[DFit]

Been through the old thread on this. Fueled a week ago, 50 miles since and a delightful 30 autumn miles yesterday with the sweetie. Got in for a short errand. Started normal for 5 seconds and died. No restart. Heard the fuel relay and pump on the 1st start, but silence ever since. Just cranks over normal. Checked fuses under the dash. Tried starter fluid. Replaced the fuse behind rear seat since I damaged it trying to get it out. Cap, ignition wire, plug wires, all sensor connectors I can find all connected good and tight. Ran the vacuum plenums and hoses all leak free. Airflow sensor cleaned 4 months ago. Battery new this spring and on charger now just in case. Any ideas other than fuel pump or the fuel pump relay? Both of those parts left on a trailer YESTERDAY with the rusty parts car I just let go.😣 Don't worry about the car. It's going onto a tube frame to the racing circuit with a (gulp) Ford engine and transmission. This picture more interesting as that car 😍 came out of the cargo bay of the airplane I was on in Newark NJ from Milan a year ago. Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ghnl]

Click on the link in my signature for a page of DIY diagnosis info for the L-jetronic system in our cars. (you may need to first click on the down arrow too see the signature block).

 

[DFit]

Thanks ghnl. Great stuff. Intake is cleaned and or replaced and tight. MAS cleaned and air tight (rotated CCW 5 notches). Air aux valve carb cleaned rinsed and reinstalled. Battery at full charge with 12.6v. Fuel relay is new from last year. Not hearing the fuel pump start when key in position 2. Which pump should start? Underneath or in the tank? Putting the meter on the relay and under pump tomorrow as well as cleaning the vapor canister.

 

[ghnl]

The pumps operate together (they are wired in parallel). The pumps operate only under two conditions: 1) the engine is running - the drive relay gets a signal from a sense wire on the coil to 'know' the engine is running. And B) the key is turned to start. This energizes a bypass circuit that, umm, bypasses the drive relay to ensure the fuel pumps are operating while starting the engine. Once it starts & the key is released to the 'run' position the drive relay takes over.

If neither fuel pump is operating then check the fuse near the FI computer (under the shelf behind the seats) and also for the inertia cut-off switch. The inertia cut-off switch is either a black plastic box about the size of a cigarette pack with a button on top or a grey can shaped item with a button on top. The button resets the switch. It will be located to the right of the hood latch on the firewall. It may not be there. After late '84/early '85 Alfa decided the drive relay was an adequate safety device & they eliminated the troublesome inertia switch. The instructions were to disconnect the two wires and from the switch and connect them together. So, if you don't find the switch, look for the wires that used to go to it and make sure they are securely connected together. I think it is a red/white & a pink wire. (but my memory is not as reliable as it once was...)

 

[DFit]

Great GHNL, distant American cousin of the great OZ. Thou truly are a wizard. After remembering you said hood latch and not hood latch release, I found it. See the picture. Weirdly, I pressed the button and it felt like a CB resetting and not holding a closed position (break free CB). I tried this with key position 2 and heard 4 faint clicks every time the button was pressed but the button felt like it released a hold position. Turning to key position 3, still no start, but very interesting. I tempted the electrons. After verifying neutral, hand brake set and standing 🤯 in the passenger seat, holding the button and turning the key to start (the only way for me to reach both), the pumps ran and start was normal. SA (Straw Alfa) continued to start several more times without holding the inertia button. Wow. Take note all. Hats off ghnl. Well done and thank you.

 

[ghnl]

The theory of the blind squirrel has been proven to be true!

As stated earlier, Alfa decided that the inertia switch was redundant (and it was problematic, too) so they eliminated it. I think there may have been a TSB about deleting it from the '82 - '84 cars - just connect the two wires together, insulate the connection and there'll be one less thing to worry about.