General Barchetta questions from new owner

[little boat]

Hi all,

Recently picked up a silver LE - enjoying it so far - brilliant fun to drive with superb Italian styling - what more could you want!

[don't yet have enough posts for a picture - sorry - stay tuned]

I've already had the seats out and cleaned the seats/interior... need to give her a good service and tick off an ever growing to-do list.

As a new owner, just have a few questions I hoped someone could help me with:

1. There seems to be a bit of a 'clack' going over large bumps - it's coming from the rear. Had a quick look but can't see anything suspect - if anyone has any suggestions?
2. The fuel pump is noisy - is this common? I've seen conflicting reports - some say it's normal and some saying it's on it's way out. I was told by the previous owner that it was replaced a short while ago... but can't actually see any paperwork to back this up...
3. My hood cover alarm goes off when the hood cover is open - but am I right in saying it should actually just go off when the boot is open too? The boot switch is working though - interior light comes on when boot is open.
4. Speedo is extremely temperamental - some days it won't work until you tap it - then it'll spring back into action. Anyone seen this before?
5. The radio isn't working - I've read the aerial cables aren't great on these - is it an easy job to route a new one through?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Barchetta Bloke 440]

Welcome to the B forum and good car choice.

I'm not much of an expert on these but speedos are a bit dodgy ,when I got mine I had to go back twice to get a properly functioning unit.

They ,DTR , tried a repair on the back of the speedo first before replacing it ,with a secondhand unit.

He re soldered some connections ,so might be worth looking at that.

Mine's silver, mostly, too...

 

[Noideadave]

Welcome. I too have an LE silver with red leather.
My fuel pump was whining really bad with erratic running so I decided to replace both pump and filter. The filter is easy to replace, you need a pair of fuel line clip compressors ( I made some by heating up the tips of some long nose pliers and bending them in ) a tray to catch some fuel that drips out and a 10 mm socket and ratchet. It's situated under the car just in front of the offside rear wheel.
You should only need to replace the fuel pump itself and not the carrier. That is situated under a plate on the hood well. Once accessed you need to disconnect the cable plug and two fuel lines and tie them out of the way. The fuel pump carrier is held in by eight nuts. It will be really stuck in so you need to pry it out with flat bladed screwdrivers, be careful no sparks, and wiggle it out carefully. You will see how easy it is to replace the pump. Then put it all back but use a bit of silicone grease on the gasket to ease it in. Run the engine for 5 mins to check all joints before replacing any covers. Make sure your fuel level doesn't drop below quarter. The fuel cools the pump. Good luck

 

[gar074]

Welcome aboard!

Silver LE with red leather interior is the way to go

Erratic speedos are a common fault. Carefully resoldering the joints should cure it, but it's easy to mess it up. I've stopped worrying about my speedo. When it stops working (usually when the car's been standing in full sun, so not often lol) I just calculate my speed using the rev counter, which also helps to keep my mental arithmetic up to scratch.

 

[little boat]

Cheers guys! The speedo I can live with, although complete failure will be a pain... but will cross that bridge when it comes

I'm planning a big trip through Europe next month - so need to make sure the car's up to it. Might try to replace the fuel pump to be safe... you say it's an easy job to do the filter - but I'm guessing the pump is a bit more of a hassle?

Didn't realise the fuel cools the pump - good tip!

 

[gar074]

The pump's a sod to access. I ended up removing the bulkhead behind the seats, which was a trickier job than it could/should have been. There's an access plate in the well where the hood sits when folded, under the mat, but it's quite small, and I wouldn't have fancied getting the pump out through it. There are some very useful "how to" fuel pump threads on here.

Best of luck!

 

[Noideadave]

I agree that the fuel pump can be a sod to get out but it will only come out through the access plate in the hood well.
P s . Make sure the fuel cap is loose when removing and refitting or pressure can build up in the tank and fuel can come out through the pump inlet and outlet.