156 Engine Temperature

Sorry I should have said that it is barely moving off the 50 degree mark.
the engine doesn't appear to be heating up at all.


"SteveH" <steve RemoveThis @italiancar.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1i8xbb4.aln3h87zuetxN%steve@italiancar.co.uk...
> Paul Mosley <paul RemoveThis @mosley.plus.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi I've just bought a 156 JTS Sportwagon and the temperature gauge hardly
>> moves unless I run the engine while stationary. I imagine that the
>> thermostat is stuck open. Is this a comon problem and is it easy to
>> replace?
>
> Not sure about the JTS engines, but it's fairly common these days for
> the temp. gauge to be heavily 'damped', so they read bang on the middle
> of the dial all the time once warmed up, unless you're cooking the
> engine.
> --
> SteveH 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
> www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - Hongdou GY200 - Alfa 75 TSpark
> Alfa 156 TSpark - B6 Passat 2.0TDI SE - COSOC KOTL
> BOTAFOT #87 - BOTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

Paul Mosley wrote:
> Sorry I should have said that it is barely moving off the 50 degree mark.
> the engine doesn't appear to be heating up at all.

FWIW my V6 is similar. The TS I had recently was a bit more
enthusiastic. Simple to check the stat though. Just go see if the rad
hoses are getting warm.


--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

"Paul Mosley" <paul.TakeThisOut@mosley.plus.com> wrote in message
news:13lr9iq6603jg48@corp.supernews.com...
> Hi I've just bought a 156 JTS Sportwagon and the temperature gauge hardly
> moves unless I run the engine while stationary. I imagine that the
> thermostat is stuck open. Is this a comon problem and is it easy to
> replace?

My 2.0 JTS is exactly the same. Only goes above 70 in the summer and even
then only rises higher when on holiday in France, or in the UK after
motorway driving, followed by stopped!
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:49:26 -0000, "Paul Mosley"
<paul.TakeThisOut@mosley.plus.com> wrote:

>Hi I've just bought a 156 JTS Sportwagon and the temperature gauge hardly
>moves unless I run the engine while stationary. I imagine that the
>thermostat is stuck open. Is this a comon problem

Yes. Alfa 156 thermostats seem to become lazy such that they close at
gradually lower and lower temperatures as they age. The A/C fans help
accentuate this by causing the water in the radiator to be cooled back
to the operating point of the thermostat very quickly.

I got mine changed when it was settling just above 70C instead of the
correct temperature of between 80 and 90C

As Steve H says, the gauge should read somewhere fairly close to the
middle when fully warmed up.

> and is it easy to replace?

I got a Garage to do it as it was in for a service anyway.

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject will be auto-deleted..sorry!)
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

Zathras wrote:
> On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:49:26 -0000, "Paul Mosley"
> <paul DeleteThis @mosley.plus.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi I've just bought a 156 JTS Sportwagon and the temperature gauge hardly
>> moves unless I run the engine while stationary. I imagine that the
>> thermostat is stuck open. Is this a comon problem
>
> Yes. Alfa 156 thermostats seem to become lazy such that they close at
> gradually lower and lower temperatures as they age. The A/C fans help
> accentuate this by causing the water in the radiator to be cooled back
> to the operating point of the thermostat very quickly.
>
> I got mine changed when it was settling just above 70C instead of the
> correct temperature of between 80 and 90C
>
> As Steve H says, the gauge should read somewhere fairly close to the
> middle when fully warmed up.
>
>> and is it easy to replace?
>
> I got a Garage to do it as it was in for a service anyway.
>

Might get mine changed, depending on what the bike fix and MOT cost. Bit
bloody parky this am.

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:33:41 GMT, Catman
<catman RemoveThis @rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:

> Bit bloody parky this am.

Hah..southerners!

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject will be auto-deleted..sorry!)
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

"Zathras" <webnewsgroup.DeleteThis@nospamthanks.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ifktl3pckfffbpke0vga0jr3olnnsr46jn@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:49:26 -0000, "Paul Mosley"
> <paul.DeleteThis@mosley.plus.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi I've just bought a 156 JTS Sportwagon and the temperature gauge hardly
>>moves unless I run the engine while stationary. I imagine that the
>>thermostat is stuck open. Is this a comon problem
>
> Yes. Alfa 156 thermostats seem to become lazy such that they close at
> gradually lower and lower temperatures as they age. The A/C fans help
> accentuate this by causing the water in the radiator to be cooled back
> to the operating point of the thermostat very quickly.
>
> I got mine changed when it was settling just above 70C instead of the
> correct temperature of between 80 and 90C

My 2.0 JTS has settled just below 70C since brand new. The JTS engines run
pretty cool. Doesn't sound like there is a problem with the OP car!

> As Steve H says, the gauge should read somewhere fairly close to the
> middle when fully warmed up.

Mine never has!

>> and is it easy to replace?
>
> I got a Garage to do it as it was in for a service anyway.

But yours is the 2.4 diesel - doesn't that settle at a warmer temperature
than the JTS petrol?
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

"Paul Mosley" <paul.TakeThisOut@mosley.plus.com> wrote in message
news:13lra83q1umda4b@corp.supernews.com...
> Sorry I should have said that it is barely moving off the 50 degree mark.
> the engine doesn't appear to be heating up at all.

Well in that case its fcuked. I hadn't seen this post when I replied to the
others. My JTS heats to below 70 in the winter and up to 75 in the summer,
then stays there all day. The only way to move it is drive hard for a while,
then sit in a traffic jam for a while.
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

Zathras wrote:
> On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:33:41 GMT, Catman
> <catman.DeleteThis@rustcuore-sportivo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Bit bloody parky this am.
>
> Hah..southerners!
>

thrrrrp

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

On Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:01:15 -0000, "GT"
<ContactGT_removeme_.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote:

>But yours is the 2.4 diesel - doesn't that settle at a warmer temperature
>than the JTS petrol?

Not as far as I can remember. Also, assuming the cooling system is
working correctly, a car's *steady state* water temperature is
determined by the thermostat setting (manufacturer or faulty) -
nothing else.

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject will be auto-deleted..sorry!)
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

"Paul Mosley" <paul.TakeThisOut@mosley.plus.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:13lr9iq6603jg48@corp.supernews.com...
> Hi I've just bought a 156 JTS Sportwagon and the temperature gauge hardly
> moves unless I run the engine while stationary. I imagine that the
> thermostat is stuck open. Is this a comon problem and is it easy to
> replace?


Hi.... excude the question, but what are you worried about ?
The temperature value is quite normal because you must take into account
that the water/cooling liquid pump is on the cylinder head and therefore
the cooling circuit has a higher efficiency in terms of sending round low
temperature
water. In normal running conditions, 50° is normal, but if it doesn't seem
right
to you for some reason, get it checked.
Although I have a tweaked up 1.9jtd (diesel) 156 (1999) with 216000km
my water temp is stuck at 50° ever since I bought it and the car is still
going with fantastic accelerations and great performance.

Tony ITALY - Ex - "Morpheus"
Alfa 156 '99 1.9jtd very tweaked outside version.
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:54:04 +0100, "Tony De Palma"
<tdepalma[remove]@alice.it> wrote:

>
>"Paul Mosley" <paul RemoveThis @mosley.plus.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
>news:13lr9iq6603jg48@corp.supernews.com...
>> Hi I've just bought a 156 JTS Sportwagon and the temperature gauge hardly
>> moves unless I run the engine while stationary. I imagine that the
>> thermostat is stuck open. Is this a comon problem and is it easy to
>> replace?
>
>
>Hi.... excude the question, but what are you worried about ?
>The temperature value is quite normal because you must take into account
>that the water/cooling liquid pump is on the cylinder head and therefore
>the cooling circuit has a higher efficiency in terms of sending round low
>temperature
>water. In normal running conditions, 50° is normal, but if it doesn't seem
>right
>to you for some reason, get it checked.
>Although I have a tweaked up 1.9jtd (diesel) 156 (1999) with 216000km
>my water temp is stuck at 50° ever since I bought it and the car is still
>going with fantastic accelerations and great performance.

There are two matters here:

1. 50C is not the correct normal water temperature for a car engine.
That's cool enough to put your hand in without scalding.

2. If the car is run with a cool engine, I'd expect it to wear quicker
than an engine running at the correct temperature. Metal parts will
not be run at designed temperatures so tolerances will not be optimal,
oil will not reach the optimal temperature so will be thicker than it
should. By-products of combustion (acids and water) will be more
likely to remain in cooler oil.

However, I'd expect any negative effects to be very slow acting due to
the nature of this particular fault and they will still depend on the
driving conditions of the car. For example, it will have no effect on
a car that just does very short distances and would not normally fully
warm up anyway.

The wear may not even be noticeable until you'd expect a car engine to
wear out but it's still not a situation I'd tolerate in any car I own.
I'd also add that I'd be *vastly* more paranoid of the effects on an
Alfa petrol engine than the effects on an Alfa diesel engine.

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject will be auto-deleted..sorry!)
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature 

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:49:26 -0000, w <13lr9iq6603jg48 RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com>, "Paul
Mosley" <paul RemoveThis @mosley.plus.com> napisa³(-a):

> Is this a comon problem and is it easy to
> replace?

Common problem with thermostat. Replace the original Behr thermostat with
Vernet.
 >> Stay informed about: 156 Engine Temperature