166 Climate control-tried to gas me!!!!!

Greetings!
a little would be appreciated if anyone has experienced anything similar!! I have a 166 3.0 with 115,000 miles that I've had for 37,000 miles. It has a full main steeler history.
Set off the other day and within 1/2 mile had a nasty smell, you know the burning electrical type of smell. Stopped the car and prepared to bail out. Then, just like in the movies a white gas started coming out all of the vents. I left it running (thoughts of the insurance money if it was an electrical fire perhaps?). There was no problem with the engine and the smoke cleared. The ICS unit had the error "AIR CON Faulty Contact workship". Now none of the climate or air con or manual controls work at all.
Two possible options.
a) the system had a gas leak (what does aircon gas look/smell like?). Does anyone know whether the system goes into a full shutdown if the gas is low? Would all the controls, even the manual controls fail?
b) More likely is the smoke was electrical and the fan unit has burned out. Has this ever happened to anyone? Has anyone ever had to change a fan? I'm a decent mechanic but I was wondering if anyone has done this and any hints. I don't even want to know what the stealers would charge for it...
Answers on a postcard!

My Thanks in advance....

If gas escaped it is usually odourless unless burning and that really stinks and is very unhealthy (I breathed tons of it when I used to be a refridgeration engineer). System goes into shutdown if low pressure but the controls should work.

Fan units are not too difficult to replace normally but not really DIY unless you are a pretty good DIY'er. I have no experience of doing it on a 166. It might be your control unit that has burned out, gonna need further investigation I am afraid.

Mike

ps: You can't sleep either huh?

Well, I started pulling bits off today. It's not the aircon gas, the system was fully charged Ahem...
It is the fan. I eventually removed it after pulling bits off for 2 hours, I have a huge pile of plastics bits to put back on. When I eventually took the fan off, a quick spin by hand revealed the same smell of burning, definately cooked although no sign of an obstruction. Also found a blown 30A fuse which I guess is in the circuit. The question is now was the fan cause or symptom?
Hopefully I'll find out tomorrow as I'm off to a local scrapyard to pick up a used fan, and of course practice whereabouts all those plastic bits come from.
Also found the polen filter- 115,000 miles and never been changed by the looks... mmm tasty
I've taken a few photos and will will take more during the re-assembly if anyone is interested.

Hi sorry to hear of your "melted" fan

I actually bought a car a month ago with a broken fan, i didn't notice it at the time but after some hazzle getting some money back from the guy who sold it to me (without telling me about the fan) i went to the local Alfa shop (actually there's only one as i'm living in Iceland).

The parts cost me approx :
Fan motor - 250 pounds
Polen filter - 50 pounds
Computer readout - 30 pounds
Labor - 250 pounds (Changing Fan motor and change filter and actually they fixed an airbag sensor also in like 10 minutes).

Total = 580 pounds
Fortunatly i managed to get 360 pounds of the previous owner, so the damage wasn't that bad.

Now as you've been able to get the damm thing out yourself you've saved yourself a bunch of money, just hope you can finish putting the little devil back together.

It's funny you should mention the pollen filter, many 164 owners will tell you they didnt even know the car had one (maybe 166 owners the same) and when they look it is totally black and obstructing air passage, a good clean (or expensive replacement) and the aircon works 200% better. I cleaned mine in a hot solution of water and washing up liquid, took about 4 sink fulls and carefully cleaning between the veins, the water went black like I had poured ink into it ! but now clean and aircon works perfectly. I don't think mine had ever been cleaned or replaced even after full dealer service history from new. I think a new filter costs something stupid like £35...clean the old one.

If bearing were going in fan then current draw would have blown fuse, after that much use it is quite normal to have a failure. Get one from the lowest mileage car you can find.

i think the pollen filters are activated carbon so that would explain the blackness....i got a new one from shop4parts for about 15 squid - takes 2 mins to change

Originally Posted by niallmoran

i think the pollen filters are activated carbon so that would explain the blackness....

You got it in one! Common mistake. There's only a handfull of foam filters that are washable. Most filters have carbon. I washed mine out too once but must admit it works better without the carbon, not so healthy but better airflow which the 164 needs.

well bugger me....well ok don't take that literally. That makes sense of course, so I guess the carbon is somehow stuck to the paper? It's wierd though as I thought I had seen a brand new one and it only looked like paper..... Maybe I will get a new one if they are only 15 quid.

Mike

164 have them as well!....awsome, you can get filters from halfrods as well! Does anyone else know that in 164 if you turn the lights on when the key is out you can use the windows and heater etc...

Originally Posted by a17esh

Does anyone else know that in 164 if you turn the lights on when the key is out you can use the windows and heater etc...

OMFG = I will try this in the 166 (when it gets back) - the windows really **** me off.

The ICS works when key is out anyway & has auto off after a bit to save the battery.

Do you need parking lights on, or the main lights?

er
Back to the fan- Local scrapyard had plenty of ALfa's including 6 166's in a frightening 4 of them had underbonnet fires.... anyone any wiser about this?
Anyway found a 3.0 that had the engine removed and set about taking out the fan. It took about 10 minutes because
a) I could stand where the engine used to be shaded from the hot sun by the bonnet.
b) I already knew which of the 20 nuts and bolts were helpfull to remove
c) I didn't mind bending the odd bit to get at what I wanted and the air-con was already de-gassed.

All in fan which includes the flap and the re-circulator flap motor with all the fuses and relays that sit along there AND a bonus... A new looking pollen filter!!!!!!!!!! as well as a heated seat switch that I required from a previous problem. All in £50.
If it is not too hot tomorrow then i will crack on and fit the fan.
If anyone is interested in pictures I'll take a few more and write some notes. If no-one is bothered then I'll skip it.
I'll keep you posted.

Originally Posted by a17esh

Does anyone else know that in 164 if you turn the lights on when the key is out you can use the windows and heater etc...

Really? I often leave my lights on, but the ignition turns everything off.

Job done. New fan and filter fitted.
A really git of a job involving lots of wobbly drives and long extensions, magnetic pick up tools and skinned knuckles. I'm pretty good at it now as I was just finishing off and one of the sealing washers for the air-con pipe fell out down under the -just installed- fan. Yes, you guessed it, I had to start again and rip it all out to find the innocent (what me guv?) looking washer right under the fan. No amount of mirrors, grab tools or torches could find it until I took the fan out again. All back together now and working. I did take some photos so if anyone is attempting the same job I can sort them out. I even have some hints and tips- like don't drop the washers etc...

Now all I need is a cheap air-con re-fill..... any ideas in the Yorkshire UK area?

Until next time.....

car repairs really expand your four letter vocab don't they Funk?
Which scrap yard did you go to? There is one at Sherburn in Elmet which specialises in Alfa.

Be wary of too cheap aircon refills, they should vacuum the system out properly then refill including the correct oil and dye and do a proper leak test afterwards. normally around the £80-£100 mark for a pro job. Let us know what you find out.

Yes the scrap yard was in Sherburn specialising in Alfa's.
I asked him how much for a couple of old weatherbeaten front seats. "We only sell complete interiors", "What even the one's that have been out in the weather? in a car with the doors removed?" "YES"
Oh well, I fancied a couple of cheap 166 leather seats for the Garden, they are very comfy!! Ten minutes with a welder and some tube and I'd have had a couple of nice new garden chairs!
I guess I'll have to find some from an old Jag or something in a more co-operative yard (if such a thing exists any more!)
mmmm sun, beer, barby and comfy chairs.....

If you have all the gear, recharging the aircon's not too bad a job. You have to know the weight of refridgerant to put in and also the amount of oil. This should be on either the aircon pump or a sticker somewhere, or a good search of the web can get you there - even some dealers help out now and again! My mate kitted up with a vacuum pump, all the consumables, some nitrogen to test charge the system and gauges for testing pressure seals for about 300 quid. Sounds a lot, but once you have all the kit then you'll be surprised how many people come out of the woodwork (as I did!!) that need a recharge. And at 50 quid a pop, you'll soon make that money back, and save friends and family a bomb too - everyone wins!!

He got his gear from eBay and here:

http://WWW.CAR-AIR-CONDITIONING-SUPPLIES.CO.UK