If you are sure the temp gauge is accurate (big assumption) and that the
radiator is in good condition & topped up (the system does need to be bled)
then the two things to check are the thermostat & the head gasket.
Thermostat can be checked in a pot of boiling water. A leak down test or
chem-strips that indicate the presence of combustion gases in the coolant
will confirm/deny a head gasket failure.
Typically a water pump will fail by leaking. Rarely the vanes are faulty and
it does not move the coolant.
A non-contact thermometer can help look for a blocked radiator by revealing
areas of erratic temps.
Check to see if your Spider has the thermostat by-pass valve. It is supposed
to be inside one of the coolant hoses. But it doesn't come with a new hose
so if the hose was replaced and the by-pass valve not transferred to the new
hose it could explain your symptoms.
see: http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/578121-post23.html
Eric Russell
Mebane, NC
----- Original Message -----
From: "alfa-digest"
Date: Sun, 2 Jun 2013 17:56:40 -0400
From: Joseph Jacob <[email protected]>
Subject: [alfa] Spider Overheating
Learned Alfisti,
I bought my 1989 Spider Veloce in 2000 with around 80K miles. It
currently
has 107K on the odometer. Since the day I acquired it it has always run
hot. Shortly after I got it I had the radiator re-cored, which helped
considerably; a couple of years ago I had the radiator boiled out and had
some minor leaks fixed. This helped as well. However, in the 13 years
I've owned it, a three-hour trip was about its maximum cruising range
before the temperature gauge approached the red zone. Then it would
gradually get worse. This morning a 20-mile trip had the coolant boiling.
It does not lose coolant, and I see no evidence of the coolant mixing with
the oil. The fan on the engine side of the radiator is fine, though the
one in front of the AC radiator doesn't work. As far as I know the water
pump has never been replaced.
I would love to able to drive her for a couple of hours without having to
worry about the temperature. Any suggestions on how to proceed?
Joe
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