What have you done to your Alfa 164/166 today?
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Well, I have to say, it can be jolly lonely, being a 164 at times! Went to AutoItalia today, as it's probably the only show I'll get to this year. It was at Raby Castle, near Darlington. A good turnout (a few hundred cars, I reckon) but I was the only 164 there. What a state of affairs when the Ferraris are more common than the 164s eh?!
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A few 166 examples too. I was quite taken with this one:
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alfa romeo Alfa romeo 166]()
And then, of course, there was all yer common-as-muck Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini Stuff...
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Coupé Sports car]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Supercar]()
Never did manage to get the Delta Integrale out of my system, mind...
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Coupé Classic car]()
And it was worth going, just to see a Ferrari with brake discs bigger than my wheels!
![Alloy wheel Wheel Tire Rim Vehicle]()
Lovely setting too!
![Castle Fortification Building Medieval architecture Waterway]()
A few 166 examples too. I was quite taken with this one:
And then, of course, there was all yer common-as-muck Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini Stuff...
Never did manage to get the Delta Integrale out of my system, mind...
And it was worth going, just to see a Ferrari with brake discs bigger than my wheels!
Lovely setting too!
Is this a 164 or a 166?
If I've understood correctly, you've undone the very large nut in the centre of the hub, that goes on to the end of the driveshaft, is that correct? On some cars, that's a left-handed thread on one side of the car, so just check you're turning it the right way. Let us know which car, (also which engine, transmission and year), and someone might be able to help more.
Great to hear about 164s getting "shown some love"! I don't know if they're available in the 'States, but the big rubber bush on the rear end of the front wishbone is thought to contribute a lot to the toque steer. You can buy stiffer aftermarket polyurethane bushes, (which I use once the OEM ones have gone soggy), and they do seem to make a noticeable difference for not much penalty in harshness.
Sorry, I've never worked on a 166! Those look like socket head bolts (e.g. Allen bolts or Torx). How did you get the key or bit into the head to undo it? Is there a hole in the axle flange? If so, take the screw right out and have a look at the thread on the end to see if it's damaged. Hopefully, the corresponding female thread in the upright won't be damaged.
Isn't it just a complete bolt-on bearing pack though? i.e. if the hub nut isn't disturbed, the whole assembly is just held to the upright by those cap head bolts? I'd be inclined to turn the hub so that the hole lines up with each caphead in turn, and slacken the ones that are tight, then have another go at starting that one in the photo again. Possibly with a screwdriver wedged against the rim of the cap head bolt and the back face of the flange, to try and push it into engage with its threads. Still a risk of cross-threading, but I'd be inclined to do that first, before shelling-out on a new bearing?
Well, I started the 164 up today, after its water pump, timing belt and a few other bits and pieces. Not 100% successful, it has to be said. On the plus side, the engine still runs, so it looks lie the belt went on in the right place! However, I tried replacing the o-rings on the hydraulic belt de-tensioner stud and backplate with the closest, easily available size I could find here in the UK and I'm not sure I've got away with it. I didn't run the engine for long (need more antifreeze so the coolant isn't up to the right level yet), but I thought I could see the tiniest weep from the end of the tensioner stud. 
Will try running it for longer once I've got more antifreeze.
Also replaced the brake master cylinder, because I had a lot of pedal travel, but I now have EVEN MORE pedal travel.. Looks like more bleeding will be necessary!
Oh well, such are the tribulations of aged Alfa maintenance... It's not like I had anywhere to go in this lockdown anyway!
Will try running it for longer once I've got more antifreeze.
Also replaced the brake master cylinder, because I had a lot of pedal travel, but I now have EVEN MORE pedal travel.
. Looks like more bleeding will be necessary!Oh well, such are the tribulations of aged Alfa maintenance... It's not like I had anywhere to go in this lockdown anyway!
They do still exist, Jason at Alfissimo International has them at a reasonable price (although it gets a bit more expensive with UK shipping and duties) but just at present, getting goods into the UK is something of a problem...
. I don't really want to risk things getting lost amongst the piles of rotting fish and vegetables at our borders!The other reason, of course, is that I'm mean! I can swap the leaking o-rings for a very small amount of money and, if they work, I have the reference numbers for more o-rings long after the rebuild kits become unavailable. It's just an experiment, really.
That's kind, WallyZ. Are you based in the UK? I'll run it for a bit and see how I go, but it's good to know the backup is there!
Put the meter one click to the right of where it is now, so that the maximum scale is 20 volts. Your car is 12 Volts (maybe up to 15 with the engine running) so you won't harm the meter.
However, for "high current" fault-finding, a meter isn't very useful. It might show 12V across the two wires going to the pump, but there could be a high resistance, so it will carry very little current - insufficient to turn the pump motor. You'd be better off with a test lamp. If you don't have one, just find a 12 Volt bulb (for example from a side light or courtesy light) and connect that across the wires to the pump, then activate the washer control on the stalk, and see if the bulb lights up. If the terminals are corroded, you might find the wires, where they crimp on to the connectors, are also bad.
It's a common problem on many makes of car. Sometimes, you're better cutting the whole connector off, along with an inch or two of wire if the loom is long enough, and crimping new spade terminals on from somewhere like Halfords. The only thing is, make a note of which wire goes to which terminal, because the correct connector will be "idiot-proofed" so it can only go on the correct way, whereas the separate terminals can, of course, go on either way.
Well, I must say, I was rather proud of the old shed this weekend. Went to a wedding in Bristol, from Cumbria. 33 years old, turned the key, and it just went. Horrendous problems on Friday, with the M6 closed just North of Preston. 3 hours+ was the delay. We came off at Lancaster and meandered along the West Coast, near where I used to live and work, many years ago, but you still can't cross the river Ribble any further West than Preston, so the traffic in Preston was horrendous. As stiff a test as any for the clutch and cooling system! After that, we just carried on to Bristol. About 330 miles in total, with the enforced detour.
The return trip was better, but still busy, stop-start where the M5 met the M6. The trip was brightened up somewhat by a guy in the outside lane next to me on an '80s bike, waving and pointing at the 164, giving me the thumbs-up!
I took plenty of tools with me, but they just ended up being dead weight. I put about a cupful of oil in it when we got to Bristol, but that was about it. The last three fillups have been 36 MPG, 32 MPG and 36 again. The aircon worked pretty hard, there and back too. Basically, I'm really struggling to think of anything to moan about! There can't be many cars that age, that you can just get in and drive 700 miles, trouble-free...
The return trip was better, but still busy, stop-start where the M5 met the M6. The trip was brightened up somewhat by a guy in the outside lane next to me on an '80s bike, waving and pointing at the 164, giving me the thumbs-up!
I took plenty of tools with me, but they just ended up being dead weight. I put about a cupful of oil in it when we got to Bristol, but that was about it. The last three fillups have been 36 MPG, 32 MPG and 36 again. The aircon worked pretty hard, there and back too. Basically, I'm really struggling to think of anything to moan about! There can't be many cars that age, that you can just get in and drive 700 miles, trouble-free...
Nice idea! (Fortunately, early 164s weren't encumbered by such technology)! What material are you using? Remember that nylon is a bugger for absorbing water and swelling up, over time, so if it's nylon, make sure they don't go tight on the balls after a while. (Nobody wants that...)
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