Noob from Cincinnati

[CharlieB]

Hello everyone. First off, I am no mechanic, so I hope everyone here is of the "no question is a dumb question" philosophy. Anyway, I just bought a 1976 Spider here in Cincinnati about a week ago. The previous owner is 90 years old and kept meticulous service records since he bought the car in 1989. Always wanted a Spider and the price was right on this one.

All was well with the car until last night. I was going up a hill in my neighborhood and started hearing a knocking sound from under the hood. When I got back to flat ground, the noise would only go away when I let off the gas pedal. When I finally got back home I heard a hissing sound under the hood and found a small diameter hose with a pin sized hole shooting out fluid. I assumed the fluid was coolant, but I'm not sure.
The hose runs close to the bulkhead and one end attaches under the air filter. I can't remember where the other end attaches. Can someone identify what this hose is? I think it was the top one in the photo. The photo shows where it attaches below the air filter.
thanks guys

PS How do I attach an image to this post?

[Exit98]

Charlie,

Here's how to post pictures:
http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21014

I think the hose you are referring to runs coolant to your carb's water choke. There's a return line as well. It can chafe between the firewall and the back of the motor. Replacing it is straightforward but you'll need to be sure to get all the air out of the cooling system once your done.

There are many posts about "burping" the cooling system. Use the search feature it is quite helpful.

[CharlieB]

Doug thanks for the response. Here is a link to the photo http://s28.postimg.org/7hc1myzst/Busted_Hose.png
Looks like your diagnosis is spot on.
thanks again