RE: 86 Spider radiator fan shroud temperature sensor part number?

[JHahn22@domain.elided]

Brad,
I found the same thing was true on my 87 graduate (missing temp sensor).  
According to people in the know at the Alfa shop I worked at, the temp sensor 
was originally put in a bad place, and tended to cause the battery to drain 
after the car was turned off.  It basically was in a hotter part of the 
engine bay than it should have been and caused the a/c fan to continue 
running for too long after the car was off.  My A/C worked with both wires 
going to the sensor cut and just kicking around next to the fender well.  You 
may want to check your fuse along the drivers side fender well.  There should 
be a fuse in a fuse holder screwed to the fender well (I think it was near 
the junction box with leads going to the alternator, but I can go look if you 
need me to).  I also found a disconnected wire in the tangle of wires behind 
the fuse box, once I reconnected that and repaired the fuse holder, the fan 
came back to life.
As for the sensor, if you really want one, I would check out Alfa Parts 
Exchange and see if they can snip one out of a spider for you.  (That part is 
basically part of the wiring harness, I believe) I've got one that I plan to 
put in eventually which I pulled out of a junker as well.  Without the 
sensor, the a/c fan just turns on and stays on when the a/c is on.  It's 
supposed to come one from time to time w/o the a/c just to assist the engine 
fan, but you don't need it on unless the a/c is on unless you have coolant 
system problems.
Hope this helps,
and good luck with a cool spider.
Jake Hahn
87 spider grad
Bryan, TX

In a message dated 10/3/01 9:50:13 PM Central Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:


> I've discovered that my 86 Spider Quadrifoglio is entirely missing the 
> temperature sensor that sits in the airflow from the radiator (should be 
> mounted at the upper right of the radiator shroud), and turns on the AC 
> pusher 
> fan on the condenser when the air coming off the radiator is too hot.
> 
> (Note that this is *not* the temperature sensor mounted in the radiator on 
> later model Spiders to control an electric main radiator fan; the 86 Quad 
> has 
> an engine-mounted mechanical fan, and the sensor I'm thinking of hangs in 
> the 
> airflow, and controls the AC system's pusher fan as an auxiliary to the 
> main 
> fan.)
> 
> I intend to replace the sensor. But I'm not sure of the part number, and 
> when 
> I phoned Alfa Parts in Berkeley, they weren't sure which part I needed, 
> because they say they don't have very good schematics for the AC system.
> 
> I believe the sensor is made by Behr.
> 
> Can someone tell me the part number (either Alfa Romeo, or Behr) for this 
> airflow temperature sensor? Even the markings on this sensor in your 86 
> Quad 
> would be most helpful!
> 
> Many thanks,
> - -Brad, bkarp@domain.elided
> 86 Spider Quadrifoglio, soon to run cool as a cucumber, when my radiator 
> returns
> from recoring and I get my AC pusher fan working again!

--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided