Triumph Repair: Spitfire 1500 Starts then Stalls, fuel starvation, needle valve

Question
My '79 Spitfire 1500 had been running fine before winter. Then it sat in my garage for the winter with occassional starts. I went to take it out for a ride, but the engine won't stay running. The engine starts, runs for less than a minute sputtering, and then it dies.  If I press the gas pedal the engine won't rev up.  Did the timing go out?  If so, how do test it and adjust it?  I have never adjusted the timing on any car.

Thanks,
Ed
Baltimore-DC area

Answer
Ed,

It is possible for the timing to be off, but it sounds more like fuel starvation.  

Will the car restart quickly?  Or do you need to let it sit a while before it'll fire again?

A quick way to test is to have a friend start the car while you stay poised to squirt some starting fluid (starting ether) into the air cleaner when the car starts to die.  If it starts running again... it's a fuel related problem.  Either the pickup line in the tank is clogged, the pump is going or the needle valve in the carb is blocked or sticking shut.

The best way to test for timinig is to use a good timing light to verify your current setting.  The problem is that if the car will only run for a short time you have to work quick to verify the timing.



Cheers,

Jim