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The second fuel filter is under the hood of the car, in a large housing on the passenger
“
s side
(follow the fuel lines as they come up the firewall
they will go into this round housing).
According to factory maintenance schedules, this filter actually needs to be changed more often,
so when you do change it ALWAYS, ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FIRST. The
housing is metal, and sits right above the wiring for the starter motor. One false move and at best
you
“
ll have a cheery-beery fire in your engine compartment. At worst you
“
ll end up one
barbecued Alfisti!
In addition to the obvious oil filter, there is a very small filter in the bottom of the SPICA pump,
just under a round access plate held in place with three small studs and nuts. This should be
replaced at least every other oil change. Be very careful when removing this
it
“
s quite easy to
break off the little studs.
Is that area behind the two seats supposed to be an extra seat?
Not really. I
“
ve never even considered it as such, but I
“
ve had this asked of me so often I thought
it worth including. The rear area is too small to hold people (but can be a pretty good place to put
a rambunctious beagle
ask me how I know), and I don
“
t think it was ever designed to. In the
later Series 3 and 4 cars this isn
“
t much of a problem, since the shelf is a lot smaller and squared
for luggage. If you own a Series 1, 2 or 2a, don
“
t let people sit back there ever
they will tear up
the vinyl trim, which is becoming downright irreplaceable. It does make a wonderful supplement
to the smallish trunk, and holds about six old-fashioned paper grocery bags just low enough (on a
Series 1, 2 or 2a at least) that you can travel down the interstate with the top down and not worry
about blowing eggs all over that 18-wheeler behind you. A gentleman in Europe has informed me
that the Spider actually was rated to carry three people there, with one of these sitting in the back.
Judging from the room in the back area, I can only conclude that leprechauns, kobolds, gnomes,
and halflings really do exist, and they have designers working for Pininfarina!
Are there any other secret
”
gotchas
’
I should know about?
Alfa Spiders have significantly more front overhang than most other cars. Be sure to leave some
extra room between you and the car in front of you until you get used to the car
“
s dimensions.
90% of later cars
“
mechanical problems seem to be caused by poor grounds. These should always
be the first thing you check, even if what is wrong seems to be fuel-system related.
Spiders (all of the 105 series, in fact) also have relatively fragile finned aluminum sumps that
extend below the rest of the car (this helps cool the oil). These are quite vulnerable to parking
stops and road hazards. Since they form the bottom of the engine, impacts at any sort of speed
can be disastrous.
Don
“
t wait for the tires to bump the parking stop before you stop the car
you
“
ll usually only
bash the sump (at parking lot speeds the sump is tougher than it looks, but, since it
“
s hooked
intimately with the car
“
s frame, the impact can be quite frightening). Always try to drive around
