I'll channel the advice of many of the great mentors who advised me at one point or another: air, fuel, and spark. Take each one to its conclusion and never assume anything. Don't get bogged in minutiae until necessary. The L-Jet system is one of the most durable and wonderful systems ever to be fitted to cars.
(Hopefully, Fred D. is smiling from heaven right now.) I recommend taking these in order even if you're "sure" they are fine. (Ask me how I know.) -= Spark =- The easiest of the goddesses to appease. While an assistant cranks the car, look for lightning on all six plugs by removing the plugs one by one, attaching them to their leads, grounding them to the block and verifying the spark. -= Fuel =- As I recall, the 162 is an L-Jet car with an intake flap-type MAF. To completely rule out delivery issues, put a fuel pressure gauge inline on the input side of the fuel rail, turn on the car and open the flap. The pump should run and the appropriate pressure should be seen on the gauge (30-40 LBS, I think.) Flow/delivery issues will not keep the car from starting and idling -- a mere trickle will be enough. -= Air =- The most complex problem. Old L-Jet systems typical suffer from too much of it due to cracks and leaks. Inspect *everything* twice. Make no assumptions. In my experience, idle/auxiliary inputs have been the biggest culprits in L-Jet and Motronic systems followed by leaks in the injector seals. Once the above have been ruled out, then verify cam timing. After that, check the electrical connections -- grounding is #1, reseating existing connectors (and checking for corrosion) is #2 (especially the injector connectors!). Once all of the above have been done, well, it's time for all of the rarer stuff. I'd start with the injectors themselves because you already replaced the seals under "-= Air =-", right? L-Jet injectors are cheaper than iridium spark plugs last time I checked. 162 cars are nowhere as complex as 164s. You WILL find the problem and it will likely be solvable. - Eric H., Marietta, GA (ironically in the midst of selling my final Alfa) -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected]
