If you smell any fumes while driving your Alfa, something is leaking. Check all fuel lines, injectors, fittings, and clamps. Pay extra attention to the gas tank vapor recovery line that runs through the trunk, and through some interiors, up to the valve cover or intake plenum of many Alfas. Closely inspect the fuel injectors and injection lines for leaks. The Spica FI lines run at 400 psi, and leaks can only be found when the car is running. Also check the filler cap for fit and gasket condition and the fuel filler hose for cracks. The filler hose on 164’s frequently leak and on early 164 models the metal filler pipe will rust.

For exhaust smells, look for black carbon marks left by gasses escaping your exhaust system upstream of the tail pipe. Also check for a cracked exhaust header. A not so obvious problem may be a tail pipe that is too short. If the tail pipe does not clear the rear of the bumper, exhaust can be sucked back into the passenger compartment. Another tricky area is the trunk gasket. If it is worn or torn, exhaust can enter the trunk, and then the car's interior. If your car smells of sulfur inspect for leaking, clogged, or worn-out catalytic converters. Also have the CO checked. A rich mixture will overwork the converter and smell like sulfur. Often a rich mixture can be traced to a malfunctioning temperature sensor on the Bosch fuel injection.
On the Alfetta and V/6 cars, a leaking rear main seal will drip onto the exhaust system and burn, giving an occasional pungent, acrid odor.

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