[jacob0902]

Howdy doody,
Happy new year to you all first off I have done a search and seem even more confused now lol,so here goes.....my temp gauge never seems to rise althougth the heater,air con etc work just fine,also ive noticed that my car seems to smoke (maybe steam???) a lot from the exhaust even after a good run,is this due to the fact its bloody freezing cold at the mo,or is it a concern?????? thanks

 

[Bonkingbob]

I've got a similar thing. The temp gauge sticks around 50/60 apart from in traffic and the exhaust seems a bit smoky. From what I've seen it is probably the thermostat packing up, staying open all the time so the engine is running cold (and therefore rich) which would explain the smoke and probably the poor fuel consumption you may be experiencing.

I certainly am!

Part is on order so when it comes I'll see if this is the problem.

 

[groovylee]

yep. loads of threads on here, easy fix. :thumbs:

 

[jacob0902]

aye , your right,my fuel consumption is bad, thermo it is then, best place? price? easy job?

 

[Guest]

EB Spares, approx £25, yes.

 

[groovylee]

:lol: can you tell this has been spoken about, at length, for quite some time?! :lol:

 

[jacob0902]

cool, ive had a search but no joy, is there a "how to" anywhere?

 

[Guest]

Not sure. Have you downloaded a manual yet? I'll have a look for an old post for you.

 

[Guest]

This may help a bit:
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gtv-and-916-spider/124920-is-my-gtv-running-cold.html

 

[monkeybrain1234]

This could be useful too, instructs and a few pics

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gtv-and-916-spider/199906-engine-temp-60-c.html

 

[DRGTV]

Just a word of advice, when you are at the point of removing the 3 bolts that hold the thermostat to the engine itself, inspect the bolts carefully as seepage of fluids in this area can cause a bolt to seize. A bit of penetrating fluid might be a good idea if any of them look corroded. I sheared one of the bolts when I did this job and it took me hours (5!!) to drill out the bolt and replace. Otherwise this is an easy 20 minute job. :thumbs:

 

[StormVR6]

Also, I think it's worth mentioning: you may as well flush the system through if you're going to change the thermostat. Put some rad flush in beforehand if necessary and, if you can be bothered and it's necessary, remove and clean the reservoir.

I've been using the OAT coolant (5 year life) and had no problems regarding seals/gaskets leaking with it. Worth the extra money if your system is leak-free. Whatever you do, don't mix coolants.

 

[Bonkingbob]

Hi all just a quick bump on this as I've just replaced my 'stat. Seems to be a pretty common problem but my god it is well worth a few quid and a little elbow grease to sort out. She's like a new car now. It's like she's had a cold for the last few weeks and has just recovered!

It was a bit awkward detaching it (mine's a CF1 TS and there's a fair bit of pipework in that general area which makes things a little fiddly, not sure how different the later engines are) but once off it was easy attaching the new one.

It feels like a GTV again!