Hi all,
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I'm having a little (understatement) issue with my Alfa 159. A couple of weeks ago she overheated and blew the hose that goes from the thermostat area to the bulkhead - for cabin heating. Temperature only shot up to 130 for 20 seconds or so.
After a bit of detective work, I worked out the fan wasn't working. Pulled fan out and replaced, tested with alfadiag and all good. Temp sensors and relays etc all working normally. Car heats up to about 98 degrees according to alfadiag and the fan then kicks in and the temp drops back to 90 or so. All good I thought.
Changed oil as part of the maintenance as I had it up on the hoist etc.
Car drove fine for a couple of days - no issues with temp etc. But when I got home tonight after a 230k round trip, I noticed the coolant was a little low. Checked for leaks and couldn't see anything. Pulled oil cap - clean, pulled dip stick - oh oh. Milky about half way up.
So decided to pull the spark plugs. Cylinder 1 has water in it. Actually sitting on the piston. I'm guessing it got sucked in as the engine cooled? Ouch.
So to state the obvious, I'm guessing I have blown a head gasket. Car has 207,000 K on it. Is that something that would be expected for such a short over temp?
I plan to pull the head off in the next couple of days, but have a couple of questions. If someone could point me in the right direction that would be good.
What do I need to know about the jts injection system, pumps, etc?
How do I deal with the timing chain - All my other cars have belts.
Do the head bolts have to be replaced - seems to be conflicting information?
What do I need to have checked with regards to the head. Some people are talking about hardness.
Any pointers as to where I can find a how to? If not, I'll be happy to do one as I proceed.
I'm at the bottom of the planet in Van Diemen's land. Not a lot of mechanics who deal with alfa's here. I have a fully set up workshop of my own - hoists, cranes, the works. I have done a number of heads on BMW's and Peugeot's over the years so a not a novice.
Cheers,
Carl
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I'm having a little (understatement) issue with my Alfa 159. A couple of weeks ago she overheated and blew the hose that goes from the thermostat area to the bulkhead - for cabin heating. Temperature only shot up to 130 for 20 seconds or so.
After a bit of detective work, I worked out the fan wasn't working. Pulled fan out and replaced, tested with alfadiag and all good. Temp sensors and relays etc all working normally. Car heats up to about 98 degrees according to alfadiag and the fan then kicks in and the temp drops back to 90 or so. All good I thought.
Changed oil as part of the maintenance as I had it up on the hoist etc.
Car drove fine for a couple of days - no issues with temp etc. But when I got home tonight after a 230k round trip, I noticed the coolant was a little low. Checked for leaks and couldn't see anything. Pulled oil cap - clean, pulled dip stick - oh oh. Milky about half way up.
So decided to pull the spark plugs. Cylinder 1 has water in it. Actually sitting on the piston. I'm guessing it got sucked in as the engine cooled? Ouch.
So to state the obvious, I'm guessing I have blown a head gasket. Car has 207,000 K on it. Is that something that would be expected for such a short over temp?
I plan to pull the head off in the next couple of days, but have a couple of questions. If someone could point me in the right direction that would be good.
What do I need to know about the jts injection system, pumps, etc?
How do I deal with the timing chain - All my other cars have belts.
Do the head bolts have to be replaced - seems to be conflicting information?
What do I need to have checked with regards to the head. Some people are talking about hardness.
Any pointers as to where I can find a how to? If not, I'll be happy to do one as I proceed.
I'm at the bottom of the planet in Van Diemen's land. Not a lot of mechanics who deal with alfa's here. I have a fully set up workshop of my own - hoists, cranes, the works. I have done a number of heads on BMW's and Peugeot's over the years so a not a novice.
Cheers,
Carl