Alfa Update
Been working on our Alfa a little bit... We knew when we got her that she would be a running project car. There are a few problem, mostly minor and most that we knew about when we got her, and we're slowly working our way through them.
I was worried at first about the engine temperature, as the gauge kept hovering around 100-110 degrees C. After asking a few other owners, we discovered that these engines run hot, usually 110-120, so we're actually doing very good there!
We had problems with several of the switches. The rear right window wouldn't work, the up/down on the drivers seat, recline on both the front seats. Rebuilt all the problem switches today, now they all work! One item off the repair list!
The air conditioning doesn't blow cold, but I'll be getting that looked at by an Alfa mechanic this Wednesday when I get her oil changed.
We hadn't been able to get the alarm system working, so after getting all the switches fixed, I investigated that. Pulled the left side panel out of the trunk to check the fuses on the battery... Hmmm... They weren't there, the entire alarm fuse panel was gone! Pulled the panel off the opposite side where the alarm unit is... It's there, but completely disconnected from the electrical harness. Essentially, it's been permanently disabled. Well, our insurance offered a discount if we install a modern alarm, so we'll price that out. But while investigating the alarm, I found a puddle of water in the trunk - not good! Traced it back to a pool of water in one of the tail lights. Seems it's cracked along an edge, something we'll have to replace, but good to find, since water pooling in the trunk could have led to a rusted out floor fast! Until we can replace the tail light, I drilled a small hole in the bottom so the water can drain, rather than overflow into the trunk.
Other things we'll ahve to look after in the near future, the leather on the front seats needs to be repaired and redyed, some minor trim problems, minor body dings to be corrected, carpets and head liner need to be steam cleaned... Nothing big, and nothing we can't look after over the next couple of months.
The car is a delight to drive though! We have the service receipts from new, and the last work the original owner had done was a complete suspension overhaul - new bushes, ball joins, shocks, etc - over $3000 in work, all done only 4000 km ago! Overtaking a slow car on the highway today, we found our speed crept up to 155kph! (that's almost 100mph for you Americans) That speed, without even a hint of shake, drift, or even noise inside! The original owner also only had one modification to the car - he had an Ansa exhaust installed, so she has a delightful low rumble!
Well, that's it for now. More as more work gets done!
I was worried at first about the engine temperature, as the gauge kept hovering around 100-110 degrees C. After asking a few other owners, we discovered that these engines run hot, usually 110-120, so we're actually doing very good there!
We had problems with several of the switches. The rear right window wouldn't work, the up/down on the drivers seat, recline on both the front seats. Rebuilt all the problem switches today, now they all work! One item off the repair list!
The air conditioning doesn't blow cold, but I'll be getting that looked at by an Alfa mechanic this Wednesday when I get her oil changed.
We hadn't been able to get the alarm system working, so after getting all the switches fixed, I investigated that. Pulled the left side panel out of the trunk to check the fuses on the battery... Hmmm... They weren't there, the entire alarm fuse panel was gone! Pulled the panel off the opposite side where the alarm unit is... It's there, but completely disconnected from the electrical harness. Essentially, it's been permanently disabled. Well, our insurance offered a discount if we install a modern alarm, so we'll price that out. But while investigating the alarm, I found a puddle of water in the trunk - not good! Traced it back to a pool of water in one of the tail lights. Seems it's cracked along an edge, something we'll have to replace, but good to find, since water pooling in the trunk could have led to a rusted out floor fast! Until we can replace the tail light, I drilled a small hole in the bottom so the water can drain, rather than overflow into the trunk.
Other things we'll ahve to look after in the near future, the leather on the front seats needs to be repaired and redyed, some minor trim problems, minor body dings to be corrected, carpets and head liner need to be steam cleaned... Nothing big, and nothing we can't look after over the next couple of months.
The car is a delight to drive though! We have the service receipts from new, and the last work the original owner had done was a complete suspension overhaul - new bushes, ball joins, shocks, etc - over $3000 in work, all done only 4000 km ago! Overtaking a slow car on the highway today, we found our speed crept up to 155kph! (that's almost 100mph for you Americans) That speed, without even a hint of shake, drift, or even noise inside! The original owner also only had one modification to the car - he had an Ansa exhaust installed, so she has a delightful low rumble!
Well, that's it for now. More as more work gets done!