164 home page a great resource

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

A spate of common or garden variety problems with 164 leads me to again 
publicize this excellent web site
www.digest.net

and the excellent tech discussions and bulletin board which answer a welter 
of inquiries mostly accurately.

the temp gauge warning light frequently fails. A poor connection due to 
stretching of the wiring as well as a propensity for the sender to fail are 
the usual causes. The sender for the light is a separate wire in a common 
unit with the sender for the gauge itself. Ironically, the gauge sender 
rarely fails, at least before the light sender fails in any event.

As for the bonnet release sticking may I suggest you tie your bonnet with a 
bow instead of a granny knot?

There is a recent posting to the 164 BB suggesting that the two hood 
catches should be releasable from below by tripping the catch "visible" at 
the rear of each hood pin, popping each individually should be no problem 
(mine trip individually even with the wire intact). Apparently it should be 
possible to both see and reach these little devils from under the car, a 
good flashlight and knuckle dragging arms presumably would be useful.

  As I have also experienced this problem with my SAAB 9000 I take the 
liberty of pointing out that corrosion and wear from lack of lubricant is a 
common cause of failure for these wires. A good cable lubricant (bike shops 
sell these) extends the life and eases the operation of this component.

I also claim recognition for use of erudite language and being able to make 
fun of someone not using North American useage, all in one post!


Michael Smith
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
91 Alfa 164L, White, original owner

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