical" side from your photos trying to cure the hesitation, new coil, new leads and new plugs?

Anyway keep us informed.

[LincolnLancia]

Thanks for all the replies!

Someone has fitted a remote fuel pump that's run from a direct feed off the battery, obviously not standard equipment!  So i'm guessing the previous owner has tried curing the problem both on the electrical side and the fuelling.

I did then take off the air filter assembly and had a look at the carb, all seems fairly clean, but fuel is leaking out of the accelerator gasket, which wouldn't help much, but i don't think its the cause of the issue.

The engine runs so so well out of gear, perfect revving all the way around, no hesitation or spluttering.  But soon as you put it in gear and try driving it just doesn't want to know!  Its so bizarre!

Does anything change once the gearbox is engaged on an engine?  Why all of a sudden won't it rev? 

[RickyJ]

I had a similar problem with my VX Coupe a couple of years back - I'd paid someone to refurb my Petrol tank and after putting the tank back it would Idle OK but would cut out within a few seconds of engaging gear or setting off. It was down to the fact that they'd coated the filter inside the fuel tank - There was enough petrol getting through for it to idle but as soon as it needed more fuel flow (i.e. under load) it would splutter and cut out - Maybe you have a similar sort of blockage? - Just a thought.

[hutch6610]

RickyJ  Your problem was a "quantity" of fuel delivery problem - enough to fill the carb bowl at tick-over or fast idle on choke but the moment you drive the car the bowl empties quickly and the car develops the symptoms you describe.

Injection cars also have the same problem either because a tank repair has been done with polyurethane tank repair liquids or the mesh has simply "resined" up due to stale fuel and age.

This coupe develops power and can manage top end in all gears except with hesitation - so its got plenty of fuel!

LincolnLancia, your engine will also rev no problem just sitting, but once its under load then you get your problem as you don't have enough fuel quantity squirted in to richen it up when when you demand power.

If you see fuel leaking out when you open the throttle any where other than where it should come out - that is out of the end of accelerator pump jet its basically not getting the fuel required at the right moment to do its job - rather like closing the barn door when the horse is half way out - not too late, so it picks up properly sometimes and not other times.
Pump jets are numbered so they a chosen to deliver the correct amount of fuel - its not a matter of dumping any old amount down the carb when the throttle is opened.

You need to remove the carb top (carefully) pluck the pump jet out with pliers and replace the "o" ring, then put it back after lubricating the ring with WD40 or similar to make putting it back easier - personally i lick it! nothing like good old saliva - ask Baldrick.

Just reinsert the jet and tap it down and open the throttle a couple of times to make sure you have no leaks.

As i said, it looks like the previous owner changed everything electrical in an attempt to cure the problem when it was "probably" a carb problem all the time.

You must understand that it very difficult to give advice without actually seeing the car and going through everything bit by bit.

Cure that leak you mention and see what happens but let us know!



 

[thecolonel]

Be very careful, if you have fuel leaking from the accelerator pump you can end up with fuel running into the sump.
Different configuration I know but on one of my Gammas I had to throw away 15 ltrs of oil before I realised what
was happening. similare symptons when running - hesitation spluttering etc.

Get a replacement diaphragm and if you can check your fuel pressure with engine running,
fuel pressure should be 3 - 3.5 psi on a carb (Webber recommend 4.5 but general consensus
is 3.5)
regards
Geoff.