99v reg alfa gtv spider 2.0ts LOADS OF PROBLEMS ....HELP
Discussion
has anyone had probs with their lights? The rear, side,front and rear fogs and dash lights do not work . Is there a relay or fuse for all these on one circuit ? ive checked all the usual and all seem ok .
We got the car in the summer and have just realised that the heater does not blow hot air out , the temp gauge reads normal , the a/c works ok , any clues with that?? my wife loves this car , i am now starting to hate it!! PLEASE HELP . It also has a fault with the intermittant wiper , and now the airbag light has come on . When i drive it it seems very sluggish for a 2ltr 16v , nothing happens when you boot it , but goes better if you are easy on the throttle, could it have a blocked cat ??
We got the car in the summer and have just realised that the heater does not blow hot air out , the temp gauge reads normal , the a/c works ok , any clues with that?? my wife loves this car , i am now starting to hate it!! PLEASE HELP . It also has a fault with the intermittant wiper , and now the airbag light has come on . When i drive it it seems very sluggish for a 2ltr 16v , nothing happens when you boot it , but goes better if you are easy on the throttle, could it have a blocked cat ??
The only one of these I can help with is the intermittent wiper, and I think it's just a case of 'they all do that'. Certainly, my 98 GTV V6 is the same, and I've seen similar comments on www.gtvv6.com, which is probably a site worth having a look at.
Someone on there managed to fix their wipers themselves and described how to go about it, so you can have a go if you're that way inclined. But since I'm about as handy as a foot I'll get someone else to look at mine.
They're prone to problems with the air-flow meter, which might be causing the performance problems you mention. Mine had a tendency to splutter on a steady throttle, but was fine if you were pressing on and fine if you were on no throttle at all, and the independent garage I took it to have fixed it (so far) by taking it apart and cleaning it.
Someone on there managed to fix their wipers themselves and described how to go about it, so you can have a go if you're that way inclined. But since I'm about as handy as a foot I'll get someone else to look at mine.
They're prone to problems with the air-flow meter, which might be causing the performance problems you mention. Mine had a tendency to splutter on a steady throttle, but was fine if you were pressing on and fine if you were on no throttle at all, and the independent garage I took it to have fixed it (so far) by taking it apart and cleaning it.
jamieboy said:
They're prone to problems with the air-flow meter
Yes. It's a German made part you see.
You can unplug it, and the ECU will run a default safe setting until you get it sorted. If you unplug it and the performance is suddenly vastly improved you know it's the airflow meter. You can clean them, but it doesn't tend to be a permanent fix. A new one is probably a better long term bet.
Just follow the air intake up from the air filter box until you find a plug sticking out with a couple of wired sticking out. That's it. You can even get new ones on Ebay now...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-air-flow-meter-ALFA-145-156-GTV-etc-Fiat-etc-218019_W0QQitemZ8002554383QQcategoryZ10370QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Not sure about the lights. Sounds like a job for an auto electrician if there's nothing obvious. Worth pulling out any underbonnet relays and checking for corrosion.
Airbags can either be a failed ECU or a broken wire. It needs someone with a diagnostic tool to check.
Heater - have you checked the carpets? Sometimes the heater matrix behind the dash can leak and you get damp carpets in the footwell as a giveaway.
Where are you based? It might be worth taking the car to a decent independant Alfa specialist for them to give it a good once over!
Airbags can either be a failed ECU or a broken wire. It needs someone with a diagnostic tool to check.
Heater - have you checked the carpets? Sometimes the heater matrix behind the dash can leak and you get damp carpets in the footwell as a giveaway.
Where are you based? It might be worth taking the car to a decent independant Alfa specialist for them to give it a good once over!
www.gtvv6.co.uk is the bible for these cars.
Lights, have you checked the relays in the boot ? These are hidden up under the covers near where the GTV battery is kept. I had problems when I had my Spider but with the hood solenoids.
Intermittant wipe is water ingress into the switch look for the GTV V6 thread which details exactly how to fix.
Thought AFM was a V6 problem ? Had little problems with mine, it went OK. Lack of response can be caused by lots of things however one possible problem is a leak in the large ridged plastic air pipe. Ours was at the garage for 48 hours while the mechanics said it was lacking power. They found the leak but then said it would take a week to get the replacement pipe !!!
Fixed with gaffer tape, car drove much better.
Good luck
>> Edited by P700DEE on Monday 3rd October 09:43
Lights, have you checked the relays in the boot ? These are hidden up under the covers near where the GTV battery is kept. I had problems when I had my Spider but with the hood solenoids.
Intermittant wipe is water ingress into the switch look for the GTV V6 thread which details exactly how to fix.
Thought AFM was a V6 problem ? Had little problems with mine, it went OK. Lack of response can be caused by lots of things however one possible problem is a leak in the large ridged plastic air pipe. Ours was at the garage for 48 hours while the mechanics said it was lacking power. They found the leak but then said it would take a week to get the replacement pipe !!!
Fixed with gaffer tape, car drove much better.
Good luck
>> Edited by P700DEE on Monday 3rd October 09:43
I'm not sure about the heater, but is it not and electronic heater valve, rather than the old cable operated type? The give problems in a other cars, so I expect Alfas are no different.
The perennial lighting problem....
Rev counter.
All the electrics for the lights go through the rev counter as that is where the bulb failure sensor unit is located.
A new rev counter is about £110+vat.
Takes 5 minutes to change.
About 15 minutes to test...
BTW, Alfa dealers now offer exchange AFMs for just over £70+vat. I dunno who much ebay specials can be had for though....
>> Edited by Alfa Mad on Wednesday 12th October 13:41
The perennial lighting problem....
Rev counter.
All the electrics for the lights go through the rev counter as that is where the bulb failure sensor unit is located.
A new rev counter is about £110+vat.
Takes 5 minutes to change.
About 15 minutes to test...
BTW, Alfa dealers now offer exchange AFMs for just over £70+vat. I dunno who much ebay specials can be had for though....
>> Edited by Alfa Mad on Wednesday 12th October 13:41
Alfa Mad said:
I'm not sure about the heater, but is it not and electronic heater valve, rather than the old cable operated type? The give problems in a other cars, so I expect Alfas are no different.
I could be wrong (I often am!) but I thought the phase 1 cars had traditional cable operated systems and the phase 2 onwards cars have a nifty electronically operated system... that interfaces with the old cable operated system.
Bit of a dashboard tart-up with minimum new parts, I think.
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