Re: Timing belt

["Guy Weller" <Guy.Weller@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nicky,
Thanks for the reply.  You ask more questions than you answer, but thanks
( really, I mean it!) for taking an interest. It's just what I need.
You perhaps missed my earlier postings which gave some of the details you
are now asking about, I am not too sure exactly how this list works.
The car's history is this:
        I have just bought the car. It has done 137,000 (4 year old) but
despite this is in very good condition
        I know the previous owner, who has had the car from new.
        He was really fastideous and had the car serviced at 6000 mile
intervals,
        always within 200 of the due miles.  I have also spoken to the
garage that
        worked on it. Same individual mechanic from new.
        It was last serviced just over 1000 miles ago and had the
        coolant flushed and replaced at the service before that. (130K)


The car runs with  the guage on the 3/4 mark.  This is unlabled on the dial
but assuming it is a linear scale this would be at 110 degrees at a steady
80mph.  When I stress the engine more the temp climbs.  Going over the
Hartside Pass it got to the point when the warning light came on ( so I
stopped!)  At this point the fan was running. ( A686 Penrith to Alston road,
if you know it. Good fast road, quite a climb but not unduely steep; 4 & 5
gear road; air temp that day was about mid 20's)

I haven't been able to determin exactly when the fan actually comes on in
use - I need to perfect the art of opening the bonnet to check whilst
travelling at 80mph and not moving my foot off the throttle!!
Running the A/C pump maybe increases the temp just a touch, but hardly
noticable. Putting the heater on full ( without A/C pump running) does seem
to drop the temp a bit, but again is marginal.  This is partly why I was
begining to suspect poor water circulation

Not sure where the temp sensor is. There seems to be one on the thermostat
housing but not sure if this works both the fan and the temp guage or if
there are seperate ones.  I would expect seperate ones.  Either way, it
seems to me that if the thermostat is not opening, then the water in the
cooling part of the circuit would not heat up (so quickly) and the fan would
not switch on.  Is that logic correct?

Whatever the guage accuracy is, It is certainly getting hot.  There is some
slight evidence of coolant staining around the expansion tank, although it
has not needed topping up.  And, in case you ask - no there is no evidence
of oil in water, or water in oil!

I don't want to change the water pump just for the fun of it.  I would much
rather flush the rad.  I am pretty experienced with car work (other car is
an A-H  Sprite which I did a full nut & bolt on + a lot of engine mods)
Just this is my first Alfa so thought I would come and seek some advice
first.

Guy


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nicky Avery" <nicky@domain.elided>
To: <alfa@domain.elided>
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 5:17 PM
Subject: Re: Timing belt


> >        The guage is reading high, AND the fan is cutting in.
> >
> >
>
> at what temp?
>
> >This makes me think that
> >a) the thermostat is opening, else the sensor for the fan wouldn't be
> >operating.
> >
>
> isn't one the thermostat the standard bimetalic job and the fan sensor a
> separate electrical sender or are they somehow a combo unit on your car?
>
> >So I am assuming the thermostat to be OK
> >
>
> too soon, possibly
>
> >b) You may be right, that the rad may not be doing its job.  So perhaps I
> >will remove and reverse flush that first.
> >
>
> Guy's suggestion is good too. You may need to back-flush the rad. also.
>
>
> >
> >An Alfa mechanic told me that the (nylon) impeller on these pumps has a
> >habit of slipping on the shaft and reducing its efficiency.  This is what
> >made me think of the pump at this mileage, but I am putting off that job
> >until I have properly eliminated all other (easier) solutions!
> >
> >
> This reminds me that my cuz in London told me somehting about having to
> spend a vast amount of money to replace a component on his 156 because
> it is - bizarrely - made of plastic. I'll e-mail him and ask him if it
> was the pump.
>
>
> >Do you think I am right with my analysis of the thrmostat?
> >
> >
> You have mentioned nothing about the age/milage/service history oif your
> car so I am assuming it is not so old, not so high miles and has been
> correctly cared for and am looking at other possible causes.
>
>  From your e-ddress, I gather you are in the UK. I note that you did not
> report that the coolant is boiling but you believe the motor runs hot?
> Is "hot" in fact hot? How hot is the ambient temperature when you are
> seeing the gauge high? Are you driving on open road or in traffic?
>
> Does the thermostat actuate the fan or is there a separate sensor? If
> the latter, then you may be wrong.
>
> Again, how do you know the thermostat is opening *fully* and how do you
> know that it is opening early enough?
>
> Nicky
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