Alfa 156 service - overheating?

Stheno

Hey guys

My alfa 156 is off for a service soon, it's on 85000 miles, had the sparks replaced at last service, timing belt changed, brake discs and pads changed, steering rack reconditioned, bushes replaced also.

Anyway I trust my mechanic, but have one question, the alfa tends to over heat in slow traffic to about 75% of the limit, then it slows.

I'm thinking I need to ask my mechanic to look at this and see if there is a problem with the thermostat or the fan?

Any advice? I'm not great on cars, but I do love my alfa and want to be sure I've not got a problem

Thanks

cjt156

Where does your temp needle sit when driving normally? It should be very close to 90. When the stats do fail on twinsparks (and they do) they fail open so the engine is constantly cooled. Needle stays low and only rises when in slow traffic.
If your needle is normally in the middle but rises higher in traffic, it may be that your low speed fan isn't kicking in. The high speed fan should come on eventually and prevent damage. If that's the case it could be a poor contact or a burnt out resistor in the low speed circuit. A decent mechanic will know.

loads of info if you search the technical forum on forum.alfa156.net

jimmyw

How is your heater? fully open thermos would reduce the heat coming from it.I would think the fan would be the first port of call.

Lex Luthor

Thermostats are a common failure problem on 156's. Generally tend to fail open so the temp reads lower than optimum.

Plenty info online to do it yourself. Took me about 2hrs one day and lots of grazed knuckles. Handy enough job though

Stheno

Thanks guys.

The heater is fine. The temperature needle is usually halfway between the quarter and middle markers, then in slow traffic goes right up to three quarters of the gauge then the fan kicks in.

A-Trak

What does a thermostat failing open impact on the car? Lower MPG I'd imagine, anything else detrimental to the engine or car? (It's a petrol 156.)

Mine sits at 70, it's on my to do list for quite a while now.

Stheno

Mine is about 70 too

Lex Luthor

from what I remember, 70 at this time of year and outside temp is normal...

When they fail open, its not really a big problem, lower mpg like you say is a possibility cos engine is not running at optimum temp

In summer time I seem to remember if all is working they read about the 82 mark.

Mine was hovering mid to late 60's so I changed it

Nonoperational

If your stat is stuck open it will drop pretty dramatically from a bit below half way to about half way below the first line when your driving quickly after say sitting in traffic. When you change the stat it will still drop a bit but not as much.

It's worth having a look at the rad and seeing are the fins corroding. Could be a dodgy rad too. Shouldn't be hard to find what's causing the problem but you should get to the bottom of it. Not great to be running too hot.