Alfetta piddling fuel and god knows what else

[velocedoc]

I have bought a couple of pumps from them. The pumps are good and the price is reasonable. You will have to send the core back.

About the metal lines, they go bad and leak inside of the rubber shroud. YOu won't find your leak until you peel back the rubber. The rubber traps moisture and that is where it will rust.
Replace all of the rubber fuel lines.

Sometimes the fuel filter gets installed wrong and the Orings will leak. Did you check that too? The copper gasket under the bolt will leak. You might have to replace that and check that there isn't any grit under the bolt head when you reinstall it. Run the pump with out starting the car to check for fuel leaks.

[meganerd]

Interesting, I guess I should report that I am having the same problem on my 1974 2000 GTV with a bad SPICA pump. It was dumping A LOT of gas into the oil because the SPICA seals had gone bad. I changed the oil out and unwisely drove for about 150 miles, the oil topped up again with fuel. I left the car parked for about 2 months. As the car was sitting parked, the fuel started to leak out of the rear main seal.. or somewhere else. Now when the car runs, it leaks very fast out the rear main seal. I got a newly rebuilt SPICA pump from Dan at Foreign Auto Members in San Diego and I have decided to get some help from a local alfa mechanic here in Ventura County. It is going in tomorrow. I am hopeful that the rear main seal leak will stop or at least slow down when I have real oil in the engine again. I am worried I may have caused some permanent damage to my engine since last time I checked fuel is not a good lubricant. I was highly advised against using an older pump, the rebuilt pump cost $600 and looks absolutely beautiful... we'll see how it runs soon. The Alfetta GT uses the same SPICA system? When did Alfa move away from mechanical fuel injection?

[italcarnut]

There is a guy selling an entire SPICA systerm on Ebay. Auction number 270236999953. Good luck!

Ruben Velez
Potholesburgh, Pa

[ckeen74]

I didn't have to get any seals replaced when I got my SPICA replaced; however, my mechanic did run through 2 oil changes to make sure all the fuel was out of the system. I would not worry about damage to the rings or bearings until you see clear evidence of that, such as burning oil, weird noises, etc. Advice I got from 2 mechanics on separate occasions was that rebuilt vs. used has about the same success rate (or failure rate for all you pessimists). The first used pump I got from APE was bad, but I still came out slightly ahead in spite of the R&R costs for that. And so far, so good on this one, I just did a 1000-mile drive to Seattle and it ran great.

The final year for SPICA was 1981.

[meganerd]

My car is done. SPICA replaced and tuned by a local shop for $300 - 4 hours labor in the Alfa books. Leak out the rear main seal (which was largely fuel) seems to have stopped, car runs well (though cold start needs work - I'm going to need a new temperature switch).

I fail to see the logic of putting an old / used SPICA into the car. I got a beautifully rebuilt SPICA for $600 (I picked up in person). Installation was $300. Why bother to put an old P.O.S. SPICA from a junkyard or ebay into the car when installation costs are more than half the battle? Not to mention the cost of the used unit... If I pay $100 for the used SPICA, I just saved $200. I could mow lawns on a weekend and make up the difference!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckeen74 Well, my worst fears have come true - fuel in the oil, leaking out the rear main... mechanic says it's a bad pump. I guess I'm on the hunt for a good used pump, then I have to brace myself for that bill and the bill for 5-6 hours' labor.

[ckeen74]

Where'd you get yours? An Ingram-rebuilt SPICA is $750 vs. used from APE for $300, I think. Since I'm only putting a few thousand miles a year on each Alfa, the risk is somewhat reduced vs. a daily driver (and the application was a $250 Alfetta GT - some would have just parted it out). But most important to me is what I've heard from my mechanics (both of whom have 15+ years of Alfa-specific experience) that the DOA rate is the same regardless of whether it's used or rebuilt.

In any case, I'm glad the new one is working for you - cool collection of cars, by the way

[papajam]

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