21
first to cure this problem (you can do this with reverse as well
touch fifth before engaging
reverse). Many Alfisti recommend touching fourth gear rather than second, to lessen wear on the
already beleaguered second gear synchro. I had one Alfisti insist that touching fifth to get it to go
into reverse doesn
“
t work. I can only say that it does in fact work on my Spider.
All the lights in the interior should do something, even if it
“
s not quite clear what that something
means (it took me 8 years to find out what the light marked
”
throttle
„
meant on my
…
74 Spider).
Non-functional lights are quite common, and many times require only re-seating the wires, but
you should still be careful.
While later model spiders are not as electrically sophisticated as their 116 sedan contemporaries,
in Series 3 and 4 cars you may notice a phenomena that has come to be known as
”
Jonny
“
s
Disco
„
. Warning lights and gauges flashing on and off occasionally for no noticeable reason and
then working normally for long periods of time is the primary symptom of this syndrome. Again,
this is usually the fault of flaky ground connections, something that is easily repaired, but as
always be cautious. (The term originated from the owner of a Milano, who, tired of explaining
why his car flashed so many lights all the time, replied once instead,
”
oh, that
“
s just Jonny
“
s
Disco
„
.)
On Series 2 and 2a SPICA cars, it is possible for the fuel pressure light (upper left red light, just
to the right of the gauge) to flicker and still have the car run normally and read plenty of fuel
pressure (my
“
74 did it for years, to the despair of several very competent mechanics, one of
which spent two off-time hours trying to make it go out). However, if the light burns bright and
the car runs roughly, it could be the sign of a failing fuel pump (which is expensive).
It is normal for the cars to show strong, nearly constant oil pressure when cold, and then have
very variable oil pressure when warmed up. It is normal for a warm 2.0L engine to show zero oil
pressure at idle on the gauge. It is not normal for the car to show zero oil pressure on the gauge
and have the oil pressure light (top right red light on a Series 2 car
just to the right of the
gauge) activate, or show pressures substantially less than 57 psi (usually half way on the gauge)
at highway cruise speeds. Beware also of cars whose oil pressure drops off quickly regardless of
temperature, or that never reach roughly the middle of the gauge. This problem is expensive and
difficult to fix (although, maddeningly, the parts to fix it only cost about $5.00).
Especially with the older cars, one of the best things you can do for yourself is find someone who
owns a perfect Spider of the same series as you are considering (the same year is best). These
people can be located through the nearest Alfa club chapter. Poke around on their car, stare at
everything, ask for demonstrations with equipment you don
“
t understand (even figuring out the
door handles can be a challenge to someone sitting in a Spider for the first time). Ask, nicely, if
you can take it around the block. Take pictures if you like. This is the greatest weapon against
”
ignorance buys
„
purchasing a car you shouldn
“
t simply because you didn
“
t know any better.
With the exceptions noted above, buying a used Alfa is pretty much the same as buying any used
car. The reader is strongly encouraged to purchase and read one of the many
”
guide to buying
used car
„
books available in just about every book store around before making any purchase. I
