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Alfa Romeo 156 possible overheating issues
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Graham1982
New User
Apr 19, 2014, 6:36 AM
Post #1 of 5
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Alfa Romeo 156 possible overheating issues
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Dear all:
First post so please be gentle. Please note that I am quite technically minded yet my field is electronics therefore whilst I understand concepts and have some experience of auto-salvage I intend to take this problem to the garage:
Ok recently purchased an Alfa Romeo 156 - 2001 model approx. Anyway was meaning to check water levels etc but was going to take it in for a service last Tuesday upshot it didn't happen. This is my wife's car and she has been driving it no issues for the past two weeks.
Anyway she is not the most observant and when I was in the car with her I noticed the temp gauge raising. It got to just before 100 but the warning light did not come on - I immediately got her to pull the car over, we went shopping and the engine cooled down. I bought some water and noticed that when I undid the lid on the tank there was NO water in there, just literaly a few isolated drops. Naturally I backed about 2 litres of water into it, ran it up and the temp seemed to be OK - disaster averted or so I thought.
Anyway the temp guage now fluctuates between 90 and nothing as if the guage doesn;t work properly. When the engine is idling at traffic lights for say less than a min the temp decreases but when the engine is under load say driving at 40 mph plus the guage rises past 90. unfortunately wife has only done round town driving since it happened so I don't know if the temp would keep rising if she was driving for a long period of time.
My thoughts are:
Cracked head (unlikely as no steam and I stopped before boil and no warning light that is assuming temp gauge is working)
Dodgy thermostat
Dodgy water pump
I also assume (based on my experience of much older 1980s Jaguar XJ6 engines) that if it was a cracked head the temp would rise much more quickly and steam would pour out/engine useless much more quickly.
Also, even when I noticed the temp problem initially prior to noticing no water in the tank the bonnet (hood) didn't feel overly hot. Also, the fan did not kick in.
Could anyone suggest if it is now game over for this car or a simple repair?
Thanks
Graham
(This post was edited by Graham1982 on Apr 19, 2014, 6:37 AM)
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Apr 19, 2014, 7:01 AM
Post #2 of 5
(2249 views)
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Re: Alfa Romeo 156 possible overheating issues
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We don't have that vehicle here in the states, but you need to have the coolant system pressure tested while the engine is cold. Pressure testing will show leaks that occur under pressure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96aQ5DD5y78
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Apr 19, 2014, 7:04 AM)
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Graham1982
New User
Apr 19, 2014, 10:06 AM
Post #3 of 5
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Re: Alfa Romeo 156 possible overheating issues
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Hi:
Thanks, I assume that when I go to the garage that is what will be done when I tell them the problems. I guess the purpose of my post was to find out from the initial symptoms if this looked like a write-off or a repair job that would be managable in terms of expense.
Thanks again
Graham
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Graham1982
New User
Apr 19, 2014, 1:13 PM
Post #4 of 5
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Re: Alfa Romeo 156 possible overheating issues
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Hi:
Slight update - realised that as the system was dry to start with it most likely needed coolant too - I was correct and I have put coolant in too (to the correct ratio). Also, from cold I sat in the car and put the heater on. It was what could be described as warm and as I didn't want to sit in there for ages burning petrol, the fact that heat is coming through the system would suggest that it is OK.
Service on Tuesday so who knows but I would still appreciate any further info
Thanks
Graham
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Apr 19, 2014, 4:42 PM
Post #5 of 5
(2225 views)
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Re: Alfa Romeo 156 possible overheating issues
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The coolant has to be going somewhere if your having to add coolant. The first thing the garage is going or should do is pressure test the system to see if there are any leaks and where those leaks are.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Apr 19, 2014, 4:42 PM)
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