Cupholder, my problems, and my old Milano

["Eric H." <ejham@xxxxxxx>]

The GTV 6 has a cupholder suitable for bottom-heavy coffee
cups. It works well only when you're not cornering hard.
It's a little carpeted shelf right in front of the ashtray.
All other Alfas come equipped with one type and have an
optional second type of cupholder: the standard is the area
between your legs (recommendation: use this model only for
cold drinks), the optional model is the hand of your
passenger (use only in serious need, however.)

My take is that Alfa engineers figure you're too busy
enjoying their car to require a drink.

- ----

Thanks to everyone for their many suggestions to remedy my
plight...I'm tracking the most common suggestion now:
replacement of the oxygen sensor. I've found that what
should have been an easy job has turned into a nightmare. A
prior owner who lived in an area where emissions testing was
not required removed the cat, when the car was sold into
this emissions-tested area a cat was welded in...the O2
sensor was also welded in (I'm wondering if this sensor EVER
worked!) This weekend I'm working out a temporary fix for
the situation involving some horrific uses of temporary
exhaust repair products. When the sensor is in, we'll see if
it has the desired effect.

- ---

Bill, I know you weren't DIRECTLY responsible for the demise
of that Milano, it was the other guy. But what were you
thinking driving a ten-year-old, un-maintained Milano more
than 20 miles away from home? That's just asking for
something to wrong! <grin> Too bad about that car...it might
have been the last surviving automatic Milanos on the planet
with working ABS and load-leveler. It was also a living
example of how the valves CAN contact the pistons and
survive (hint: if the engine doesn't RUN, the starter makes
the timing belt slip and the valves will live -- I didn't do
this to the car...the previous owner did it, couldn't get it
to run and then sold it to me as a corpse.)

Wow, I wrote too much again! Sorry for the long-windedness.

- - Eric H.
1983 GTV6 with really interesting plumbing for an exhaust
system
1988 Volvo 740 with no problems and no fun

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