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What a day!!

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1K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  vince156 
#1 ·
So, picture the scene....

6am start,with a cold wet drive to Manchester in the trusty Alfa over Woodhead pass. Fun me thinks :) , as I set off bleary eyed, hoping that my drive will be as entertaining as last time (long story - don't ask! ;) )

20 mins into the journey the following things happened:

1. Outside temp reading went crazy and read -45 degrees C.
2. Engine temp went up to 100 degrees C on the gauge. (got VERY hot in the cabin)
3. Recirc fan died in an attempt to rid the engine of heat.
4. Drivers electric window got stuck in the half down position.
5. Air con packed up and refused to work.
6. External lights dimmed and brightened randomly.
7. Ran out of water for the wash wipe.

And the final insult.........

8. Was overtaken by a T reg Chaved up Saxo..........

****.

What the hell is going on???!!!! This is a 9 month old car, with 9K on the odometer.

Got to the customer late and very pi55ed off. He was understanding and gave my car that 'looks nice, but wouldn't trust it as far as I could kick it' look. :(

Now I'm an ardent fan of Alfas and really wouldn't change it for the world. Having driven many over the past few years, it's the car of choice for me time and time again. But why oh why can they not build cars that work? :confused:

I've contacted the dealer this afternoon and they had no clues. (no surprise there then!!)

The worse bit is that arriving home just now, the sodding car is acting like everything is ok. EVERYTHING WORKS AGAIN!!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad:

I'm going to look such a tw4t going to the garage tomorrow. :(


HELP!!!!!!!
 
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#2 ·
I sympathise with you and now that you may have calm down, try to consider the positive side of it.

It could have been worst like a mechanical problem preventing you from even reaching your customer premises.

You know that it is related to the electrics/electronics of the car.

This narrows down the problem for your alfa dealer :p

For the symptoms themselves, I can't help and never experienced ANY of yours but you questions are out there and I am sure you'll get some clues form other members !
 
#3 ·
Sounds like it might have been momentary electrics fault (short?) that has cleared itself :confused:

... absolutely no point going to the garage IMHO - unless it could be a computer fault that might turn up on the diagnostic equipment :confused:

... sorry no help really :(
 
#4 ·
Are you sure its not something simple like a knackered battery or earth cable - didn't Rick have some problems with an earth cable that kept pulling off............
 
#5 ·
Would that explain the engine overheating?? Not too sure about the earth cable.
The battery should be fine. I wasn't loading the system and asking for juice. I'm at a total loss.

Shame really, cos I was really enjoying driving the car. :( This is the first set of problems Ive had.
 
#7 ·
Alfa20V said:
Would that explain the engine overheating?? Not too sure about the earth cable.
The battery should be fine. I wasn't loading the system and asking for juice. I'm at a total loss.

Shame really, cos I was really enjoying driving the car. :( This is the first set of problems Ive had.
Sounds like all the electrical equipment that puts a large load on the battery had stopped working.

Engine overheating - Fan not working or something to do with the turbo?

Only way for the external lights to dim is for a fault in the battery / alternator circuit
 
#8 ·
Pascs said:
Are you sure its not something simple like a knackered battery or earth cable - didn't Rick have some problems with an earth cable that kept pulling off............

Yes!
But mine was the main battery to starter motor cable which broke it's battery clamp so occasionally wouldn't make contact. The battery cables are moulded to an exact length. There is no give in them at all. The JTD engine moves about quite a bit and it gradually broke the clamp. Round about 9,000 miles as well.
:rolleyes:
It is worth checking Alfa20v. Give the battery cables a good wiggle and see if there is any movement at the clamp (battery) end.
 
#10 ·
RicksAlfas said:
Yes!
But mine was the main battery to starter motor cable which broke it's battery clamp so occasionally wouldn't make contact. The battery cables are moulded to an exact length. There is no give in them at all. The JTD engine moves about quite a bit and it gradually broke the clamp. Round about 9,000 miles as well.
:rolleyes:
It is worth checking Alfa20v. Give the battery cables a good wiggle and see if there is any movement at the clamp (battery) end.
Had same problem with battery to starter cable on mine though down to poor PDI, electrics went funky and alarm started going off and then I could no longer start the car, great first 20mins in my brand new GT JTD :( the AA man loved the car though :lol: lets hope its that simple.

Cheers
 
#11 ·
@rosbird....in a word YES it did! Sodd1ng kevved up saxo's :rant:

@ricksalfa.....will check in the morning - good idea! ;)

@stori.....as the engine overheated the cabin got roasting. I had the climate control on 16 degrees and then on 'low' and it still pumped out VERY hot air. Maybe it is the climate control. Not sure. I still opened the windows to try and shed temp out of the engine bay. It DID actually make a difference to the temp gauge inside the cabin....not sure what that means tho.... :confused:

Had another check this evening. Went for a drive and all seems ok. The only other thing now is the internal lights don't come on when the drivers door is opened. They DO work tho, as when you arm/disarm the alarm they activate.

I think I've got some SERIOUS gremlins inside.......... :(

Will a full diagnostic at a dealer show this up or will they be as clueless as ever?? I don't know what Im looking for when it comes to electrical nerdyness. Should I wait and see over the next week?? :confused: Head spinning now........
 
#12 ·
There was talk in the paper today about reported UFO incidents that have just been released under the Freedom of Information Act. You could have been the victim of close encounter of the 3rd kind. The gremlins could have been caused by a massive burst of electro-magnetic radiation from the mother ship.

That wouldn't have affected the chavved Saxo 'cos only aliens drive them.

:eek:
There're out there and watching us.​
:eek:
 
#13 ·
That would explain a lot! (also the green glow that I now have!! )
Maybe I should try that on with the dealer this morning and see what they say! :D :cheese: Are alien encounters included in the AO warranty??!
 
#14 ·
@Toxic :cheese: ... that's soooo true :eek:

... So lego crazed Alfa20V what's the update mate :D How is your car now :)
 
#15 ·
kurzon said:
@Toxic :cheese: ... that's soooo true :eek:

... So lego crazed Alfa20V what's the update mate :D How is your car now :)
Lego crazed? Moi? Good to see your memory chips are still working after the transformation into T100! ;)

They put my beloved on the ramp, had a poke around, plugged it in and then proudly announced that they couldn't find anything wrong. :confused: :( They even said that nothing showed up on the diagnostics. Will it only record engine stats or general stats from the car??

Anyway, I have to say that Im not convinced. I've been watching the temp gauge like a hawk all day and dare not put my tunes on for fear of missing something important.

Everything seems to work ok tho now. Even the air con.

The door switch has failed and thats why the internal lights dont come on.

I followed the advise above and looked at the cables to make sure they were connected tightly - all was well to my untrained eye.

I'm very confused. :confused: Might wait and see what else shows up.

Cheers Kurz ;)
 
#16 ·
I agree with Rick, it could well be a problem with the earth connection. I had all sorts of wierd electrical things happen on my old 145, including a temp guage that had a mind of it's own. the problem was eventually traced to a bad contact on the earth strap. You could feel this was hot to the touch when it got too bad.

May be worth a check. Good luck getting it sorted.
 
#17 ·
Add my name to the electrical vote . . .we are voting aren't we? ;)

Work your way logically through the battery/alternator circuit checking for loose connections. I've even had corrosion on the inside of the -ve battery cap :rant: that produced loads of symptoms which I would have found if I taken my own advice above :)
 
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