Spider owners, check your rear fuel line!

["Greg McNair" <gmcnair@domain.elided>]

Hey folks,
    This may be common knowledge to many of you, but I thought I'd post my
experience in case someone out there hasn't come across this yet.  Tonight
while reassembling the majority of the rear end of my 84 Spider, I buttoned
everything up and started the car.  (Still on jackstands mind you, but I had
taken the rear muffler off to replace the gasket, and wanted to hear that I
got it reassembled properly).  It started and sounded fine, and I shut it
down.  While cleaning up some tools, I smelled gasoline...so much that I shut
off the power to my garage to ensure no sparks met with the heavy vapors I was
now smelling.  With flashlight in hand, I searched for the offender, and
discovered gasoline dripping from the 5" long flex hose in the rear where it
joins the two metal fuel lines (passenger side, next to the flex brake line.)
    Donning safety glasses to prevent pressurized spray from getting in my
eyes (just in case), I removed the flex fuel line.  It was so badly
deteriorated that it allowed fuel to seep out in several places.  I made a
quick run to the parts store and grabbed up a foot of 5/8" replacement, and
made the swap in under 10 minutes.  Prior to this, I don't know that it
leaked, but I cannot be sure.  So long as fuel was getting sucked through it,
and the pressure had "somewhere" to go, it wouldn't leak.  It seems that only
while it was off would the built-up pressure find a release, and that was
through the cracks in the hose.  For all I know, this has been happening for
some time, but I wouldn't have caught it as I always let the car cool down a
bit in the driveway before tucking it away in the grudge (that's southern for
garage).  Thank God I discovered it tonight.  If it did seep while driving,
forward motion would have caused the leaking fuel to meet with the hot
exhaust, and my beloved Alfa would be up in smoke.  PLEASE spend a couple
minutes this weekend getting under your Alfa and checking this fuel line for
wear/deterioration.  It's a $2 fix that could save you a tremendous headache.
I'd swear my car even runs better now...could be a fuel pressure thing, not
sucking air, etc.
    I don't know the Alfa model line well enough to say, but this same part
may be common among other models with in-tank fuel pumps, so if you aren't
sure, get under the car and trace the fuel lines to see if any are rubber.  If
it's never been replaced, it sure wouldn't hurt to do so.

Happy motoring!
Greg
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