More HP than a set of stickers and some neon!!!

You ever read those car mags about building racecars and tuning engines and stuff like that? You know, the ones full of small block chevys and other 'merican junk. Seems like they always have an article about getting the most power out of your engine. First thing they always tell you is to check the basic stuff. You know, ignition timing, plugs, wires, fresh gas, etc. And as an Alfa owner you think to yourself.... "duh, I know that stuff inside and out. Hell, sometimes I pull my plugs just to look at them!! And I replace my consumables three times a year even though I only drive the car 100 miles during that time."

Ok, so maybe I am not that bad. But some of you are and you know it! My cars are daily drivers. And as such they really get worse maintenance than most garage queens. They get dirty. They sit in the sun and the rain. They get lots of oil changes. They burn out light bulbs from use, not time.

Getting to the point... I was caught out last night because of one of those "basic" items. I was working on a turn signal problem when I started fooling around with my throttle. I know, I know, the two are totally unrelated. I was under the dash poking around with the wires and started playing with the pedals by hand. After working my way from left to right across the pedals I noticed the gas pedal gave little resistance until a good ways down. Hmm. So I went to the throttle body and gave it a tug. Seems fine to me. Then I got the idea of actuating the throttle from the arm on the fire wall. So I reached over the motor to the convenient little arm on the fire wall. I pulled back on the arm until I felt and heard the gas pedal bottom out. Wait a sec!! The throttle did not open all the way!!! I did some back and forth and realized the little ball joint heads were super loose!! All of them! The total slop accounted for maybe half the travel of the pedal!! I was not even coming off idle until half way to the floor!! WTF!!!

It was time to come in for the night. So I sat down at the computer and started searching on the BB. I now have all the correct procedures for adjusting the throttle rods to perfection. Tonight I am going to make the proper adjustments and take her for a spin. I figure this should really free up some power!! Should be more power than a big wing, spinners, red hoses, neon, and stickers put together!!

Things that make you go hummmm.....

When working on these cars you always seem to find things that confound the imagination. Sometimes it is something a previous owner did as a cheap fix. Other times it is a factory decision that makes you curse the engineers who designed it. And other times it is just facts of life type stuff.

Last night I had two out of the three. First I have my fact of life moment. I get all ready to work on the car, snap on some gloves, grab my drop light, and.... wait, why is the drop light not working? Let's see, it's plugged in. It worked last time. I have not dropped it recently. Hmm. Must be a bad bulb. Zoom, zoom in the spider to the store, come back with a new bulb. New bulb does not work. Well, this new bulb has a weird rattle to it. Go back to store, exchange bulb for model with less rattle. Still no dice. $#@$, must be something else. So not I figure the ballast in the light must be bad. I can probably get something like that from radio shack right? Let's take this light apart. Oh, wow, why use a regular off the shelf ballast when you could use and entire circuit board with microprocessors and stuff. Gotta love those engineers at Sears!! Oh wait, I guess I had three out of three after all! Anyways, I put it all back together and went back to the method all mechanics have used at some point in time.... I beat it on the work bench! And darn if that did not work... sort of. Not to mention that once the light came on it was all yellow instead of white. Grrr!! But at least I can work now. Until I accidentally turned it off an hour later...

So finally I resorted to taking the surface of the sun halogens off their stand and setting them under the car where I would be working. Whew, those things are bright!! Either way, that leads us to me being confounded by the previous owners. Or at least their mechanics...

I was rebuilding the front section of the shift linkage on the Milano. Once I got into it, I found piles and piles of bearing grease. The stupid part of it is that there is nothign in there requireing so much bloody grease! I ended up taking it all apart, wiping up the grease, regreasing, and putting it back together. If you have ever done this job, you know it is slightly more complicated than that, but you get my point. Either way, I used alot less grease. I also fabbed up a shim from some sheet rubber to take the slop out of the ball joint in the shifter. And with new o-rings in the lower joint it is as good as new. Now I just need the $160 kit from performatek to rebuild the rear part!

The end result is, now I have a shifter that works and a drop light that doesn't. Hey, you cannot win them all!!

There is something in the air....

Sometimes I wonder why we do all this. I mean, do we really need Italian sports cars? Do I really need a convertible? Why don't we all drive Honda Civics? Hell, Andy drives an Accord, and he owns more Alfas than I do! So why do we put up with all this crap?

I will tell you why! It is for those brief moments when everything is just right. I had one of those today. This was nothing special. It was just one of those times when you understand why we do all this. One of those things that puts a smile on your face the rest of the day. No I did not pass a Ferrari going 110mph on the interstate. No I did not get out of a ticket because of my charm and good looks. And no, I did not figure out a unified theory of everything in physics either. This was so simple. So elegant. So basic and humble.

I know you must be chomping at the bit...

Well, lets set the scene first. It has been raining here every day for a week now. If it is not raining, it certainly looks like it will. After being drenched in the monsoon on the way home from the last Alfa meeting, I have been ready for some top down driving. No dice. Well, finally this morning, there was no rain. And on top of that it was cool enough outside you did not get soaking wet from sweat after ten seconds. So this morning on the way to work, I let my Italian mistress do my hair. And she does a great job too. Anyways, here is the special bit. I am lucky enough to work in down town Baton Rouge. Apart from small skyscrapers and old office buildings there is also a small factory. No not an industrial factory. This is a bakery. And do you know what happens when you drive a convertible down the road and the wind is just right a couple miles from a bakery? Yeah, thats right, the smell of fresh baked bread fills the air. Ahhh... It makes me smile and sigh just thinking about it. There just really cannot be too many things better than cruising down the interstate, engine singing, wind in your hair, sun shining, and fresh baked bread wafting around you.

So thats it. Thats my story. Whether you liked it or not, it made me really happy. If you happened to be on that stretch of road this morning, in your Camry with your a/c blasting on recycled stale air, you would have seen me. I was the kid with that funny goofy Alfa grin we all seem to get from time to time.

4th of July

I had the day off today like most of America. So this morning I started bright and early. I put the finishing touches on the vac sensor for the spider. Once I got it all buttoned up I took her for a spin. There is no real noticeable difference, but I am sure the next week will see a fuel economy increase. Hurray! I also used a digital timing light to verify the sensor was actually working. I am getting way too much advance at idle, but mid range and max advance are both within spec on the high side. But hey, more advance sounds good to me!!

Then I tackled the milano ABS. I had some old sensors from my last milano. I started to test them and see what the troubles were. After lots of careful soldering and miles of electrical tape I got all the sensor wires back to spec. I carefully installed them all and connected them up. I set all the air gaps and tested the wires again. Perfect. So I fired up the car and waited. After the booster pump finished building pressure the abs light went out for the first time since I have owned the car. So what is next? ABS testing!! I went to a nearby gravel parking lot and made some quick stops. It was so cool!! The relays all started clicking and I could feel the pedal pulsate just like everyone says it should. This should be great on the autox!!

Well, thats enough Alfa stuff for now. Amy and Jeremy from the rally are going to pick me up and we are gonna celebrate the fourth the best way possible!! With BEER!!

Working on a Miata

Today I had the fun opportunity to drive and work on an "NA" Miata. It belongs to a friend of ours and has been causing some troubles. The problem was described to me as "the car dies sometimes when I am stopped". Really helpful there. The owner of the car had access to another vehicle so chose to ignore the problem rather than fix it. Now the other vehicle is returning to its rightful owner (her mother) and the Miata has to work.

So the wife and I loaded some basic tools into the spider and hit the road. First thing I did was drive the car. The owner chose not to join me so I took the chance to really feel out the car. Besides I have ridden with her. She shifts this thing like an automatic. I doubt it had ever seen more than 3000 rpm before I got in. The car drove well. The problem became apparent after a couple miles. For whatever reason, when the car returns to idle, it takes a moment to regain engine speed. That is to say it drops below idle and comes back up. Hmm. Well this car being too old to have obd2, and not having a check engine light flashing for me for the obd1, I had to just sit and think about the problem.

The internet is a great automotive tool these days. I found a nice Miata forum and started digging around. In reality this is the same process I use on my Alfas. Quickly I found other people with the same problems and they confirmed my suspicions. The ISC valve was out of whack. If this was an Alfa, I would know what to do. Instead I read a lengthy and informative paper about how these things work on the miata and how to diagnose and repair them. In the end the procedure is the same as an Alfa. Step one.... remove hose. Step two... spray carb cleaner into valve. Step three.... reconnect hose. That was it. Sure, it was a little more complicated than that. In fact, trying to hold a hose up, manually work the throttle on a running engine, and spray carb cleaner into the system all at the same time required more hands than I was born with, so I had my lovely assistant spray the cleaner.

After a couple long squirts the car is idling perfectly. Mazda even saw fit to put a neat little dashpot on the throttle to act as a damper right before the butterfly slams shut. Not sure why this is required, but it sure does smooth things out when the revs are coming down. I am really glad this project was so easy to finish. These days I wonder why I even entertain peoples thoughts about me fixing their modern cars. If it is not an Alfa, I really have no clue. But when you can walk into a situation blind, and save the day for a friend, it sure does feel good.

Ok, and now for the part you have all been waiting for.... how did it compare to my spider....

Well, first lets give some context. My spider is a ragged out '85 on its second engine, burning lots of oil, squeaking, and clunking down the road. That said, it is my daily driver and has been very faithful. Not to mention the a/c can get down to 35 degrees at the vents!!!! Pick your jaw up off the floor and keep reading!

The Miata is a '91 (I think) with the 1.6L engine. This car needs a loving home. The current owner is your typical driver. (note I did not say lady driver... I know you were thinking it Bonnie!!) She does what she has to to keep the car running, but never really gives it that extra treatment to keep it perfect and nice. The top is torn. There is a huge dent where a tree fell on the car. There is the smell of a fuel leak in the engine compartment. The air needs to be recharged. The center console is messed up from vandals, who still managed to leave the radio. The car smells funny and tends to be sticky on the interior. The trunk has things in it that clunk and move when cornering hard. I could keep going, but you get the point.

So how do they compare? Well in side by side testing, my seatofthepants-o-meter gives the award to the spider. Everything is better about the spider. The engine sounds, the interior, the handling, the shifter. I know the Alfa tranny is special and not everyone likes it. But I have to say, I have yet to find a modern car that shifts with such a nice feel. And to top it off, I have no use for a short throw shifter. I am not in a drag race. I want to have some motion associated with my shifts. I want to feel the bits moving inside. But I do not want to have to really work to get things where I want them. The miata shifter was not vague like most modern cars, but it was too extreme in the opposite way. Too tight. I really had to muscle each throw. Ugh. And then there is the handling. Wow. I prefer the spider not because it is faster. It isn't. I think the miata maybe needs a rebuild somewhere between the tires and the chassis. It has tons of grip. It just held and held and held. Amazing. But what I did not like was this weird way it would change direction unexpectedly in the middle of the corner. I would turn the wheel and start the turn. Then once the car took its set my direction would change. It would turn more into the corner than what I had requested. It is almost like something is loose and causing rear wheel steer once the weight is all transfered. It was very disconcerting. The really cool part was how the car still held. Tons of grip. It is amazing how I can throw it into a corner, and then it decides to take a tighter line and still holds. Wow. But scary. My ragged out spider has all original suspension. I think the ball joints are going. I had to replace the rear sway bar end link bushings because the originals actually fell apart. That is how rough my suspension is. But still, I have tons of grip, and she stays pointed where I tell her to go. I guess I should try driving a miata in better shape and make another evaluation.

My final thought about this is simple. My spider is 6 years older than the miata and has probably led a harder life. But in the end, she has stood the test of time and will continue to be a special classic on par with todays great cars. Remember... kiss french, but drive Italian!!

P.S.- should the owner of the Miata ever read this... I mean no harm. Your car is very nice. To quote ferris bueller... I don't even have a piece of shit... I have to envy yours! This has less to do with the quality of your car and more to do with making me feel good about mine. And if I am lucky, you will still call me next time it breaks.

Roof Drains

This Alfa world of ours has lots of special moments. Like when you have to kick the fuse box while driving down the road to get the a/c to stay running.

Well today I had one of those moments. I found out my top drains are working properly. How? It was raining. Not just a little rain. Monsoon rain. Trees leaning sideways rain. Wish I was in the Milano rain. Wish I did not have to drive at all rain. But Abrianna just loves the rain, so no big deal. Anyways, my little green monster was urinating a nice clean stream on both sides. There was enough rain draining from the top to clearly identify where the drain water emerges from the bottom of the car. I already knew the top drains were clear from when I replaced the top. I blew them out with compressed air, and dumped water down the holes. Today, I was standing a good 15 feet away from the car and could see the water streaming from underneath.

I am serious here. I am not saying there was a drip coming from a certain location. The whole car was dripping, it was raining!! This was a stream of water. A continuous stream. Like pouring water from a pitcher.

The point is.... it was really cool!! Just another one of those special smiling ear to ear moments we Alfisti are so famous for.