Views/opinions on changing under bonnet plastic service items

[sud901]

I have a 166 approaching its 10th birthday since it was produced. On the road about 9 years, 138,000km.

I like preventative maintenance; replacing things before they are known to fail rather than waiting for them to do so.

In that vein, what is the collective opinion of replacing items such as radiator, coolant overflow tank and coolant hoses, for example, at around the 10 year mark?

I don't wish to replace parts for the hell of it - Alfa parts are not cheap enough to warrant that approach - but I'd like to keep the car in peak condition mechanically.

Please be patient with me, I am new to Alfas when it comes to working on them, so I apologise in advance if this has been covered before...

[colcol]

When you buy another car i always replace all the coolants oil and filters, as you don't know when they have been done, replacing radiator and coolant tank is just wasting money, spend that money on replacing the timing belt and tensioners.
If your coolant tank starts to leak, just replace it, it may last for 30 years, as for the radiator, it is unlikely it will just blow up, it will most likely start to leak, and when it does replace it.
According to a Falcon mechanic freind Falcons consume radiators at an alarming rate, so you budget to replace one every so many years, and Commodores are known to like radiators as well.
For the 166, put a shield over the computer that is directly under the heater, when the heater leaks, and it will, the computer replacment will cost more than the car, thats why you occasionly see a 166 on ebay for not much $$$$.
Coolant hoses are quite expensive to have in the boot just in case, if you blow one you could get a universal hose at Repco, to get you home, or until you can source one, Colin.

[sud901]

Thanks Colin, I have heard of a few different cars that have catastrophic radiator fail, so that's why I asked. Good to hear the 166 is unlikely to do this.

I have heard about the heater core leaking onto the ECU, I plan to relocate the ECU if possible or install some kind of waterproof cover on it.

[colcol]

Most Radiators after a while start to leak, and you notice coolant on the ground and your reserve tank level starts to drop, not saying though, you won't have some sort of major failure though, just keep an eye on things, in the olden days you would get a changeover radiator, but the are cheap now, and not worth fixing, Colin.

[John Hanslow]

maranello Pur sang Motors have an aftermarket fix - a tray to divert the fluid.

Other shave had a copper heater core made up so they do not have to go through the plastic heater core failure again as it can be expensive to repair.

[Cool Jesus]

If you can give it a good degrease and clean, that will help immensely in locating any leaking fluids now and in the future. But as col says replace as required. Your maintence regime is very similar to my approach. Give it a good clean, then inspect away. Check all rubber hoses, if possible remove them and inspect by bending them to look for cracks. May be a good time to flush your coolant system? Flush brake fluid, that's one that is rarely performed by owners. Check brake lines. Check intake system hoses, including those short ones at the air ram tubes from plenum to engine, they become hard and brittle. Air box to throttle body hose, check for cracks in flexing ribs. All rubber should be flexible, no hardening or looseness at clamps and not softened that it starts to bulge.

Actually, are we servicing a 6 or 4 cyl? (Pardon my ignorance here)

In any case alfa under bonnet plastics are fairly robust. There's no actual time frame for replacements as life expectancy is influence by many factors like driving habit, climate, service regime etc. Apart from belts servicing is merely inspection and replace when item is in early stages of failure.

[Cool Jesus]

As an example, I decided to clean up the brakes on my 147. I had a spare set which I prepared with seals, paint and resurfaced the rotors. Once done and started the install I found the brake lines where perished to the point that I could see the reinforcement string and inner hose through the cracks. Thank god I found it now. Same with my 164, having removed the engine for major servicing, many if not most hoses and rubber had gone hard and brittle as it had sat idle for over 6 years. Yet if it was being used, the oils and fluids would give the rubber a better service life, or at least be replaced as required.

[sud901]

I've found plastic covering the auto ecu, which will do till I have time to seal it a bit more comprehensively. There are white flakes of what might be dried coolant (?) on the plastic, so I will need to keep an eye on that.
Found a top engine mount bush has split, although it appears it was replaced in 2009. I've wedged slices of heater hose in the bushing to reduce the movement for now, which appears to be satisfactory. I will replace the bushing, but given how quickly the apparently OE item had deteriorated, might try something else. Has anyone tried getting a new bushing pressed in locally?
Gassed up the aircon, nice to have a cool cabin. Still loving this car. Am surprised by the looks it gets, people slow alongside to have a gawp at it. I suppose not many were sold (I checked VFACTS, 55 sold between 2004-2008, although some of those bound to be S1 cars).