In 2003 I bought my Q4 produced in May 1994, so I have now owned it for almost 10 years and done about 225.000km of the total 475.000km it has done ( the reason for not knowing the correct mileage is because of 5 months of driving is not accounted for, as the nylon gear wheel was broken viewtopic.php?f=2&t=971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ).
Over this distance the car has used app. 27.000L of petrol, a lot of it being Shell V-power, as earlier I have recorded improved consumption compared to 95 octane (I think they recently degraded the quality of it, so might go back to 95). For the main part of this time I have used Castrol 10w-60 Sport with good results. It used about 1L per 10.000km and doesn't seem to have changed.
This was one of 2 Q4's sold new in DK and was the Danish Fiat importers press car and several stamps in the service book shows the maintenance from authorized dealers. I am the 5th owner and have no intention of selling it on - and probably no one wants to buy a car with this mileage...
I have always used it as my daily driver and still do. It brings a smile to my face going to the car, getting behind the wheel and starting that lovely V6 - that will be hard to replace when the time comes. It has been very reliable, even though it has had a couple of long 'stints' at the workshop (one being problems in the ECU wiring harness, others having a hard time finding the needed parts).
A lot of things have been fixed on the car over the years (mostly minor) and there are still things to fix. One of the great improvements was visiting Goats in San Diego to get a repaired LCD display, which has been working flawlessly ever since!!! I have collected the list of things to do here, some more important than others and I plan to post the progress on this along the way. So here goes - in a sort of prioritized manner:
--FIXED -- ABS light on - pump motor failure - pump motor not spinning when applying 12V directly to it - replaced the pump unit, but the electrical unit has a defective pump motor relay, hopefully this can be replaced, though it is a fixed relay
I have now had the relays replaced, now I get an error for the right front and rear left solenoid valve (read elsewhere for this)
Replacing the 60A fuse related to the ABS seems to have fixed the issue - the ABS light does not come on when driving
Updated, but not fixed -- 4WD light coming after longer driving - error message from module in French 'Signal Course piston du a: Course trop court Absent' - this error is still present + venting the system with the tester did not succeed - it seems the valve is the problem, replacing it requires draining the system. Replacing the sensor for the piston movement did not help, so most likely it is the viscomatic clutch not working properly??!
-- Cracked wind shield
-- The courtesy mirror light is out - voltage to sunshade
-- Remote central locking has not worked during my ownership, but might be related to the above?
-- Electric height adjustment of headlights - plugs need to be fixed
-- Electric mirrors don't work at all sometimes, no adjustment or folding. Cable up to buttons replaced.
-- Adjustment of bonnet, as it requires 2 pulls to open and it moves somewhat at high speeds...
-- Handbrake only works on right side, have to replace the caliper and cable
-- Drivers door is sagging - mounts worn
-- Airbag light is on - steering wheel squib needs to be replaced
-- Petrol gauge needle is sometimes 'shifted' for a period of time - now it is completly off - haven't looked into this, but expect it to be a problem in the tank - might be working again...
-- Indicator stalk not auto cancelling after turn - have a replacement part and some day I will take the airbag wheel off, but so far I have learned to live with it
-- Left & Right front door, central locking doesn't work - I think the unit is worn out
-- FIXED - One of the lower, exterior door panels are not properly fitted, clips are not available from Alfa anymore, found one from another 164
FIXED??-- Radiator fan starting at random - seems to be a defective trinary switch (Q20) - replaced trinary switch, need to test more.
-- Partly FIXED - Engine noise at startup and some times during driving, sounds like hydraullic valve lifters, added some cleaner, now changed oil, filter and sensor - sound is still there, so must be down to wear and tear... It has reappeared after driving 4000km this winter, replaced the oil, hope that it is gone again - coolant leaking in to oil?
-- Partly FIXED - Checkpanel button works sometimes - maybe the button is not working correctly
-- FIXED - The clock in the center console works, but I can not set the hours - button problem? DONE when unit was changed.
-- FIXED - Windshield wipers are not cleaning the middle of the screen - springs in wiper arms worn? Bent the arms, which improved it
-- FIXED - AGAIN! - Leaking rear screen - got some black stuff, normally used on trains, I was told. Rear screen will be replaced with a new one later
-- FIXED - Passenger seat, one bolt is stuck - proper tools fixed it
-- FIXED - Steering rack leaking! I have a reconditioned one and am considering replacing the transmission with the new one I have and do the clutch at the same time - well have the garage help me with it... this is now replaced together with the servo pump - clutch and gearbox replaced with all new parts.
-- FIXED - Idle speed regulator defect - no connection in any of the wires (wrong plug was connected
)-- FIXED - 4WD: the steering sensor was placed 90degrees off, most likely due to wrong positioning when the rack was reconditioned!
-- FIXED - One bolt missing at the bottom of the front, right strut - viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1106" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-- FIXED - Evaporation solenoid valve fault - plug looked very corroded, a clean seems to have fixed this - Wilco's diagnostic sw came in very handy here
-- FIXED - HVAC blower not running - Q31 has been changed to another used one, problem solved (seems to be a problem with the speed regulator that is used on climate controlled version http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/164-168 ... t-q31.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (a temporary fix has been made, so I don't freeze in the winter time - though the engine pre-heater helps if the fix quits
))-- FIXED - Illumination of instrument panel (adding external ground to C8 in fuse box brings light to panel, I have not found the reason for the missing ground)
-- FIXED - Lower part of the center console has no back light - this is a problem inside the console, as tested with another that works. I need to switch the display to this unit. The original one has quite a lot of corrosion at the bottom of the printed circuit where the backside plugs are. DONE
-- FIXED - Passenger seat rear height adjustment not working - motor works up, not down, replaced switch
-- FIXED - Hazard lights coming on randomly (that can drain the battery in a few hours!), so quick solution is to remove the relay when leaving the car. Possibly the button or print in the used center console I put in recently, fixing other issue. Put another used center console in and problem is solved.
-- FIXED - Rear lambda probe not regulating - ground to the probe was not good, cleaning it was enough
-- FIXED - AGAIN! - Leak in fuel tank - rubber ring around rubber ring above the pump needs to be replaced
-- FIXED - without me doing anything! - Leak in 4WD hydraulic system - above differential, tube/joint is leaking, got a replacement to install
-- FIXED - Small leak from oil cooler - it is now replaced with a new one
-- FIXED - Front exhaust manifold leaking - gaskets replaced
-- FIXED - Need to replace strut lower bearings
-- FIXED - New dampers for boot, now it doesn't close on its own
Modifications to the car:
- Installed an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and it works!
I believe these were the main things. There are some cosmetic things needing a little attention, but nothing serious. Finally I have the option of lifting the car and I don't think it looks that bad considering the mileage and a winter that feels very looong here (still salt and snow), but I guess the yearly inspection in about a week will give more info on this...
This list is pretty long, but the car still drives well and brings that smile to my face - then all of the above just fades away
I will try and keep this thread updated, as things come along - both new issues and hopefully, fixed stuff! Some of it should also go into my photobook for you to have a look at - which maybe you will, if you have read this far
