On Sep 14, 2009, at 10:27 PM, Tess McMillan wrote:
Whoa Nellie! More questions, if you please.
I was recently surfing around for my trickle charger instructions,
and came across some discussion of the safety issues such as you
refer to when working around batteries. But what about the gel-type
batteries, like Optima and the Napa cheap lookalikes?
Can't say with complete authority re: these batteries, but if they
contain lead and acid then they probably make hydrogen and oxygen
bubbles when charged. The hydrogen can burn very quickly (read:
explode) if exposed to a spark under the right conditions.
That said, in reality, this virtually NEVER presents a problem. Please
compare your real-life experiences (and those of everyone you know or
have met in your life plus everyone you've ever heard of) with the
very dire warnings you will find on devices designed to pump or
dispense gasoline:
Gas pumps will tell you that using a cell phone while dispensing fuel
can kill you. (Maybe you've done this, maybe you've seen someone else
do this. If you're like me, I've yet to see a fatality.)
Also, you can get cancer and die due to exposure to the fumes. (Almost
30 years exposure and I'm still alive.)
A simple gas jug will provide you with 5 minutes-worth of entertaining
reading. Including the very sage advice: don't drink gasoline. (If you
define 'drink' as 'ingest' [voluntarily moving something from your
mouth to your stomach], then I've never drank gas...but I've had it in
my mouth a couple times and strongly advise you avoid this.)
In fact, I would challenge the entire Digest Community (depleted as it
is) to provide a single story of a 'dangerous event' relating to
battery charging and improper ventilation. This would make for
interesting reading! (I make this challenge based on the fact that
Detroit seldom made overly dangerous choices w/r/t their technology.
With the exception of gasoline as a propellant, I guess.)
When you say "disconnect" the ignition, do you mean the electronic
ignition unit/control unit?
If you want total disconnection, remove the cable from the battery.
If prevention of ignition spark is all that's desired, remove one or
more wires from the coil. The low-voltage wires are the recommended
choice here...these would be at the sides of the coil (if you've got a
'normal' coil which has a high-voltage [plug-wire-type] connection to
a distributor from the center of the coil.) Either side connection
will do.
Let me clarify "normal coil": I've now owned 3 cars built since most
of our Alfas were brought to US which had a coil installed for each
spark plug (98 'Vette, 99 BMW 540, 03 RX8) and the wiring is not simple.
I think Alfa was pretty consistent, though. I was able to use the
Bosch coil from my 93 164 L in my 76 Spider. (Try THAT in almost ANY
other make! [I admit that I've got no idea to whom that outburst was
directed.])
Can you describe steps for turning the crankshaft manually? Thus far
I've only found reference to the crankshaft in the section about
overhauling the engine (out of the car).
If the car is not an automatic, turning the crankshaft can be
accomplished as follows:
With the (non-V6-Alfa) car on a flat, strait surface measuring at
least 30 feet in length...
1. Place gearshift in 4th gear.
2. Release handbrake.
3. By hand, roll car forward (or backward if forward motion is not an
option [never, ever roll backward on a v6 Alfa car!!!])
The crankshaft should turn. Visual evidence: the main belt(s) and
other engine parts will move. Technical evidence (reasonably healthy
engine): a compression gauge connected to any spark plug port will
register a change in pressure. (I prefer the visual test.)
If the car won't roll and it's been sitting for a time with the
parking brake set, the mechanical parts of the parking brake system
may have bound up. Or, you're not pushing hard enough (sometimes
another vehicle may be necessary in order to provide the necessary
force -- use tow ropes/chains accordingly.)
If the car rolls but none of the under-hood belts rotate (or nothing
happens on the compression gauge [not a recommended method, visual
inspection of belts will usually do unless rodents have eaten them]),
ensure transmission is in gear, fourth gear is recommended. If all is
correct and no under-hood motion occurs, the clutch may be bad
(slipping).
Thanks for your patience!
Always glad to help when I can. Parting thoughts based on 20 or so
years of Alfa (and other make) work:
"Weird" and "rare" problems seldom happen, that's why those problems
are weird or rare. Most problems with non-running cars relate to
failure of fuel, spark, or air to occur. Each of these elements need
to be verified. Once one is confirmed, it can usually be eliminated as
a problem. (You have NO idea how often people forget this! Even 40-
year auto veterans -- such as my dad who dealt with the dark arts:
pre-80s English cars.)
You're on the right course: get rid of the stuff which expires or goes
bad with time (fuel & battery) and replace with new. Verify that basic
items are present and correct: spark plug wires fully plugged in and
in the right order, distributor cap fitted properly, electrical
connectors seated correctly, and air intake items all in order (hoses
tight, no gaps or leaks above the MAF [typically Bosch Motronic] or
flapper door [typically Bosch L-Jetronic]).
Alfas are hard to kill and no less reliable than most any other make.
They might not always run as well as we want all the time but at least
they're not Ferraris. Most Italian makes suffer from the same problem:
lack of use.
Sorry for the brain dump, but I've been at this for too long to forget
Fred Di's sage advice and my own experience.
- E
Tess
in Bellevue, WA USA
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