[alfa] RE: alfa-digest V9 #888

["John's" <jortak@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mitch,

I had similar problems on my 71 Spider.  This might not relate but I'll
tell you what happened.

If your pump was cavitating then most likely it's the filter.  Before I
cleaned the gas tank in my car and replaced it with a new one, I clogged
the filter within 250 miles.  But my tank was real filthy and I ended up
getting a new one.  Look at my site under Restoration/gas tank.
www.knology.net/ortak.  I also had a clogged return line on the tank
from the Spica.  I didn't notice it until it was too late.  My pump was
cavitating and by the time I found the problem, my pump had to be
replaced.  The cheapest thing to do it replace your filter.  If it
doesn't do the trick then you'll have a spare filter.

Good luck
John

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 08:06:57 -0600
From: "Mitch" <wolberg5@domain.elided>
Subject: [alfa] Spica Fuel Pressure Problem - Longish

I just finished putting a newly recored radiator in my 69 Berlina this
weekend and it performed flawlessly yesterday. It was in the 80's and
after about 15 minutes of driving at 65-75mph I pulled off the highway
and got bogged down in stop and go traffic. The temperature never budged
off 175. However after a few minutes the fuel pressure light blinked and
in the 5 minutes more before I could pull off the street and shut off
the engine, it went on full time. The engine never lost power or idled
poorly. I let it cool off for about 5 minutes and then was able to start
up and finish my drive home. In the last several thousand miles I've
replaced the fuel pump (new) and had the gas tank cleaned. I've got less
than 500 miles on both filters and new hoses from the tank.

It seems to me that it has to be heat related as the problem didn't
appear until after I pulled off the highway and went away after it had
time to cool off. The hose from the fuel tank to the pump runs rather
close to the exhaust pipe and rear muffler but it does dip below the
pipe by at least several inches. The other place I'm concerned about is
the engine compartment but the hoses are routed correctly. A third
possibility would be a voltage drop but I didn't notice anything unusal
there. The ammeter stayed a little above 0. Any ideas on what to look
for ro diagnose this problem?

Mitch Wolberg,
Denver, CO
69 Berlina
69 Spider Jr.
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