Well firstly. I'd imagine NZ to be a bit cooler than SA, so it will take longer to reach temp.

Secondly, I'm not aware of different thermostats for NZ and SA

Thirdly....Alfa Thermostats are poor quality and have a short service life, so I'd get it changed..mind you..for those of us in temperate climates 4km to get up to temp is average, but it is probably the thermostat anyway..they all fail in my experience.

AlfaLincs

 

Mine takes about 4km to get up to temp on a cold day and thats with a new thermostat.
I would say the stat is ok, providing the temperature stays at around 85ºC and doesn't drop significantly when you are driving along.

If the stat is stuck open the car will tend to run at around 60ºC whilst the car is moving along, and rise when the car is stationary.

HTH
Simon.

 

Wish mine got up to temp that quickly even with a new stat!

 

i have a new thermostat and new rad and my car does exactly the same

 

my car temp warms up about 4km, thats what? 2.5miles? sounds normal. Thermostat slowly rises and falls between 70-90 with fan kicking in if it ever pushes a whisker over 90 = hardly ever, not sure thats a good thing.

my last car (rover 414) would heat up at 1 mile but I did put one of those oil additive things in the engine, it would heat up quicker than before, run a touch lower than 90 and it seemed to run quieter and much smoother than before

 

my last car (rover 414) would heat up at 1 mile but I did put one of those oil additive things in the engine, it would heat up quicker than before, run a touch lower than 90 and it seemed to run quieter and much smoother than before

How many Head gaskets did you have to change? My dad had a 414 from new for 9 years, I changed it 3 times!, my wife had a rover 111 for 3 months, i had to change it too!! And we all think Alfas have problems!!:lol: :lol: Mind you look what happened to Rover Hope Fiat don't give up hope on AR

 

I had my stat replaced a few weeks ago because she was constantly running at 60-70.

It now takes about ten mins of driving before the temp reaches around 90 where it stays most of the time.

 

I had my stat replaced a few weeks ago because she was constantly running at 60-70.

It now takes about ten mins of driving before the temp reaches around 90 where it stays most of the time.

check the condition of your radiator

At 70mph (or more ) with it below 0degC outside, my temperature gauge sits with the neadle on the "9" of 90.

At 70mph (or more ) with it above 30degC outside, my temperature gauge sits with the neadle on the "9" of 90.

definately check the condition of your rad. if your rad cant shed heat more effectively when external temp is lower it suggests your rad needs changing.

 

Also, after 2 kms, when in crawling traffic, the gauge shows 90c but as soon as i start speeding up the gauge drops to 70c, that also does not sound normal.

Doesn't it? Sounds totally normal to me - thats how they work. Gets hotter than normal when crawling cos theres no air thru the rad, overheating is prevented by the fan cutting in at 90 odd. They always run a bit cooler at speed. I wouldn't take the reading on the gauge as an accurate measure of actual temperature but as an indication of what's going on it sounds spot on.

 

They always run a bit cooler at speed.

At 70mph (or more ) with it below 0degC outside, my temperature gauge sits with the neadle on the "9" of 90.

At 70mph (or more ) with it above 30degC outside, my temperature gauge sits with the neadle on the "9" of 90.


Looks like mine is the only one... :lol:

 

My beloved 146 1.6 TS always sat at 90c. Those were good times.

However, the 156 JTS doesn't quite do the same. It takes a lot of time to get to 70-75c and it rarely gets towards 90c, when revved harder and in traffic.

I changed the thermostat about a month ago, with no improvement ...

Dunno what to do with it. It doesn't seem normal to me, neither.

 

My JTS is the same!

 

Consider yourself lucky!
My 147 1.6Ti fails to show full water temp on the coldest days over 10 miles/15 mins to work!
It's a bit better if you don't ask for any heat, but if you need warmth to de-mist the windscreen, it takes longer to warm up.
Yours sounds pretty normal to me.

 

Sounds wrong to me; my 145 with the thermostat working properly sees the gauge shifting by teh time I get to the end of the road (200 yards) and by about 500 yards you can feel warmth coming from the heater. When the thermostat was stuck it was taking 15min + to get up to temp, and never got to temp in the winter

 

i've never had one 2 get up 2 temp

 

Mines got new radiator and thermostat. It does a similar thing to David C's.

It shows that the cooling system is working correctly if it is able to keep the engine at a constant temperature whetever the air temperature and vehicle speed.

 

It shows that the cooling system is working correctly if it is able to keep the engine at a constant temperature whetever the air temperature and vehicle speed.

Agreed. 90 degrees (or just a needles width under) is the temperature the car should run at all the time. The thermostat controls how much water gets to the radiator for cooling.. This is what my V6 does with a new radiator. It gets up to 90, and it stays there whether I'm driving at speed or through traffic, whether its cold or warm..

 

my 2.5 v6 gets to 90c after 5-10 mins which is pretty normal but when sat in traffic it rises almost to the next marker on the gauge (presumably somewhere btwn 100 and 105) before the fans cut in. is this normal? i only got the car recently and there is a receipt for a new rad less than 3 months ago so presume that is ok!

 

If it's getting over 100 then it's not too good, your thermostst may be stuck slightly closed, i.e. not letting water flow properly. Obviously water boils at 100 but the pressure tank raises this boiling temp a little however I wouldn't want my car running over 90 for too long........

 

so a new thermostat would be a good idea then?

does that also mean the fan should come on at 90 ish if yours new gets hotter than that?

 

Yes, it does occasionally rise over 90 (thermostat is fully open, but rad has no air flow so cannot cool the water) and then the fan comes on and it swiftly cools back down to 90.

 

When the radiator starts to loose fins the cooling capacity will be reduced. A give away for this is a cooling fan that seems to be coming in very often, even though the aircon is off.

Its not always possibly to see that the radiator has lost fins, as most of it is obstructed.

 

Besides changing the thermostat and radiator in some cases, what else would help ?

Should the temperature sensor be replaced with the thermostat ? Or is it embedded in it ?

 

the temp sensor screws into the top of the thermostat. it doesnt cost much so you could replace it, i replaced mine when i suspected the gauge may be wrong but it made no difference in my case.

 

The gauge runs from a seperate sensor screwed into the cylinder head, the one on the thermostat housing is the one for the ECU.

Butch you can unscrew the sensor from the old thermostat and screw it into the new one.

Simon.

 

so would it be good practice for me to replace the ecu temp sensor on the thermostat at the same time as doing the thermostat? how much are they?
i assume the set up is the same on the 2.5 v6??
thanks guys
jug - are you the same jug who used to be on the fiat forums - many a problem i had with my brava 80sx!!

 

hey moshejay,
i live in Akl NZ also and it sounds normal to me... i would say mine takes similar time to come up to temp and i am often sitting in traffic with my temp @ 90. once you are moving the temp should drop or if you get worried just turn on the fan while you are stationary, seems to help. also with SA you will be at a different altitude & the humidity in AKL is usually around 70% + so naturally different countries will have different affect on the engine.
if you start your engine 5 mins earlier the running heat under the hood should warm it up quicker.. seems to help

 

our gtv took ages to get up to temp ...we found out that one of the twin rad fans had been disconnected, we can only assume that the cooling abilities were too much and so one was disconnected ..i dunno but ive never had temp problems with any car ive owned so i just assumed it was yet another alfa anomoly ...by the way mate ..forget the running temp...just look out of your window and be glad that you live in one of the most beautiful countries on earth...i went to nz some years ago....stunning place ...lucky fella

 

This one is a Green Bean prize winning post, oft' repeated thread, that needs to take that award.
I'm with David C, and others. The gauge sits at 90c, winter and summer constantly, on the 147.


Have to agree in part with the idea that the thermostats may not be as durable as they ought to be, especially as the one in our 'Banger' is now nineteen years of age, and still operates correctly?:

Perhaps regular maintenance of the cooling system is a factor in this regard? Our ethylene glycol mix, drained, flushed, replenished on a three year basis. Worth a shot?:

 

I got the info from my 145/146 manual. the later plastic topped versions use the same engine management system as the earlier 156's.