Alfa Pages

[micap]

Hello

On my old 33, at normal speeds the water temp would be around 80-85, which I think is pretty normal. But my new Alfa shows a temperature of about 60 at normal driving speed. Only when I'm holding still at idle, the temperature reaches 80, but then the fan cuts in. This sounds a bit too low to me, but the previous owner said he changed the thermostat. Don't really know if I want to believe this, because he said he changed the rearbrakes too, but I know now that that's not true. If not the thermostat, what else could it be?
_________________
/Michael

ex 89 1.7 QV
now 85 1.5 QV with 1.7 engine.

[Rob (Perth)]

My initial guess would be that the thermostat is still not working, or is not the right one. My old 33 also ran at 80 exactly for many years, then dropped to around 60 for a long while, which didn't concern me too much in our Aussie temperatures. The t'stat must have been stuck too far open. Later, it stuck too far closed and I had overheating problems. A new thermostat brought it back to the 80-85 degree range, with a faster warm up.

But your problem could be a faulty temp gauge, although you do say it registers increased temp at idle. The fan should only cut in between 90 and 95 degrees, not 80, so maybe the gauge or wiring is faulty. A bad ground contact on the gauge could be the problem - check that out first for a no-cost fix. While you are at it, clean up all the ground connections anyway!

Good luck.

Rob

[micap]

I'm guessing the thermostat and/or the temp gauge too. Will change both in the near future, it's not that expensive.
_________________
/Michael

ex 89 1.7 QV
now 85 1.5 QV with 1.7 engine.

[bron]

in australia, sometimes people rip out the thermostat and stick in a cheaper one. Problem is, sometimes they work too well. We had problems cos the previous owner ripped it all out and put in a holden one.

[Eddie W]

Hi
The original Alfa thermostats are a fail open setup. They are double ended ,as one end opens the bypass closes,any replacement that doesn't act like this confuses the water flow and can create all sorts of problems. I have replaced 2 of mine with the earlier 2 piece housings and anaftermarket thermostat so that they are easily changed if there's a problem. Iwill try and track down part no. look also at your fan switch on the l/h side of the rad as I've had to replace all 3 of mine to get the fan working right. You could check it in a pot of hot water on the stove using a thermometer and a continuity meter to tell at what temp it opens.
Regards Eddie

[leadfoot]

if you are only doing short journeys you need to check if they have taken out the thermostat without replacing it if you have no thermostat it will take longer to heat up the water. [/quote]