Re: Hot Spider

[Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@domain.elided>]

Your description sounds just about exactly what my '78 Spider was doing in
'97. There are only a few possibilities:
 - sticking thermostat
 - water pump not moving enough coolant
 - clogged radiator external passages
 - clogged radiator internal passages

Water pumps generally start getting noisy or leaky before they stop
pumping enough coolant so if yours is not making noise and isn't leaking
it's probably not at fault. 

Thermostats are cheap and easy to replace ... they do slowly get crusty
with age and fail to open all the way. It's worth a try.

Cleaning the outside of the radiator if it's very clogged with bugs is
pretty easy, but the problem is usually that the radiator core has become
somewhat blocked up. Even though mine passed the flow test that the
radiator shop checked it with, Alfa doesn't provide as much "unused
cooling overhead" as their test is based upon so it still overheated after
being boiled out. I ended up having the radiator recored, which solved the
problem completely. 

Standard thermostats in the 2000 motor are usually 185-195 deg F units.
Spider motors run cool normally, I get very antsy when I see the temp
gauge up past 210 as that is risking cylinder head gasket and cylinder
head damage. With a good radiator, water pump and thermostat, the normal
temperature on the gauge in my car is always right at the 185-195 mark,
even in heavy traffic, except for extremely heavy uphill loads; it might
touch 200-205 then and backs down immediately afterwards.

Godfrey

------------------------------