[A_Venables]

Ive just pulled into my Mum and Dads with smoke pooring from the bonnet (or what I thought). Turns out it coolant, ive still got loads left in the coolant bottle, but it was fast disappearing. The place it looks to be coming from is a plastic elbow behind/below the right hand side rear of the inlet manifold. Where is going to be the best place to get one of these from? Looking on the American forums with the GM version of this engine, there looks to be a aluminium version being produced? Anyone had experience of this problem? Again, the engine is the 3.2 V6 in my Spider Q4. Help please as it looks like the car is stuck up my mum and dads till I can repair this! Also any special notes on bleeding the coolant system on this car?

 

[Mr Flibble]

From your description, is sounds like the same pipe mine leaked from 6 weeks or so back.

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa...era-3-2-v6-q4-blue-smoke-from-engine-bay.html

It turned out to be the heater matrix pipe. I think my invoice said something like £65 for the replacement part.

 

[A_Venables]

From your description, is sounds like the same pipe mine leaked from 6 weeks or so back.

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa...era-3-2-v6-q4-blue-smoke-from-engine-bay.html

It turned out to be the heater matrix pipe. I think my invoice said something like £65 for the replacement part.

Thanks ever so much for the reply, yes, its that pipe and mine didn't end up in 2 pieces like yours but has a hair line crack in it to which when hot is pouring out under pressure! Ive replaced this with part of a heater hose I had spare for a Calibra I never used years back and copper tube (yes, its a bodge, but got the car home), but its a temporary repair and I need a replacement. The nearest Alfa/Fiat dealership have quoted me £83 for the replacement part, which I think is excessive, just for a heater hose! Where did you get yours from? Silly as the dealer wants to sell me 2 full length heater matrix hoses and all I need is the plastic elbow in your thread! Would be made at a cost of less than £2 no doubt!:furious:

 

[Mr Flibble]

Mine was likely a hairline crack too, as it was leaking out under pressure as you describe, then dripping onto the hot exhaust and burning off. It happened only a few days after I bought the car, so I had the garage I bought it from pay for diagnosis and repair at JCS Kegworth.

I'm assuming it broke apart on removal, as that's the picture the garage sent me to confirm the diagnosis.
As the garage were paying for the repair I let JCS supply and fit it.

I found a place online that were selling the hose for about £45. unfortunately I didn't save the link or even the part number.

 

[swq4]

Why not get an after-market alloy elbow of the right size: Alloy 90 Degree Elbow - Polished Alloy Bend Joiner
Surely a better long term fix (and cheaper)

 

[A_Venables]

Mine was likely a hairline crack too, as it was leaking out under pressure as you describe, then dripping onto the hot exhaust and burning off. It happened only a few days after I bought the car, so I had the garage I bought it from pay for diagnosis and repair at JCS Kegworth.

I'm assuming it broke apart on removal, as that's the picture the garage sent me to confirm the diagnosis.
As the garage were paying for the repair I let JCS supply and fit it.

I found a place online that were selling the hose for about £45. unfortunately I didn't save the link or even the part number.

Unfortunately for me the Auto has a different set to the manual so I've found out, which are more expensive than the standard ones. So I've ordered them. If they were the manual ones, I could have got them from a few places, the Auto ones are a little harder to source.:irked:

Why not get an after-market alloy elbow of the right size: Alloy 90 Degree Elbow - Polished Alloy Bend Joiner
Surely a better long term fix (and cheaper)

Wish I could, but the connectors on the OE part are specific to the rail it connects too.

 

[letholdus]

Thanks ever so much for the reply, yes, its that pipe and mine didn't end up in 2 pieces like yours but has a hair line crack in it to which when hot is pouring out under pressure! Ive replaced this with part of a heater hose I had spare for a Calibra I never used years back and copper tube (yes, its a bodge, but got the car home), but its a temporary repair and I need a replacement. The nearest Alfa/Fiat dealership have quoted me £83 for the replacement part, which I think is excessive, just for a heater hose! Where did you get yours from? Silly as the dealer wants to sell me 2 full length heater matrix hoses and all I need is the plastic elbow in your thread! Would be made at a cost of less than £2 no doubt!:furious:

hey, late reply, but I’m the middle of changing these and having troubling removing the connections On the old hoses. Squeeze and pull right? But won’ t budge