Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia Forum

Technical => 932 Series (156, GTV, Spider, 147, GT, and 166) => Topic started by: 75guygtvgirl on July 24, 2019, 06:24:49 PM

Title: Overheating 156
Post by: 75guygtvgirl on July 24, 2019, 06:24:49 PM
Hi everyone my 156 ts is having some weird overheating issues. I can run it in the driveway for 40 minutes and the temp gauge will hit 90 then the fan comes on and it drops. If I take the car for a run the temp gauge stays at 50 as if it's not even working. But wait for it. If I take the car for a 20 minute drive and then stop for 5/10 minutes the car boils over. I'm assuming it's the thermostat but I wanted to ask some opinions? Thanks in advance
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: bazzbazz on July 24, 2019, 07:27:51 PM
Replace thermostat first, then see how it goes.

In addition, when were the belts last changed, and was the water pump changed at the same time.
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: 75guygtvgirl on July 24, 2019, 07:30:51 PM
Yeah belts and water pump etc were replaced 12 months ago. I got two days driving out of it before it cooked itself. Pretty annoying that the mechanic didn't pick up on anything but it's ok.
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: Beatle on July 24, 2019, 08:02:01 PM
??????   
So it was working fine
you took it to a mechanic for a service, including waterpump and thermostat,
and two days later it boiled?

In my world that's not 'ok'.

Did you take it back to the mechanic?
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: 75guygtvgirl on July 24, 2019, 08:07:42 PM
I can't confirm it was ok to begin with. I bought it with an engine noise. Took it to the mechanic and discovered the timing belt was way overdue and even moving around. So I literally picked it up and drove straight to the mechanic. After I picked it up all seemed fine and I assumed it was just the gauge that was faulty until it actually boiled
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: bazzbazz on July 24, 2019, 10:12:32 PM
So, you got the belts done, drove it home, it sat for 12 months, you drove it for 2 days and it boiled? Have we got that right?

Perchance did you check the coolant level at any time since the belts were done? If not the mech may not have refilled the coolant after replacing the pump.
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: 75guygtvgirl on July 25, 2019, 06:12:52 AM
No it boiled two days after the work was done which was 12 months ago
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: bonno on July 25, 2019, 08:55:33 AM
Can I suggest that you check that the following occurs, bearing in mind no blown head gasket
1.   Check engine coolant level is OK (top up if necessary).
2.   Check temperature gauge rises to around mid range after warm up and stays there with cooling fan coming on. If not then you have a faulty thermostat.
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: 75guygtvgirl on July 25, 2019, 10:31:47 AM
I'm 99% sure head gasket is blown. Coolant level is fine and I can run the car in the driveway for a good 40+ minutes with no issues
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: 75guygtvgirl on July 25, 2019, 10:33:02 AM
I've put a bottle of rislone head gasket repair in the car
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: bazzbazz on July 25, 2019, 03:40:09 PM
Take the oil filler cap off, is there any white goo built up on the cap or inside the filler hole?

Any indication of water in the oil on the dipstick?
Title: Re: Overheating 156
Post by: 75guygtvgirl on July 25, 2019, 04:39:55 PM
Yeah there's water in the oil and vice versa. I just want to get it running well enough so I can drive it to get mods done like suspension and exhaust. Once that engine finally dies a horrible death I've got a fully rebuilt engine to put in. It looks like the head gasket repair has certainly improved the the issues now I just need to sort the overheating