ALFAGTV6.COM

Hi all!

My '81 2.5 gtv6 blessed me with a new glitch, the engine cuts out/loses power while I am driving. The car is in an otherwise exellent condition.
The problem:
While driving, the car will lose power and when depressing the accelerator I depress the accelarator, nothing happens! To solve the problem, I have to repatedly switch to a lower gear and dump the clutch to get the revs up, after which the engine comes to life again.
When I depress the clutch, though the engine dies totally!

What could be the problem???

An intermittant connection for power to the fuel pump would be a likely culprit.

Does the power change over bumps in the road?.... Bad connections somewhere will do it.

HTH,
Scott

I had a log dreadful journey trying to figure out an intermittent power loss problem. Turned out to be a clogged in-tank fuel filter.

Thanks, I'll have a look to see if I can find any faulty connections. The problem seems to be random, and getting worse! I've decided, to much dismay, not to drive the car 'till I can find the problem.

Van, I would go through every suggestion in x-rad posts because that probably covered every thing under the sun.
Cheers
Kevin

Does the engine stall completely? Sounds like you have complete loss of engine - not just poor/rough running or the like? Does everything else electrically work in the car during the outage? I would suspect main electrical issue: ignition switch, power to ECU, power to coil, double relay...
Jes

Kevin: sad...but true

Faulty fuel pump does the same.
Or check the electrics to the fuel pump.

I had a gremlin just like this a few years ago, for something like a year! Didn't matter if the car was hot or cold, turning left or right. One minute driving along just perfect, smooth running - next moment the car would just cut out. It would always restart but man one time it did it just as I was going into a tunnel!

It was very intermittent, some days it would do it a lot some days never, even my mechanic drove it home from from work - but of course it never happened when he drove the car!!

I replaced the Bosch Fuel Injection relay that is located at the top right on the passenger side firewall in the engine compartment - it's the one with two wiring plugs into it from below (light blue relay in bottom left corner of my photo). I replaced it and the problem disappeared for good. The Alfa one may be hard to find but it is an identical part on 1980's VWs too which is why mine is light blue now. They run around $70 or so, it would be worth replacing it regardless because if it hasn't acted up yet ... it will.

GV

also check the rollover switch....

Dual relay still available for about 80$...I bought one about 2 months ago from one of those giant online parts vendors

Thanks for the suggestions all!!! I seem to have solved the problem (no idea how) after just about taken the car apart! I cleaned and checked all the connections with the aid of various wiring diagrams. I hope the friendly gremlin died an agonising (and final) death in the process.

if the gremlin comes back intermmitenly ...replace the pickup in the dist....thats where my problem came from

Also sometimes i have found that the fuses are loose in their holders causing the 'power cut' to the fuel/ecu to cause the engine to stall.