164 air-con

[Peter McCarthy <spkfilm@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear digesters

Was wondering how cool I should expect my 89 164's air-con to be? I've
had it 'serviced' by an Alfa specialist twice, once including complete
removal of dash and new stepper motor. (I occasionally here a slight
clicking noise just behind the dash which some people have told me
spells trouble for said stepper motor!)

On very hot (Australian) summer days - 28-38 degrees centigrade - the
fan needs to be set on 3 or 4 to feel any difference. People in the back
have to sweat it out and beg for the back windows to come down. An Alfa
dealer told me it was probably some gasket between the firewall and
cabin either broken or loose - notorious he says. What about the
temperature sensor - is this the small in-dash plug with a hole the size
of a cigarette in the middle? Of course in winter it runs quite cool. Am
I just expecting too much from old technology? I find it hard to get
into my girlfriend's Mitsubishi Verada(!)and find my nuts freezing in
the middle of high summer (if I want) then being able to swiftly
'acclimatise'(if I want) when my Alfa promises 'climate control' and I
still stick to the seat... 

Gasket? Refrigerant? Sensor? Just old tech? Any ideas greatly
appreciated.

Regards

Peter

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