164 electric fan -- what does it do?

[cuadra@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

On Thanksgiving night I was stuck in the mother-of-all traffic jams on the
SF-Oakland Bay Bridge toll plaza. It took 30 minutes to crawl a 1/4 mile. As
we all know 164s run hot in stop and go traffic. The temp gauge quickly went
up to 225 degrees. I turned the heater way up and the temp dropped a few
degrees. I made it through the mess with no problem but I got to thinking
about overheating and the 164's cooling system -- when is the electric
cooling fan supposed to go on?

I used to have a 67 Fairlane GTA. All you had to do was crank the engine and
that was it -- a belt-driven fan kept the temperature in check. My last car,
a 66 VW Bug...well, that's irrelevant in this discussion. My 164 doesn't
overheat (no warning lights) but after driving in the City with the temp
gauge at 225, I sometimes notice after parking a few drops of coolant coming
out of the expansion tank's overflow hose. 

I read Brian Anesi's 164 cooling fan article, as well as one of the
Technical Service Bulletin on the subject, on the 164 Home Page. I pretty
much determined that the fan is outta whack. The fan should function when
the A/C is turned on. It doesn't. The resistor that controls the fan's
two-speed circuit is prone to failure. The Alfa Tech Bulletin recommends a
replacement kit consisting of a new resistor, connectors, and terminals
(parts are now sold individually). Looks like a simple job. Has anyone on
the Digest made this upgrade and was there a noticeable difference in the
operating temperature?

Paul Cuadra cuadra@domain.elided
'95 164 LS (5-speed) and Moto Guzzi Sport    



 

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