Ethanol issues ( I finally have a Fulvia!)

[Kaha]

Just remember that Ethanol is not the only bad thing about modern fuel.

Martin Cliffe wrote an excellent article in Viva Lancia some 20 years ago about modern fuel.
Back then the fuel companies calculated on a shelf life on max 2 months for "petrol" fuel (and I doubt that has been improved since)

I think the best way is either empty all fuel during winter or try some more stabel petrol like alkylate for the last run of the season.

[lancialulu]

Just remember that Ethanol is not the only bad thing about modern fuel.

Martin Cliffe wrote an excellent article in Viva Lancia some 20 years ago about modern fuel.
Back then the fuel companies calculated on a shelf life on max 2 months for "petrol" fuel (and I doubt that has been improved since)

I think the best way is either empty all fuel during winter or try some more stabel petrol like alkylate for the last run of the season.

I have been filling my Lancias to the brim when storing over winter to minimise  the risk of  internal rusting of the fuel tank through condensation. To date I have never had "stale fuel" problems This .  I have had rotten fuel tanks from cars where the previous owners stored their cars with  near empty tanks and condensation rots through the top section especially in not very dry  garages. Damp air getting in  through the breather unit. Until  I get stale fuel problems I will continue to brim the tanks with E5 or lower fuel. I recognise ethanol will separate out to the bottom which is the where the fuel feed pipe is but with S2 Fulvias this should not  be a problem with fuel return pipe... Only time  will tell. All  the joys of owning a classic....

[fay66]

Hi Brian, with mixed driving (town, motorway) a Fulvia (non HF) with a full tank should drive about 350 km. In reality it should do more but it is wise not to trust the old fuel gauge too much. If fuel consumption is a lot higher, the car is out of tune (most Fulvias I have seen are running poorly) or the right foot is excessively heavy. During winter it should be possible to find one day/month when the weather is reasonable to drive out 20 miles. This helps a lot to keep the car in good shape. Best, Andrea

Hi Andrea,
It's probably the heavy right foot as the the best consumption I've managed was an average of 27.5mpg over a distance of nearly 3500 miles.
I know Justin certainly gets over 30mpg from his 2c.
I have dellorto 32 Dhla's fitted that were new 20,000 miles ago, she runs very nicely  and will tick over like a sewing machine, she always smells a bit on the rich side, so I  suppose it might be worth getting her set up on a rolling road, but as I only cover about 1000 miles a year now its never been a problem.
During the winter if its a dry day and there's no salt on the road, I take her for
a 30 to 40 mile drive to get nice and warm and everything working, every week if possible..
The fuel consumption of the series 1 1.3 Rallye Coupe I used to own was much better, but on the other hand it was considerably lighter, and the 1300cc engine didn't have to work as hard as 1091cc to pull the weight around, it also had higher gearing.
Brian

[Brian Long]

It looks like a modified rain gauge to me!
You could probably make one yourself by using the dimensions illustrated by the tape measure?
Brian

[nistri]

Hi Brian, very interesting to know you are using Dellortos 32 mm on your Fulvia. I have never seen them in this size. Could you please post a picture as this might be of interest to anyone running a 1.1.or 1.2 Fulvia? Thanks. Andrea

[dhla40]

Lancialulu, interested in your comment about ethanol seperation at bottom of tank not being a problem with fuel return pipe, could you elaborate please.

Sean

[lancialulu]

Lancialulu, interested in your comment about ethanol seperation at bottom of tank not being a problem with fuel return pipe, could you elaborate please.

Sean

Well I thought about it a  bit more. I was worried about increased water separating out of the ethanol (as it is hydroscopic).... but as the ethanol is sealed by the petrol it can only separate out what is in it. Anyway to answer your q Series 2 Fulvia and other Lancias after have a fuel return pipe which flows fuel back to the tank which must act as a mixer. Anyway do  we  know if engines can run on near pure ethanol....

[dhla40]

OK, I suppose if the car manages to start driving it will slosh the fuel about and mix it as well.

Sean

[fay66]

Hi Brian, very interesting to know you are using Dellortos 32 mm on your Fulvia. I have never seen them in this size. Could you please post a picture as this might be of interest to anyone running a 1.1.or 1.2 Fulvia? Thanks. Andrea

I'll take photos tomorrow, Slip of the finger they are 32DHLB's not DHLA's
Brian
8827

[fay66]

Hi Brian, very interesting to know you are using Dellortos 32 mm on your Fulvia. I have never seen them in this size. Could you please post a picture as this might be of interest to anyone running a 1.1.or 1.2 Fulvia? Thanks. Andrea

I'll take photos tomorrow, Slip of the finger they are 32DHLB's not DHLA's
Brian
8827

Here's a photo of my DHLB's.

[nistri]

Thank you very much Brian, best regards, Andrea

[nistri]

By the way, very good to see that your rad has a good louvre window thermostat, Andrea

[chriswgawne]

By the way, very good to see that your rad has a good louvre window thermostat, Andrea

In all my years of Fulvia ownership I have never seen one of those!
Presumably you have a set of shutters in front of the radiator which are opened/closed by the lever on the stat?
Chris

[fay66]

By the way, very good to see that your rad has a good louvre window thermostat, Andrea

In all my years of Fulvia ownership I have never seen one of those!
Presumably you have a set of shutters in front of the radiator which are opened/closed by the lever on the stat?
Chris

Yes I do Chris, unfortunately about 15 years ago I had the rad rebuilt and it's too high and I couldn't get the shutter fixings to line up.
However they are all safely stored so they can be fitted sometime in the future!
They did work but I'm still not sure what advantage they give, as having the engine thermostat I would have thought that would be sufficient, like you I've never seen another, so perhaps Lancia took the same view, it's quite a complicated bit of kit
Brian
8227

[fay66]

Thank you very much Brian, best regards, Andrea

Hi Andrea,
As you can see they are a straight fit to the solex manifold and no problem fitting the standard air cleaner.
When I bought them back about 2003 they came already jetted for the car, so an easy replacement for the solexes.
'Fay' runs much smoother with them , a great advantage and they rarely seem to go out of tune.
Unfortunately louvres not fitted at present, as when I had the radiator rebuilt they built it too high, that also gave me problems with the bonnet release having to be bent upwards to clear the top hose, took me a little while to work out what was wrong!
Brian
8227