Alfetta Motor Mount Replacement : question by Nate | 1978 Alfetta Sprint GT
My engine mounts are bad and I want to make sure I can get them in easily? how long should it take and can I get it done with a floor jack to support the motor while I fit in the new mounts? I need some reassurance other wise I may bag out and take her into the shop. But. I realy want to learn more about working on my car! | | Answer : Replacing the motor mounts on an Alfetta is a fairly straightforward procedure. As you have never done it before, you may find it a bit challenging. It takes a fairly diverse selection of tools due to the lack of access to some of the fasteners. Use a floor jack with a 2x4 under the oil pan to jack up the motor. I suggest that you replace one mount at a time. By that I mean that you replace one mount before you take the fasteners off of the 2nd. I know some technicians that will replace both at once, but I find you will get more room to work if you just do one at a time. | Burman Steering Box Problems : question by Gwynn Spencer| 1974 GTV
I am shopping for a 1972. '73, or '74 2000 GTV. 2 of the 1974 cars I have followed up on have a serious steering box problem - box is broken and moves back and forth as the steering wheel is turned. I am told by an "expert" that this is a common problem with the Burman steering box in the 1974 cars and that the best fix is installation (and adaptation) of a middle 80's Spider steering box. Are there other, simpler solutions? | | Answer : There have been some “issues” with the Burman box. Most can be traced to a failed seal, which results in mechanical failure due to lack of lubricant. If the ones you are looking at are actually moving when the steering wheel is turned, chances are that the fasteners are loose or that there is some type of failure of the chassis where the box bolts to it. I have seen some actual failures of the box housing, but these are fairly rare. I, personally, don’t like the ZF box that came on the mid-80’s spiders. It has a vague on center feel and generally doesn’t transmit road feel to the driver as well as the Burman. If you do a bit of detective work you should be able to find a decent used Burman box. If you go that route, have your Alfa technician replace the seal and check it for wear and adjustment before you install it into your future GTV. | Milano Temperature Sensor: question by Todd Adair | 1987 Milano Verde
I just picked up a low mileage verde. I noticed a sensor wire disconnected on the thermostat housing. veiwing from the front the sensor would be the second from the left hand side. My manual describe's this as being a sensor for ignition control. Somebody told me it is normal for this to be disconnected, as it is used for low ambient starting? I don't see how an ignition sensor comes into play on this. | | Answer : Yes, leave the sensor disconnected. The sensor is a temp sensor that sends a signal to the ignition black box to retard the timing during the early stages of engine warm up. This is another example of engineers running amuck. The idea was to retard the timing during warm up to reduce emissions, that part works O.K., but the unintended consequence of this engineering masterstroke was that the engines tended to run rough when cold and to crank longer on start-up. The legend goes that Alfa persuaded the powers that be at the Smog Nazi department to give them some type of an exemption. I have never seen any documentation on this; maybe it is just urban legend. Bottom line is just to leave the sensor disconnected and your Alfa will run just fine. | Heater Delete? : question by Greg Nelson | 1974 GTV 2000
I would like to remove the heater/AC box that is under the dash for a rarely driven pseudo-high performance GTV. It has a Euro manifold w/ Webers. Can i just plug up the heater hose outlets or do hoses need to be connected to provide a "looping" effect for the coolant? Will the car run much hotter? I don't care if there is no heater or defroster anymore either. Aiming for less hoses and wires-simplifying. Thank You for the time. | Answer : No problem Greg. Just plug the fittings at the top rear of the intake manifold and at the water pump. If you did before and after coolant temperature tests, I doubt you could document any change in coolant temperature as that water only circulates though the heater core when the heater is turn on.
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