HELP, wasp in dash!

[colcol]

Hello there all 156 owners, have any of you got a noise in the left hand side of the dashboard that sounds like a wasp buzzing around under it?
I have owned the car for 4 years and every morning i seem to notice a buzzing noise, [ it must be a long life wasp! ], i have removed contents from glove box, retightened it, removed the glove box completely, cable tied every wiring loom on the left side, pulled the carpet up, [ hoping something had fallen down the back ].
Also to fill in time, before i die of old age, the left door trim has been pulled off and checked about 5 times and everything tightened and or rubber mounted, the speakers have been removed and put back in and swapped around for other speakers from around the car, still Mr. Wasp buzzes.
The left mirror was removed and the 156 driven without one, the mirror has been pulled apart, everything tightened and loctited, still the buzzing remains.
I notice that the buzzing is most annoying first thing in the morning, when i drive around the back roads of Viewbank for about 4 klms, without seeing other cars, then when you get on the main roads and freeways, its seems to go away or i get used to it or taking the advice of The Masters Apprentices i turn up the radio.
The noise doesn't seem to happen at night and i put this down to my hearing being good in the morning but after a day at the salt mines, my hearing is not so good, Colin.

[colcol]

So anyhow i looked up the problem on one of the Alfa Romeo Owners sites and indeed the 156 dash does suffer from creeks and buzzes, due to the cold weather causes the dash to squeak, but dissappears when the car warms up.
This was rumured to have been fixed in 2001, but my 156 is 2002, so obviously the Wasps are still alive and buzzing away happily.
This is due to the captive nuts on the dash mounts, they need to be packed out to stop the noise, using rubber washers or squirting silicone sealant around the nuts.
Option 1 is to get to the nuts you will have to strip the dashboard down to get to the nuts, this should take about 4 hours and about 12 hours work to reinstall it and about 1 week to get all the replacement bits that you broke and then about 3 months of going back to the Alfa Romeo Service Provider to get all the error lights to go out.
Option 2 is to get a windscreen fitter to remove the front windscreen, this will most likely cost about $200, by the time the screen is put back in, as the screen is out you will be able to get to the nuts as you squirt in the silicone sealant, you may even have windscreen replacement as part of your car insurance.
Option 3 is what Uncle Col calls The Masters Apprentices fix.
I'll take option 3 thanks, Colin.

[Evan Bottcher]

One time our 156 developed a buzzing, under the lower left of the dash. It varied with the ventilation/AC fan speed. I dropped the fan unit out from under the dash (stunningly easy to do!) and there was a parking lot ticket fallen down in there.

Does the buzzing vary with fan speed?

[colcol]

Evan, the buzzing is a temperature related problem, if the fan is off, low, med or loud and deafening, the buzzing is still there.
I think to cure it, i need a heated garage, Colin.

[poohbah]

No dash buzzing in my late 2001 model, but the leather seats squeak constantly.
Like col, I think option 3 is the most practical solution!

[Neil Choi]

Colin, have you tried spraying Mortein?

[alfagtv58]

Check the ashtray for a pair of stud earrings 

[colcol]

Poohbah, have you tried putting some leather rejuvenator on it, i use Selleys brand, and it goes on easy and is dry in the morning and has a nice smell, some leather care products smell like the cow the leather came from, but if its the springs that are squeaking, you may have to cable tie the springs together tighter, Colin.

[colcol]

Neil, you being Scientific, i would expect better from you, spraying a Wasp with Mortein only makes them more angry and more determined to sting you, a rolled up AGE is the only answer, Colin.

[colcol]

alfagtv58, its a good add that!, makes me even more determined NOT to pull the dash apart, and my 156 has no ashtray....has been converted to a double power outlet so i can run a deep frier for snacks on the way home, Homer Simpson style, Colin.

[Anthony Miller]

mmmmmmmm............ snacks

[poohbah]

cheers Col, I do put a leather treatment on from time to time. I don't think its the springs - the squeak mainly seems to be the seats rubbing against the handbrake/coin tray console between the seats. And you can't hear it with the stereo turned up to 11!

[colcol]

It sounds like the cushions have sagged a bit and they are snagging on the console, you could try putting some spacers under the seat to get them away from the console and see if it makes any difference.
My 156 has a Blaupunkt head unit, it only goes up to 10, but i have made some enquires about getting the head unit upgraded, so that when you need to go a bit higher than 10 you can go that extra one to 11, such as intense Wasp buzzing or in your case leather seat rubbing, if this is the worst thing that happens to a 156, then maybe all those Alfa Romeo critics have it wrong, Colin.

[Evan Bottcher]

You might need that '11' setting for the Ramones, huh Colin?

[colcol]

Wasp is back behind dashboard in 156, cold morning here in Melbourne, 7c, buzzing this morning, but wasp asleep this afternoon with 18c, must only wakeup on cold mornings, hibernates in warm weather, i will never get back the hours i spent cable tying everything and checking for things rubbing somewhere, Colin.