The Return of the Spider

["Giller,Bruce C." <bgiller@domain.elided>]

	When we last left our intrepid hero, he was checking the battery
voltages every day after the car died in the driveway two weeks back. 
The battery voltage was 13.3v every time.  The Spider ran well every day
until Wednesday (19th) where it died whilst waiting for a light to
change.  And it would not restart at all.  It was towed over to my Alfa
mech. in DC's evening rush hour since I knew I didn't know what was
going on with it.  

	My mech. checked the fuel pump, the fuel pump and main relays, and some
other items.  Then he replaced the battery with a new one after I told
him of my experience of the weekend before (I charged the battery to get
the car to start) and the car started right up.  He told me he was leery
of this 'fix' and that the car would probably die on me later.  The next
day I went to pick it up and it refused to start for me as well as the
mech.  At least it didn't die on me on the way home.

	He spent a lot of time going thru all the electrical connections to the
ECUs, the fuse box, fuses, etc.  He finally got it started and took it
out for a spin.  He said it ran well and then he felt it 'missing'; not
the miss where a plug refused to fire but much more subtle; I had felt
the same thing and put it off to bad gas or that I needed to do a tune
up.  On his way to the shop, the engine just slowly lost power to where
the engine just died - he was towed back to the shop.  He then replaced
the fuel injection ECU with a used one and then it started normally.  He
put the old one back in and it refused to start - new one in, it started.

	Of course he had to tell me that he had never had a ECU go bad on a
Spider in all his years (30 or so) of servicing Alfas; GTV6 & Milano,
yes; Spider, no.  I told him I thought a few AD listers had had bad
Spider ECUs.  Then I had to pay his bill...OUCH!!

	My consolation prize is that I get to open the ECU and see what's inside!

	Bruce

	'86 Spider
	'73 GTV

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