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164LS Problem Solved



Since I purchased my 95 LS a year or more ago I have been plagued with a 
problem which no local mechanic (nor digesti) has been able to accurately 
diagnose or cure. Whenever it rains the car will start but will either idle 
and run erratically until warmed up, or if there has been a heavy rainstorm, 
it will start, idle badly on three or four cyclinders and then crap out from 
flooding. The next day it will start again and run as if nothing has 
happened. Diagnoses have included wrong plugs, bad coils, bad ignition 
cables, bad catalytic and/or O2 sensor and bad ecu. Well, one of the above 
was somewhat right and it was not until I went to England a month ago and 
called some top Alfa mechanics in the London area (thanks to the AROC 
President there) that I was able to find out the cause. All three diagnoses 
were the same as this is something they have encountered frequently in the UK 
where it does rain somewhat ( in fact almost EVERY day for the month I was 
there !). 
It appears that leaves get into the drain hole(s) below the windshield 
wipers, block them and cause water to enter the interior of the car above the 
radio and temp. display unit and dampen everything below it including the 
ECU. The interior of the ECU develops a fungus which when damp expands and 
causes signals to go haywire. Eventually the heat from the 
motor/exhaust/heater will dry it out ennough for it to act normal again. The 
cure ? Clean out all leaves in the gully below the windshield especially 
where the drainpipes are for the sliding roof channels and clean out the 
drainpipe which empties water from the gully. I did the former and found it 
to be full of dead leaves from a large oak tree under which my car is usually 
parked, however I did not clean out the main drain as I am unable to find it. 
Does anybody know where it is eaxctly and the best way to clean it. It has to 
be in the center of the gully somewhere, either under or to the right of the 
air conditioning filter holder and to the left of the power steering fluid 
container, to cause it to leak into the ecu area. Dop they have to be removed 
in order to access this pipe ?
Secondly just exactly where is the ecu on a 24V LS  and how hard is it to 
remove to check it out for fungus ?  By the way, could this be a cause of the 
dreaded clock/temperature readout display going dark ?
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