145 Windows fogs up all the time

[Engwi]

Greetings,

Why would the windows on my 145 keep on fogging up? You have to drive with the air conditioner on virtually all the time to suppress this. I had a high level discussion with an Alfa mechanic about this where I also mentioned that if you just merely run the blower fan (from when the engine heats up the first time), the air omitted feels almost damp as well. He mentioned something along the lines of a blockage somewhere, but I never really pursued this further. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

[aldo]

I don't know anything about the 145 but have you noticed a sort of sweet smell, if so your heater core could be leaking.

[Erik]

Check if your floor mats are wed/damp, you might have a leak from windows, door seals, heater unit etc, and the fresh air intake's drains are blocked (you have to remove the plastic covers just infront of the front window.
Erik

[Engwi]

Good Day Erik / Aldo

Thank you for the input. I will use a combination of your replies to start looking into this. There is certainly no damp under the mats and so forth, but I will look at the fresh air intake first and then also pursue anything that might relate to a leaking heater core.

It is very apparent that the damp only comes from the venting system, no place else. I will play with this when I have some time but will be sure to post any significant updates.

Kind Regards and thanks again!

[TorW]

We had the same issue in our 2000 156 Sportwagon. The fogging were in fact so bad that on very cold days (-10 C and thereabouts), we had to scrape the ice off of the windscreen inside before driving. The air coming out of the heater vents smelt damp and moldy too.

The problem disappeared after the A/C system had the refrigerator agent (R-134a) replaced/topped up and the cabin air/pollen filter was replaced. The latter was completely stuffed with dust, pollen and whatnot. See attached picture.