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[Guest]

Hello,

My 1.7 8v 33 has a drinking problem. I keep a log book of miles done on every fillup at the petrol station (anorak!!) on my 19 litres (4.18Gallon) my car travvels 97miles to near empty. Thats 23mpg. OUCH.
I dont drive it very hard. sure occasionally I let her go, but not all the time. I cruse where I can in 4thgear, 5thgear above 40mph.
If I did drive it fast I reckon it would only do 18mpg !
that is serious consumption.
drinks more than a fish with a drinkng problem.

is this normal? the exhaust pops like a racing car . esp if you are in low gear down a hill. it thinks its a touring car. which is a little embarrising. but I think its the sound of pound notes on fire as un spent fuel is wasted. would that be my mpg problem??? and how can I cure it. the exhaust system seems fine though. no holes I can see or hear.

I've done nothing to the engine, all standard. resisted the temptation to fit a sports air filter on the two carbs.
Any comments on this issue. the only thing i done is fit a device from the HT coil to dist cap last night (called a spitfire - but of a Cr@p name) which imprives the spark. said to improve throttle responce, mpg, power. So I will monitor my mpg this week.

am still new to the alfa - only aquired it two weeks ago and grinning since - but now dont know if I can afford to run it for petrol costs too much.

[Gary UK (forgotton psswrd]

Sounds like my old 33. Either the valve seals are knackered or it has been rejetted (the carbs) for a performance setup. My old one used to give about 15mpg when hammered BUT crusing at 70-90mph used to return 35mpg+.

This popping would tend to indicate that it is running rich on the idle jets or/and as I say the valve seals are f-ed.

[Giuseppe 33 1.5Ti s2]

To get a good idea of fuel consumption you need to fill the tank to the brim and then, when nearly empty, refill it again. This way you are not relying on the fuel gauge which is notoriously inaccurate. In my car when it is sitting on Zero there are at least 10 litre in the tank. With a full tank you should be able to reach 300 miles in mixed driving (some slow some fast). My 1990 car returns about 33 miles to the gallon and has not been modified.
As for the popping and crackle on overrun that's a typical noise of the boxer engine and it does not mean that excess petrol is flaming out of the exaust pipe!

Enjoy your Alfa!
Giuseppe, 33 1.5 TI s2, England

[Admin]

Hi

My old 33 1.7 carbed sportwagon used to give high twenties as an overall average. Motorway use got that to low 30's without too much problem, with gentle cruising meaning I managed to get it up to 35mpg

You should certainly be getting better than 23mpg in all round use, unless you are doing lots of short journies. My little lhd 1.3 manages just short of 40mpg when used on the motorways (keeping between 70mph and 90mph), yet used for lots of short stop start journies round town it is down to 20mpg

Might be worth getting the carbs set up by someone who knows what they are doing. Also get them to check the accelerator pump (you can adjust them to change the amount of fuel squirted in)

All the best

Keith

[pete nz 1.5 s2]

probably carbs to rich, dont have to be far out to make a big difference.
check the colour of your plugs after the car has been run at normal operating temp. center electrode should be reasonably clean with just abit of colouration where the spark jumps.
car should pop slightly not to loud
regards pete

[JamesD]

Check the choke cable and make sure the choke on the right carby is returning to the OFF position. The cable runs under the alternator and across the front of the engine and will corrode and stick with 1 choke in the ON or partly on position. Makes a huge difference. All my 33's with carbs have suffered this. Fuel injection is a different matter.....
Cheers,
James.
3316VP4

[jobrien389]

thanks for the advice given on my fuel comsumption problem.

I will find an alfa mechanic to re-set the carbs and general tune.

One other point is the large hoze connecting the air box to the front grill on my engine is missing. does this matter? because it looks like the air box wont be getting any fresh air inflow.
Jonathan
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1.7 33 owner

[Admin]

Hi

It will probably make a small difference to performance and fuel consumption, but not massive. Probably worth sorting out. It just means that you get colder air into the airbox. For reliability it is more important to ensure you have the hose that goes from the airbox round the n/s carb and down to just above the exhaust pipe. Without this you run a higher risk of carb icing in winter

All the best

Keith

[Chris Notsis]

The noise, as stated elsewhere, is normal. The pulsing in the induction system and the valve timing of the 33 promotes this sound. Assume that timing is ok but of course it should be checked.

As stated elsewhere, also, the carbs need attention. The problem is probably in the floats and their drop/rise levels. These have a dramtic impact on consumption. Perhaps one float has jammed or is not sealing properly. Their settings can actaully have an impact on the popping you hear; if it's louder than usual, then it could point to the floats. Accelerator jets will only have an impact if they are blocked or have a continuous stream, but you would notice this in other ways, such as high revs or poor acceleration. The covers of each carb pair must be removed and float level tested in a particular way. Ideally, the setting should be 9.2 mm when the cover is in the vertical position, using the face of the gasket to the side of the float facing the gasket. The condition of the floats needs to be checked - no holes, bends, etc. Normally the setting itself won't change with time, but other problems can happen in the needle-seat assembly.
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Chris Notsis