Joe and all,
It sounds like you have a leaking head gasket that is allowing compression
gasses to leak into the water jacket. But you need to check a few things
first.
Get an infra-red thermometer and make sure the thing is in fact heating up
and isn't a gauge issue.
Make sure the thermostat is opening at the correct temp.
After the engine has warmed up and run long enough to open the thermostat,
shut it off and check the radiator to make sure it is hot all over and no cold
spots.
If the radiator is getting hot, the water pump is working OK as long as it
isn't leaking or making noise.
Seal the radiator where the cap goes on and route the overflow hose into a
half full jar of water. Start the engine and watch for bubbles. A few are
normal at first but if it blows bubbles like a 60's bong, especially when you
rev it, you have found your problem. Give it a few minutes of running time
for the bubbles to appear, sometimes it takes a little while for them to work
their way out.
Always try an Aspirin before you resort to brain surgery ;-)
Skip Patnode
'67 Duetto
Norfolk, Va.
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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