Re: 164 Door Locks and windshields: AD #783

["C.M. Smith" <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

Door locks busted? Checked the fuse? As all locks ceased to operate
simultaneously I suspect the "Door Lock Control Unit". This is located
under/behind the glovebox, accessible by removing the footwell padding
under the glovebox and reaching up behind the glovebox to unscrew or unbolt
it from the substantial metal bracket.

So what? Yes, it is apparently an unrepairable sealed unit. Using the
modern search and destroy method of car repair the obvious solution is to
buy a new one. However, the one in my SAAB 900 died and I pried it apart as
I was on vacation and unable to obtain a replacement conveniently. Lo and
behold, the unit was "protected" by a fusible bimetallic strip which had
come "unfused" i.e. unstuck due to some temporary overheating problem which
melted the solder ( the "fusible" part) and opened the circuit "protecting"
the unit from self destructing. The point of all this was lost on me
because the unit was obviously designed to be tamper proof and thus
unrepairable so who cares if it fried it's little brains out, the fuse in
the circuit would prevent any fire. Literally 2 minutes with a soldering
gun and we were back in business, never failed again.

As for windshields, having suffered some appallingly bad windshield repairs
in my Saab 9000 (and I live in Canada's fourth largest city, pop 800,000 +)
I was apprehensive about my Alfa needing a windshield replaced. These cars
use a bonded-in windshield which forms part of the structural rigidity of
the car. The car should not be driven until the bond has properly set. So,
don't leave the job to amateurs.

 BTW, I've had really good results with the epoxy chip repair for bullseyes
and stars. It is important to keep dirt and moisture out of the chip for
best results. Scotch tape works well. Repaired within a day or two of the
chip happening means a $25 repair and no new windshield for another few
months. I highly recommend this repair method.

Remember, if you need a new windshield, get those ticking steppers repaired
while the windshield is out, it makes reaching those pesky screws at the
front of the dash easier to remove and replace!

Oh yes, where should I put the rollbar in my 164? There's no other place in
the car for cupholders and my friends keep ribbing me unmercifully about
how stripped down my Alfa is. "Is it for racing?"  they keep asking me,
then I have to drive too fast just to make the point... well you get the idea. 

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