My "pink wire" car is bein' NASTY!

[DrEntropy]

...stoopid intermittant electrical problem! Only happens at first start, as I get a few yards down the street, and not all the time. Like something chops power to the iggy. Haven't found the "AH-HA!" evidence yet... spent an hour pokin'-proddin'-jigglin' wiring. Mebbe a fuse, the iggy switch, the back of the fusepanel... runs FINE on a restart.

Man, I HATE mysteries.

 

[bugimike]

Which one is the "pink-wire" car Doc.?

 

[DrEntropy]

Alfa. Bloody eye-tie thing. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[bugimike]

Aye aye aye, Eye-tie electrics are a wonder to behold!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/whistle.gif

 

[DrEntropy]

Put forty miles on it this AM, and not a HINT of a problem. 14V charge, all runs as it should.

OH, BOTHER!

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[bugimike]

It's Italian Doc. It's tempremental...give it a day or two and it will act up again as the mood strikes!!

 

[Bugeye58]

Did you add the proper amount of olive oil to the fuel?
Just wondering,
Jeff

 

[DrEntropy]

Bertolli... an ample supply to hand.

As for the recurrance issue, I suspect when the humidity goes up I'll have a better shot at having it manifest itself again. I suspect corrosion at some connector. Mebbe soak the whole car in a VAT of Bertolli!!! Secondary effect would be a reduction in the "rust rate" overall... but the odor may be a downside. I'll add a few dozen garlic cloves. Ward off vampires too!

 

[Bugeye58]

Alfa pesto!
Jeff

 

[coldplugs]

This is a problem that modern Alfas share with pre-WW1 Fiats and clapped-out Panhards. The temperature gauge develops a short in part of the winding, usually down near the "cold" side. As the resistance changes and the needle moves up the scale, the bad spot is no longer part of the circuit.

This explains why the car suffers when the needle is just off the peg.

The traditional solution is to drain off 1.5 liters of coolant and replace it with 2 bottles of warm Cizano. Then wait for the needle to move past the bad spot, start the car, and you're in business. Meraviglioso! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[aeronca65t]

Remove EVERY wire that even slightly relates to "engine running" and spray plenty of ~Contact Cleaner~ on the connection surface.

And be *sure* to wait for Jupiter to be aligned with Mars before you do this.

While you're waiting, I'd suggest some prosciuttto, a glass of Arneis and some Good Bread.

And be glad you don't have one of those older ALFAs with the Lucas bits.

 

[DrEntropy]

Too right.. Brit bits in an eye-tie car... Especially the Dunloop mechanical BRAKES!!!

WHAT were they THINKING?!?

...or smoking...

 

[JPSmit]

heaven is where the police are british, the mechanics german, the cooks french and the lovers italian.

heck is where the police are italian, the mechanics are french, the cooks are british and the lovers are german.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

 

[kennypinkerton]

I got new crank sensors for my pink wire car, I'll install them after the spring thaw... too danged cold to be leaning over a cold engine compartment right now.

 

[DrEntropy]

heaven is where the police are british, the mechanics german, the cooks french and the lovers italian.

heck is where the police are italian, the mechanics are french, the cooks are british and the lovers are german.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

My version was a bit diff'rent:

Heaven: British humor, French cooking and German engineering.

heck: British cooking, French engineering and German humor.


No mention of the Italians. I always thought of Italian engineering as the perfect balance t'wixt British and German: Between coat-hanger exhaust mounts and twelve bolts with a ($40) piece of moulded steel-and-rubber.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[bugimike]

Ma, che bella machina!!!

 

[DrEntropy]

At the moment I agree, Mike. But that can change at any moment. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

Today it ran flawlessly; did a forty mile sprint to the 'pooter bits supplier's place and back.

Domani may be different. Who knows... It's Italian.

 

[bugimike]

que sera, sera!!

 

[DrEntropy]

Well, today was the day.
I wanna see th' District Service Manager!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Three times it quit en-route to the QuikRip. The place is less than a mile down the street. Gina started back up immediately each time, twice just by a key off/on. T'morrow AM it gets a new *BOSCH* iggy relay. Sipea now. That's the ONLY thing it can be. I pulled out the column binnacle cover, disconnected and doused ALL relevant connectors (a few got benefit of some overspray /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif) with CRC 2-26, found some "Made in Germany" relays wot had NOTHING to do with ignition. Fussed for two HOURS messin' with stuff. Now that I have that cowl off I'm motivated to do some neglected minor fixes on headlight/T-signal/whip-wap switch as well.

No real shame for it, the beast has run without issue since we shoehorned the 1750 into it in 2000. One alternator R&R. That's about it.

 

[Grantura_MKI]

Hey doc,
What sort of condition is the iggy switch in? I have seen these fail in the past due to a previous "operator" having too many keys or other shyte attached to the key ring.
Cheers, David.