Look Out, Jay Leno

[TomMull]

Pulling the hose was the way my mentor taught me to do it back in the early 60s, we never even looked for the draincock. Tom

 

[waltesefalcon]

Are we calling a 92 Alfa a classic? That makes me feel really old.

 

[pdplot]

I guess Classic is a word of art. One man's classic is another man's piece of junk. Would you feel better if I called it an Older car?

 

[waltesefalcon]

Nope, that combined with none of my students figuring out I'm supposed to be Thomas Magnum, not Mario in a Tigers cap, has already made me feel like a "classic."

 

[pdplot]

Update on heating problem.
1. Dash vents work fine. Turned on a/c and got air moving through the ducts. OTOH,
2. Turn on heater blower motor switch and no air comes out of dash vents.
3. Air comes out of floor vents and when lever is pushed to the top, air comes out of defroster vents but not dash vents. Supposed to be both.
4. Drove car up to Hayfields yesterday late am and heat gauge never got above 115 or so. Of course there was also no heat. Outside temperature was about 60. If I let the car idle in place, heat gauge will climb to about 145. Thats all. I suspect thermostat is stuck open? What else could it be? I never had this problem before. Usually trouble comes when its the opposite - running hot.

 

[JPSmit]

I would be looking hard at the ducting - if air comes out of the defrost and the floor but not the vents - it seems like that is job one.

Have you opened up the blower? I have certainly seen restorations where the fan was full of acorns or some such thing.

 

[pdplot]

From what I read, getting at the heater is one nasty job. First step is to remove the drivers seat. Next step - forget it. My almost 85-year old back won't permit any further work along those lines. As has been said "Alfa installed a heater and built a car around it". I guess a TR6 isn't that different actually. So we have three issues. The cool running, the lack of heat and no air from the heater blower to the dash vents. At least the parts are cheap - like the Triumph. I'll call my new-found shop and see if he can take this on.

 

[waltesefalcon]

If you are suspecting the thermostat, which sounds reasonable for the cool running though I am not sold on that being the heater issue, I'd go ahead and replace it. Even on the Alfa it is a fairly cheap and straightforward job to replace.

 

[pdplot]

Only problem is having to lay underneath and pull off the hose. A messy job at best, and knowing my luck, the clamp will have rotated so I won't be able to get a screwdriver on it. This thing takes 2 gallons of coolant. No drain plug or tap. In my next life I'll have a lift.

 

[JPSmit]

sometimes your best tool is a credit card

 

[DrEntropy]

Looking at a faulty heater control valve or clogged matrix. Either way, it'll be a hateful task. Both are buried up under the interior instrument panel.

 

[glemon]

I had a clogged heater core in my 4A years ago and was lucky enough to have a bunch of brownish crid come out and a working heater for years afterwards.

I am interested in what you think of the Alfa vs. the TR6 for driving experience, they are fairly similar in layout, size, horsepower and weight, but quite different in detail.

P.S. Thanks for the catalogs, interesting stuff and occasionally even useful.

 

[JPSmit]

So was sitting here thinking about this and wondered what google might have to say on the matter. Not surprisingly, quite a lot!

Here is a sample:

seems like you have nothing to lose in terms of trying to clear the matrix in situ - and manageable yourself.

 

[pdplot]

First - flushing the radiator. First hose is easy to get to. I have yet to find the second one - it's buried under a mess of tubing and parts. This Alfa has a/c (currently inoperative), power steering and power brakes and a complicated Bosch fuel injection system with all kinds of sensors and relays. The TR6 looks like a Model A in comparison. Changing the thermostat also requires removing some hoses and parts in order to get at the two bolts holding the t'stat housing. Plus I have to get a new gasket even if the t'stat is ok. A lot of mechanical and electrical stuff in a small space. Check your new car for a comparison.

Second - Driving experience. TR6 is more conventional old school LBC. Noisier, rougher riding, more skittish handling on rough roads, shorter-throw gearbox with no grinding, drum brakes at the rear, harder to steer at low speed but more torque and less shifting needed. (I don't have o/d). Top harder to put up and drivers side window extremely hard to crank up even though new parts installed some time ago. The triumph clutch catches at the bottom and the Alfa near the top. Both use a hydraulic clutch. The TR6 has a radiator cap, the Alfa doesn't. You fill the radiator from a plastic reservoir that sits on the firewall. It's self-bleeding. If you do your own work, you'd be better off with the TR6 and its simple mechanicals. The Alfa is a sophisticated, highly-tuned machine needing specialized knowledge and tools to maintain properly. if you neglect it - it'll cost you.The TR6 is at its best on a smooth road with gentle sweeping bends at about 50-55 mph.
Alfa - this one is a 1992 - a far different Spider than the early models like Dustin Hoffman drove in the Graduate. It's a more comfortable tourer with power windows (with 4 buttons), power steering, power 4-wheel disc brakes. DOHC 2-liter engine developing 120 hp with Bosch f.i., two cooling fans! and a top that goes up with one hand (although it gets harder to put up and latch if you leave it down too long). The Alfa loves to rev - and rev - and needs it. It just keeps accelerating and going faster and faster as the engine starts to snarl. The TR takes off faster but runs out of revs and you have to shift. The Spider also has 5 speeds and a long gearshift sprouting out from under the dash board. Quirky but you get used to it. The steering wheel is also further away unlike most LBCs that put the steering wheel right up against your chest. Don't forget - this car is 21 years newer than the TR6. Who knows how the Triumph might have evolved had they continued to make it, so the comparison is not quite fair. The Alfa also cost more than the Triumph when new and more to fix. My son spent about $1,700.00 in Miami for new brakes, work on the fuel-injection sensors, new rear sway bar, and replacing that big rubber air inlet that goes across the engine. Parts were about $600.00 - the rest was labor. He also had new seats put in for $600.00.

 

[waltesefalcon]

Good comparison of the two.

In the past I have had luck using one of those do it yourself flush kits that you can by at a Wally World or a parts house. It is super easy to use, but may not be usable on your Alfa if there is no radiator cap.

 

[DrEntropy]

The Spiders have a "big car" feel compared to the Triumph, IMHO. Smoother and generally more comfortable.

 

[waltesefalcon]

Of course the resident Alfa guy is going to say that.

 

[DrEntropy]

Of course the resident Alfa guy is going to say that.

I'm only relating the truth, Walt. layful: