responses, lights, gauges, tangled handbrakes, Mitsubishis, etc

[Joe Elliott <jelliott@domain.elided>]

  You know that nut in front of the clutch in the GTV6 that keeps the
transaxle off the bodywork, how far should I adjust it to keep the
driveshaft off the bodywork while I save money for a new driveshaft support
(the real problem, methinks)?  And what's the reccommended method for
securing the handbrake cable to the driveshaft tunnel.  The stock clip is
totally shot and I'm about to peel back the carpet, drill holes, wire the
damn cable in place and smear JB Weld on it.  If I pull the handbrake at
all the cable get tangled in the driveshaft.

  Please don't laugh at this question, but is there some connection between
Lancia and Mitsubishi?  This sounds totally outrageous, but hear me out.
Last summer I saw some European movie with some sedan that I didn't
recognize.  My dad said he thought it was a Lancia.  Then when I was in CA
I saw a number of these old Mitsubishi sedans that I hadn't seen before.
(I'm guessing that when they were made, Mitsu's USA efforts must have been
limitied to the west coast.)  Anyway, it looked a lot like the "Lancia"
from the movie.  Then last week I was coming out of the periodontist's
after some fun oral surgery and saw a Lancia Zagato on the street--not
something I sww every day.  I was pretty drugged up so my train of thought
was as follows:"Dude, a Lancia, ya don't see that every day.  No way, it's
just a late 80's Mitsubishi.  Four sealed beams? No Mitsu ever had four
sealed beams!! That's a flippin' Zagato!"  Next time I was fully conscious
I asked myself how I mistook a Zagato for a Mitsubishi.  Then I realised
that Mitsubishi, for at least ten years, has been using what is basically
an exact copy of the grill design that I associate with Lancia.  But I
still didn't ask anybody about this for fear of getting laughed at.  Then
yesterday I saw, here in jolly Oxford, one of the afformentioned Mitsu
sedans, and happened to see the model name: SIGMA  !!!  A greek letter!!  A
la Lancia!!  This had gone too far.  So I presented all the evidence to my
dad and asked him if there was any connection between Mitsubishi and
Lancia.  He just laughed at me.  So now I'm asking you guys.

  One day, long ago, my oil pressure gauge stopped working so I did the
logical thing and replaced the sending unit.  Problem solved.  Until a
couple of months ago the thing starts bouncing around or not working at
all.  I had a mechanic check the oil pressure, no problem there, so I
replaced the gauge--still screwy.  Now what?

  Since replacing my center instrument cluster, the alternator light has
been on (not quite fully bright) for the duration of the first drive of the
day, but not on subsequent drives.  I replaced my voltage regulator not
long ago, but when that was the problem the oxygen sensor light would also
be on.  What's wrong now?  Is it something in my new instrument cluster?

  And get this:  since I hit that curb last week, my (new, used from APE)
heater fan has been making noise like a blade is rubbing something, but
only when I accelerate.  What's up with that? Aside from a tire, hitting
that curb didn't damage anything else, suspension or otherwise, so how
could the shock have hurt the heater fan??

I just caught up on a bunch of digests, so...

>>From: "Jorge Mazlumian" <jmazl@domain.elided>
>
>>
>>About the Milano in the snow, I was thinking.  Next time I go up the
>>mountains, if I can get real snow tires (see recent posts), I'll just drive
>>along since nobody knows if it's 2 or 4WD.  And if the piss officer stops
>>me, I'll just pull those ugly chains out of the trunk.
>>Jorge
>>
>I've wondered if the Caltrans guys know what does and does not have 4wd
>particularly now that it is available in many cars. Especially for something
>semi-exotic like an Alfa - what are the odds that a random person could say
>anything at all about such a car. Just stick a 'quattro' or AWD
>sticker/badge on the trunk and see what happens. But be careful not to spin
>the rear tires on takeoff, that will give it away.
>Greg
I'm near certain this would work.  Even if Officer Smiley says "that ain't
4-wheel-drive,"  you could claim that it is, maybe that it's a European
model or something.  But I doubt that you'd get that far in the first
place.  When I smogged the '86 Volvo 240 wagon, the smog dude says "that's
four-wheel-drive, right?"  Um, no.  I thought I was driving the most
stereotypically old-school, rear-drive car, but I guess not.  I was tempted
to tell him "yes" though, because I'd love to see what they do with AWD
cars since they only have one pair of rollers to run the car on!


>I think for someone that likes to drive and travel,
>the best chance is to become an ( US ? ) auto jouralist.
>You can even drive cars that doesn't exist in US market.
>
>Karl
Shh!! Don't tell everybody!  That's what I was planning on doing with my life!!

Joe Elliott
'82 GTV6

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End of alfa-digest V7 #1403
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