1998 GTV heater problem

[Francis]

I inherited a car with a disconnected heater core/radiator with the dealers comment"requires new heater core"- is it a big deal to replace heater core ? .Dealer wants a king's ransom to do it- could I attempt it myself?

[Alfisto Steve]

What is your VIN number so I can look it up on parts CD and see which one GTV coupe you have?

[Francis]

My car is a 1998 3 litre 24 valve model, I went to the agents and they wanted about $300 for the heater core but about $1500 to do the job.Apparently ,they have dismantle the whole dash and thats where the cost is. amazing that a fairly new car can have major problems like this one has
1/ worn rear bushes -parts cost for one side -$650- got power flex from england-$498
2/ wiper motor electrics-$1150
3/ clutch cylinder -$130
4/electric mirror-$???
5/ radio illumination doesn't work
all this without labour charges- a bit scary to a new owner
It does have serious charisma but at a price Thanks for your reply can't find vin #

[Alfisto Steve]

Francis,

Kinda makes me glad I have a "cheaper" to maintain and "easier" to work on 164.
I do all my own work on my 164. Can't afford those labor rates.

However, that being said you should have a vehicle ID number plate on one of the front doors latch area with number and date of manufacture and/or one showing through bottom of windshield (maybe only a USA thing). If neither, look on inner fender sheetmetal for some number system such as ZAR16300001234567. GTV is a 163 series and the last 7 digits is chassis number.

[Damon]

Hi Francis,

A leaking heater core sounds pretty unusual- might be worth getting a second opinion. I have heard of GTV heater taps leaking- a relatively simple job that can be done in the car- but a heater core is very unusual and a much bigger job.
If you remove the carpet cover from the LH side of the console, there is a plastic cover behind this, remove it and check the heater tap- might be worth a look first.
Good luck!

[BigSwede]

Good call Damon, I second that. Core sounds very unlikely.

Francis: you may want to update your profile so we can see where you are located, I seem to remember something about australia? AUD? USD?
If it's the regular rear-some-kind-of-link in the rear that has worn bushes that type of job costs about 100USD in parts per sida and 15minutes of labour per side...

You might wanna get a second opinion, your dealer seem VERY expensive.
For VIN, open the hood and look for the plate on the radiator cross member. Should be there anyway. something like *ZAR916*something-something.

What happened to this car anyway? Flooded?

[Francis]

Hi Damon and Mats, thanks for your imput, I will try that heater tap idea.The local dealer does not carry replacement bushes for suspension - just the whole " banjo " complete with bushes- hence the high price.The replacement bushes from England are all possible bushes found in the rear end ,so, thats why the cost is so high (both sides)- Yes , Australia (not Austria or the U.S ) i s home. (ZAR916000- # )
Alfas are very ' very left field over here with little interest other than" nice looking car, BUT!!!
BMW's etc are more the norm- will stick with the black beast!!

[Damon]

Hi Francis,

Price for doing the heater core sounds about right, I have had a couple of heater boxes out of GTV's and it is a MAJOR nightmare to do. Heater tap is relatively simple and cheap to do though.

If your wiper motor is faulty you can take it apart and inspect/ clean the connections inside the parking assembly- sometimes works and is cheaper than a whole motor. Where are you in Oz? I know of a few 2.0 GTV's being wrecked down in Melbourne if you need a secondhand wiper motor.

Clutch slave cylinder sounds about right and rear arm bushes aren't available separately. Usually it is the "rose joint" type bushes in the rear arms that become a bit creaky, again it may be possible to find a secondhand arm assembly- would have to check if 2.0 and 3.0 are the same though.
I would imagine there would be a lot of labour in fitting a whole rear bush kit- might pay to check before you order as getting the old bushes out would be a big job in itself.