I finally have a Fulvia!

[IanC]

Oh dear, is the standard set up so weak it needs this?  Is this common on a standard 1.3 S or more for HFs and similar?

[fay66]

Oh dear, is the standard set up so weak it needs this?  Is this common on a standard 1.3 S or more for HFs and similar?

Nothing weak about it, a Fulvia including my 1091cc 2c Berlina that has the the two twin choke carburettors will start using the right procedure for your Fulvia which is a bit of a suck it and see situation when you first try starting one.
But, all fulvias will churn over on the starter and eventually fire after dragging the fuel up, but if you have any mechanical sympathy its painful to the ear and you need a good battery, all the electric pumps do is pull the fuel up without having to grind the engine over on the starter, once the fuel has been pulled up I then switch the electric pump off
And start the car normally.
The electric pump can also be used as a back up if at any time the mechanical pump fails.
Some however have completely replaced the mechanical pump and use an electric pum only.
Brian
8227

[chriswgawne]

Congratulations on your purchase. I am sure that you will enjoy it once you have done the necessary fettling.
Regarding tyres there are various posts on this forum about Fulvia tyres and quite a few owners are using Falken Sincera tyres with good results.

The electric fuel pump decision is yours but can I suggest you keep the mechanical fuel pump in the circuit as well? If in good condition they are very reliable and electric pumps do only have a certain life. Maybe if you fit an electric pump (our daily driver throughout the year is a Fulvia GT or GTE with no electric pump) , just use it for priming after the car has sat for a while.

Jacky and I are fortunate enough to have each been Fulvia owners & drivers since 1972 to date and aircooled 911 owners and drivers since 1986 to date (currently early narrow bopdied Carrera 2 Coupe non varioram which is a joy to drive and a late 993 twin Turbo which is seriously quick).
Fulvias and 911s are obviously two totally different cars but both exhibit great design and quality of engineering although sadly not the same quality of build bodywise. I know 911's rust but at least Porsche addressed the problem properly in the late 70's. Both models both drive totally differently and yet both are great fun and very effective driving machines with great cross country 'A road' performance.

Mind you, we both think our standard Integrale Evo 2 has the slight edge on both of them on that sort of drive.
Chris

[IanC]

Brian, Chris,
Thank you both for your advice.  The key thing is reliable motoring really, hence my thoughts on electronic ignition etc.  How do you determine whether the mechanical fuel pump is in good condition, is there a recommended flow rate or pressure it should achieve?

Any thoughts also on the rear bumper problem I mentioned earlier?

Thank you

Ian

[stanley sweet]

You don't have to worry about reliability unless you really prefer electronic ignition. I've driven without any ignition problems for 25 years with the standard points set up. Electric fuel pump,  either to prime or use permanently was the best thing I've fitted. Really saves the battery especially as most Fulvias are fun cars that aren't used every day. Some people fit an electric pump with a Filter King fuel pressure regulator. A search should bring up the threads. Can't help with the bumper problem.....

[chriswgawne]

I agree with Stanley. If the distributor is in good order there is no real need for electronic ignition. And a supplementary electric fuel pump is a good idea if the car is only used occasionally. We use our Fulvias very regularly so no problem with the original mechanical set up.
Chris

[nistri]

Quite often the distributor is not in good condition: try to move by hand the rotor arm up and down and see if there is a lot of play. If so, the distributor stem needs new shims, otherwise the timing is erratic all the time at each revolution. This occurs because few people regularly add a couple of oil drops to the hole in the distributor baseplate: on some distributors the hole is marked "oil", not on all of them, Andrea

[davidwheeler]

Re. tyres, there are di scussions elsewhere regarding tyre sizes and various wheels!   My 1600 is on alloys and I use http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Firestone/Multihawk.htm   which seemed a reasonable combination of grip and fuel economy and cost very little more than Kumho.    I don't use the car so much in the winter and don't drive quite so fast as I did and they suit me well but chaqu'un a son gout.   Of course, really you should fit Cinturato!

[IanC]

Quite often the distributor is not in good condition: try to move by hand the rotor arm up and down and see if there is a lot of play. If so, the distributor stem needs new shims, otherwise the timing is erratic all the time at each revolution. This occurs because few people regularly add a couple of oil drops to the hole in the distributor baseplate: on some distributors the hole is marked "oil", not on all of them, Andrea

Thanks Andrea,
Very similar to my 911 which I do oil, good advice.  So if the distributor is tired/poorly maintained what would you do?  Fit another one or go for the 123 option?

Ian

[IanC]

Thank you to those commenting with good advice on fuel pumps.  It feels like the best route is a permanent electric fuel pump alone, do away with the mechanical one in case its performance is variable.  More food for thought (and a growing shopping list)

Ian

[lancialulu]

Never known a fispa type mech pump be "variable" in performance and has already been said they are reliable. If you go electric only you can get a blanking plate for the mech pump (from Omicron) this saves the engine from working a redundant pump (if original ie 50 years old they start to leak engine oil over time) and gains a 1000th hp. Fit a filter king down stream of the pump (most fit silver top Facet in the offside front inner wing) - 3psi is setting for the filter king.

Re tyres 165 14 80 are available by Barum (Brilliantis II) at very reasonable prices and handle/look very good.

 

[will]

The answer is to fit an electric pump in parallel to the mechanical pump
with a switch for the electric pump.
Makes starting the car when its been standing for a few days much
easier by turning the electric pump before starting. My B20 started first press of the starter button today. It also
helps with the new petrol on hot days. On the Appia it helps on steep hills.
If the electric pump fails you can get home on the mechanical.

[nistri]

Ref: distributor. It is often possible to pull out the distributor and reshim it at its gear end. The free play should be 0.1 mm, not more. You will need a small punch to drift out the split pin.
A good way to check for distributor wear is to see if the ignition timing is the same for #1 and #4 cylinder: if it is not, then it is distributor wear, timing chain wear etc.

Electronic ignition: on some Fulvias I fitted it and not to others. These modules mighty be prone to trouble due to high engine bay temperature and vibrations. You should however fit an electronic voltage regulator as the old type sooner or later will fail.
All my Fulvias have electric fuel pump in parallel (Facet model). Andrea 

[IanC]

Thank you all so far, great advice.  So the Facet goes on the list and a Filter King.  Does anyone have a photo of a Facet installed in the engine bay?

Ian

[stanley sweet]

Here's mine which I think is a pretty typical set up for the pump. It's a Facet Silver Top. I haven't yet got around to fitting a Filter King but these tend to be mounted by drilling and bolting through the lip that overhangs above on the wheelarch box section. Since this photo was taken I have replaced all the piping with the original style green transparent type. I was convinced by an opinion of long time Fulvia owner Chris Gawne. That was the fact that he has known rubber piping to develop unseen cracks that he has seen spray fuel, whereas although the plastic type hardens over time it never cracks. Looks nicer too.