74 GTV Fuel Tank Caution

["REUBEN ERICKSON" <HEYRUBE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Do not drop things into the fuel tank on a 74 GTV and, I expect, a whole
lot of other Alfas which do not have drain plugs on their tanks. I dropped
a bottle cap gasket into the tank and thought 'What the hey, it won't hurt
anything'. Not so. Ever since the fuel pressure warning light has come on
at odd moments and the engine has either stopped or run poorly. Turning off
the engine for a few moments seemed to cure it, for a while. 

This morning, with the tank almost empty, battery unhooked, and a fire
bottle nearby, I removed the fuel level sender so I could look into the
tank with a flash light. The circular gasket was setting right under the
tube which provides fuel to the engine. This tube points down toward the
bottom of the tank and is surrounded by what appears to be a baffle box
making access difficult. After 2 hours and the help of my wife and the BIG
GUY above, I got the gasket out using long wooden tweezers used in the
kitchen to remove stuck toast. It was not easy.
 
There appears to be no tank strainer in these cars so that any piece of
paper, plastic, etc. will drift into a blocking situation at the fuel
supply tube.

In answer to the letter about how to protect the I pump against wear. the
bottle cap gasket was from a bottle of RED LINE DIESEL FUEL WATER REMOVER.
I read what Mr. Fred said about additives to protect the Spica FI pump, but
there is at least one re-builder of these pumps who recommends using
something. Yes, diesel trucks get big endurance out of their FI pumps, but
they are aren't pumping gasoline and most truckers are very fussy about
anything added to their fuel oil. They particularly seem to dislike
alchohol - in the fuel, that is. So I use the above, doesn't seem to hurt
the running any and although RED LINE does not recommend the usage thereof,
an underground of knowledgeable engineers says it is the cat's meow. 

Rube Erickson      end

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