Why Do Alfa's Burn? OLD F.I. lines!

[JeffreyOlson@domain.elided]

I think EVERY old Alfa Romeo or BMW I've EVER bought had dangerously brittle 
fuel injection lines.  Usually they are the originals! 

It's usually the first item I address.  I replace all lines, clamps, and 
filters from the fuel tank forward in one shot.  It's very cost-effective and 
gives you great peace of mind.

The individual fuel injector hoses (and cold start valve) are usually the worst 
and most dangerous.  They will spray a fine fuel mist all over HOT engine 
components if they develop a leak.

All though it's a bit of a chore you should replace the fuel injector hoses and 
clamps if there is no recent record of it ever having been done.  I always 
replace the injector seals at the same time.  Very satisfying!  You will 
usually do this just ONCE while you own the car so do them all and do it right.

I notice a lot of burned up Milano's and the cause of fire was always a fuel 
leak due to a leaking injector hose or line to the fuel injector rail.  The 
owner usually complained of a fuel smell for several days or WEEKS before the 
car finally caught fire!

By the way, DON'T use regular fuel hose!  The stuff you get at NAPA will bulge 
and eventually fail especially in a high heat environment.  It is not intended 
for high pressure fuel injection systems.

Use ONLY quality high-pressure(250-300psi!)and reinforced FUEL INJECTION hose!  
It's surprisingly hard-to-find and expensive at discount-type auto parts 
stores.  I used to get good German F.I. hoses from the local BMW dealership. 
I've since found a local NASCAR parts supplier that sells great quality hoses 
of all types for much less.

Jeff

PS NAPA sells the Echlin fuel injector seal kits for most Bosch F.I. 
applications for CHEAP!  Part # 12083, about $1.50 each.
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