[Alfisto Steve]

Not only that daughter had coolant hose coming off rear of left head for heater core rupture last night while I was driving back from FFO in Nashville.

She parked car at Shell station and got my neice to come get her as coolant poured right out when she tried to troubleshoot location of leak by adding water. Sharp gal and she had to shut down a couple of non car guys who thought they could help a "helpless damsel" [not] in distress.

She then proceeded to come over to my Alfa house and "steal" my new used Dodge Ram after she had a short test drive off main roads as she had to go to college campus today to sign up for fall classes.

She likes Dodge truck better than Ford Ranger.

I made temp repair today when I got back in town and coolant system and engine check OK, except for return of the mayo.

She said she told me about mayo last time she added oil but it must have went over my head.

May just really have to pull Originalle of the road now after about 220K as I had planned last winter since heads have been retorqued and Barrs Stop Leak helped hold off mayo attack for almost 6 months.

Black Beauty performed flawlessly today coming back from Blacksburg so will put daughter into it for awhile.

Yesterday was day for white 164s to have issues as my son's ex-wife's 164L quit and my grandson called his dad for help. It turned out to be red-stripe relay for engine ECU so not a real hard fix.

Glad my son and daughter both have some car smarts. I think my grandson is getting good training from his dad, too.

 

[ChazzyD]

I have started keeping 2 red stripe relays in the glove box, for double insurance against ever needing them. I keep an ignition module and fuel pump relay in the 240 for the same effect.
Charles

 

[Alfisto Steve]

I have started keeping 2 red stripe relays in the glove box, for double insurance against ever needing them. I keep an ignition module and fuel pump relay in the 240 for the same effect.
Charles

I do the same spare part carry routine. I am going to give my grandson a spare ecu red-striper and fuel pump relay set.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

I have started keeping 2 red stripe relays in the glove box, for double insurance against ever needing them. I keep an ignition module and fuel pump relay in the 240 for the same effect.
Charles

I do the same spare part carry routine. I am going to give my grandson a spare ecu red-striper and fuel pump relay set.

Looks like I am going to be a pick up truck man for awhile with S still in rehab, My B making mayo again and Old Blue the beater has non-working A/C and daughter driving BB.

 

[v6junky]

I wish my wife would get a bit more car smart. She's just trashed the engine on the 156 after cracking the radiator against a curb, ignoring the pretty red light and temp gauge maxing out whilse driving some 10 miles in searing heat, stop start driving etc... head warped but not cracked and cylinder liners scored after rings stuck.... fortunately what with labour being so cheap here it's all recoverable and I'm just glad it was her car and not the 164 as that may have been cause for divorce!!!!!

 

[Alfisto Steve]

I wish my wife would get a bit more car smart. She's just trashed the engine on the 156 after cracking the radiator against a curb, ignoring the pretty red light and temp gauge maxing out whilse driving some 10 miles in searing heat, stop start driving etc... head warped but not cracked and cylinder liners scored after rings stuck.... fortunately what with labour being so cheap here it's all recoverable and I'm just glad it was her car and not the 164 as that may have been cause for divorce!!!!!

That is a bummer. My wife is now talking to her mother about how smart Sara is in that she called me even though I was 600 miles away when coolant tank low level light came on and steam was coming out of hood.

As we talked she tried adding coolant and saw it was immediately pouring out on the ground. She was savvy enough to be in a gas station and ask permission to leave car overnight until I got home to fix it.

Engine was still full of coolant and it only took about 1 gallon of coolant to top off once I fixed hose.

Dad is proud of his daughter(s)! She the youngest raised me right I guess. MY older daughter thinks I have our youngest brainwashed even though she drove a Fiat Brava in High School and an Alfa Milano after college. Her Mom my first wife (deceased) made me put her in a Dodge Colt (aka Mitsubishi ?) in college since campus was 330 miles from us and no Fiat mechs nearby.

 

[ChazzyD]

BTW, the red stripe relays come up on eBay occasionally if anybody is thinking about getting a spare. They are used in a few other cars besides just the Alfa 164.
Charles

 

[Alfisto Steve]

BTW, the red stripe relays come up on eBay occasionally if anybody is thinking about getting a spare. They are used in a few other cars besides just the Alfa 164.
Charles

That is where I got last new one and it was listed for a Jag.

 

[AlexGS]

I wish my wife would get a bit more car smart. She's just trashed the engine on the 156 after cracking the radiator against a curb, ignoring the pretty red light and temp gauge maxing out whilse driving some 10 miles in searing heat, stop start driving etc... head warped but not cracked and cylinder liners scored after rings stuck.... fortunately what with labour being so cheap here it's all recoverable and I'm just glad it was her car and not the 164 as that may have been cause for divorce!!!!!

In defence of your wife, the temperature gauge in the 156 mounted in the centre console is way out of the line of sight for the driver - even the red light in the gauge would be quite easy to miss in daylight. I like what they've done with the 2002-onwards 'interior facelift' 156 that I have - the Infocentre (on the top of the dash) makes a chilling triple-beep and displays 'Engine Coolant Excessive Temperature', which is very hard to miss. Happened once when it was having some strange coolant pressurising/airlock problem and certainly got my attention. I replaced the head gasket as a precaution and now it uses no coolant at all.

Then again, maybe with left-hand-drive the temp gauge is closest to the driver? For right-hand-drive it's the left out of the three (temperature, clock, fuel gauge) and unless you purposefully look at it, you don't notice it. It's about where the glovebox lock button is on a 164

-Alex

 

[AlexGS]

As we talked she tried adding coolant and saw it was immediately pouring out on the ground. She was savvy enough to be in a gas station and ask permission to leave car overnight until I got home to fix it.

Engine was still full of coolant and it only took about 1 gallon of coolant to top off once I fixed hose.

Dad is proud of his daughter(s)!

As you should be - Sara sounds quite some girl.
That sounds unusual to have a hose failure like that? Has the heater matrix been replaced yet?

My 164 is currently out as a loan car and making regular long trips... crossing my fingers nothing goes wrong...

-Alex

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Check your old 164 12v V6 heater hose on rear of left (front) head

As you should be - Sara sounds quite some girl.
That sounds unusual to have a hose failure like that? Has the heater matrix been replaced yet?

My 164 is currently out as a loan car and making regular long trips... crossing my fingers nothing goes wrong...

-Alex

We have had three 12v V6 164s have that short 6" hose off rear of left head fail.

Son's 92L, now sold red 93L, Black Beauty on track under high power and now Originale my 164B. However, this thin hose lasted 21 years on my 164B made in March of 90.

Two reasons for this - old age and thin wall thickness.

I have had to order Milano/75 hose that runs from coolant hose tee at Milano/GTV6 lower radiator hose tee fitting to heater and coolant tank tee on these models as it is thin heater collant hose with 3/4" (19mm) ID. I can cut three 164 hoses from one Milano hose.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

As you should be - Sara sounds quite some girl.
That sounds unusual to have a hose failure like that? Has the heater matrix been replaced yet?

My 164 is currently out as a loan car and making regular long trips... crossing my fingers nothing goes wrong...

-Alex

Yes heater core replaced some years back.

Here is my car girl in truck:
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/1034408-post3.html

 

[v6junky]

In defence of your wife, the temperature gauge in the 156 mounted in the centre console is way out of the line of sight for the driver - even the red light in the gauge would be quite easy to miss in daylight. I like what they've done with the 2002-onwards 'interior facelift' 156 that I have - the Infocentre (on the top of the dash) makes a chilling triple-beep and displays 'Engine Coolant Excessive Temperature', which is very hard to miss. Happened once when it was having some strange coolant pressurising/airlock problem and certainly got my attention. I replaced the head gasket as a precaution and now it uses no coolant at all.

Then again, maybe with left-hand-drive the temp gauge is closest to the driver? For right-hand-drive it's the left out of the three (temperature, clock, fuel gauge) and unless you purposefully look at it, you don't notice it. It's about where the glovebox lock button is on a 164

-Alex

Absolutely right Alex, The terrific design gurus at Centro Stile did a wonderful job with the interior, possibly one of the nicest interiors out there even by today’s standards, but the gauge is way out of site and mirrors yours, so it is on the far right in my case. I am however going to rig up a buzzer to the light so if this should happen again, as soon as the light switches on; bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!! Either that or an electric shock device on the seat… Could be fun during the start up test cycle!!

 

[SpiralArchitect]

Isn't that red stripe relay just a regular relay with a diode to protect the circuit from voltage spikes when the contacts open? It comes in plenty of models, I remember my sister having trouble with one just like that in her Saxo and local Citroen mechanics couldn't figure out what was wrong...

Talking about total coolant loss... years ago the diesel ZX had a ruptured radiator hose, so my brother (the usual driver) went back to college that weekend with the Passat. For the whole month he was out, my mother used to drive the diesel ZX with no coolant. It didn't had a low coolant level warning light and there was no coolant to activate the red light on the dash. So it burned a head gasket, and probably warped the head.

The incompetent mechanic replaced the head gasket and I think he used the same stretch bolts on the new head. He said he wouldn't guarantee the repair because the torque on the bolts was below spec. A few weeks later, the valve clatter increased WAY beyond what is expected of a engine design from the late 70s. I warned my father there should be a valve hitting a piston, but then again... I was just one of those kids who "knows it all" and the warning wasn't taken seriously.

And I was right, a valve was hitting the third piston, so the same mechanic replaced the valves on that cylinder and the piston and rings plus, the crankshaft bearings next to it. 200 000 km later it still runs, but with none of the head against the seat torque it used to have.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Trying to milk it until fall weather arrives

Removed mayo from front valve cover, oil seperator and hoses, repaired cracked hose from oil seperator to big intake corragated hose and added another vial of Barrs stop leak.

Plan to start engine coolant test drive car tomorrow and monitor oil cap for returning Mayo.

Oil change due soon in 300 miles, timing belt change due in 6000 miles and state inspection due in 30 some days.

I want to get annual state inspection done before I put the car down for major surgery.

Probably time to just bite the bulllet and install new engine I built up last year and test ran last winter.

Originale engine and head gaskets now have an honest 210k on it/them and clutch has about 50k on it.

I also tested the bad red stripe relay my son changed in his ex's 91 164L in my Originale today and got a no start so good bad relay to use as a way to be sure a thief can't steal my 164.

 

[SpiralArchitect]

How hard is it to swap an engine on that car?

This week my brother brought the '07 Renault Clio for maintenance: all filters and oil. I'll laugh of anyone saying 164 maintenance isn't easy. Had to take the whole intake apart to change the air filter, plus the AC filter cover had 5.5 mm screws on it that only came out with pliers. The diesel filter was easy, it's push and fit and had to make a square wrench for the oil plug.
Ever heard about changing filters every 10 000 km? Will do it on this one: look at the size.

Oil filter
LS932
Characteristics
Height : 54 mm
Ø exterior : 76 mm
Thread : M20x1,5

 

[Alfisto Steve]

It takes some doing to change engine

How hard is it to swap an engine on that car?

Pretty time consuming to ready car for engine change.

First I need to finish building up my QEC (quick engine change) of the previously tested engine with refaced flywheel, new clutch and spare rebuilt tranny before I pull out old engine and tranny.

I also need to get back to Black Beauty 2 the 164S rehab project.

To many 164s in Que.

 

[SpiralArchitect]

I was also planning on swapping the engine on the diesel ZX as a friend of my father offered a good engine complete with gearbox and all accessories for 400€. Guess it just won't be on these vacations as I'm now doing home renovation.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Did I ever tell you how much I like

driving my 164B Originale 5-speed? I have been driving BB1 w/AT to long I guess and even though I can make it sing pretty good with my 2-3 and 3-2 slap shifting nothing sings much like or the same a V6 12v Alfa engine runing 5-speed tranny through the gears.