Alfa romeo veloce spider 2000

I have bought a old alfa romeo spider 2000 veloce in primrose yellow. It reminds me how cars advance so much as I compare it to my present cars. I guess the ideal is to have the looks of a classic and the performance of a modern day car.

Ducati 916 Biposto why I bought one - Vincenzo Iaciofano - Picasa Web Albums

Ducati 916 Biposto why I bought one - Vincenzo Iaciofano - Picasa Web Albums

Miata Roadster air con working with R134a or Mx 5

http://forum.miata.net/vb/archive/index.php/t-321878.html
Thanks to the forum of miata, I was able to start fault finding on the air con. My mx 5  roadster or as on the american sites is called a miata.
I have never used the aircon, air conditioning as when I pressed the button the revs would rise and only more air would flow warmer if any. I was also scared of the high costs. Not having any experience I searched on the net for help in diagnosing the air con. One of the first issues is that pre 1993, most cars were fitted with R12 gas which is now illegal to use. Only R413a, isceon 49 or R143a can be used for recharging. Although trying to find a good site or forum link to provide the correct info is difficult. It also seems that there are some air con engineers that will take advantage and advise high costs to replace items that do not need changing.
The first issue I had was the connectors on the air con under the bonnet would not fit on the local test unit from halfords. (www.halfords.com) They tested my Peugeot 806 T reg 1999 which I have owned for 7 years but has the larger connectors. I found the adaptors on ebay for mine and fitted them on. I had a problem with one of the adaptors as the rubber seal when tightened stopped the valve from opening and closing when pressed. I fixed this by removing the seal and using less of the connector and a good quality sealing paste. Next i checked the compressor was working by disconnecting the low pressure switch at the front by the rad, shorted the switch for enough time to see the front of the compressor clutch kick in.  As this was working, I took a gamble that the air con would work ok with the gas topped up.
I took the car to kwikfits and had the system vacuumed and topped up for £49. This was a good price as i was quoted three times as much from smaller garages. Now the air con kicks in and the air coming out is as cold as ice....nearly.
 Next I wonder if the air con will work with the top down, hopefully with some sun soon.

the low pressure cap in black and the high pressure cap in red. The new caps are low pressure in blue and the high is the same in red.

Busso and Molise history

if ever you have wondered about molise or busso or campobasso then this info from the italian consulate website should help

History

Archaeological remains speak of ancient times: prehistoric and proto-historic villages, the rise of the Samnites, who settled here around the 7th century BC, the wars against the Romans, the fortified castles of the Middle Ages, the Barbarian invasions that changed the culture and landscape of the ancient Roman Samnius.

With the Norman conquest Samnius became Molise. The Region's name derives from the de Moulins family: Rodulfus de Moulins snatched Boiano and Venafro from the Lombards and became lord of a territory with ancient Samnius and new Molise at its heart. The Samnites arrived in this part of the peninsula on the wave of the vast migratory flow caused by the decline of the Etruscans' power, and established their religious centre, the symbol of tribal unity, on the heights of Pietrabbondante. They defended themselves against the Romans during the Samnitic Wars (243-290 BC) along the Apennines, at the end of which they fell under Roman dominion. Periods of war and peace alternated over the centuries leaving deep marks that survive in the architecture from the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Rococo periods.

Curios

Molise is the primary producer of white truffles in Europe and its flourishing cheese industry provides dairy products sold in all the large Italian cities. Its various "Soppressate" are the pride of local tradition, followed by naturally cured pork salami.

Among the many popular festivals, recalling Molise's traditions for centuries, are the "ndocciata" torch-lit processions in Agnone, the cart races in S. Martino in Pensilis and Ururi and the Mysteries of Campobasso. Scapoli is the only village where the "zampogna", the classical shepherd's instrument, is still produced. The Region has an ancient tradition of silver and goldsmithing especially in Campobasso and Agnone. Famous also are the steelworks of Campobasso and Frosolone.

Tourist Itineraries

Matese is one of the most important groups the Apennines, the Region's highest mountain being Monte Miletto (2050m). To the west a rocky barrier rises up brusquely with vertical walls: Le Mainarde, scattered with villages, beech woods and forests of silver fir, such as the Montedimezzo and Collemeluccio forests, which have been declared Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO. In some municipalities, and also in the Abruzzo National Park, it is possible to catch sight of wildlife in its natural habitat. For example, in Pizzone, you can see the brown bear, and there is no lack of charming settings such as the upland plain of Valle Fiorita and the basin of Montenero Val Cocchiera, where wild horses graze.

Itineraries not to be missed are the climb up to Monte Miletto, or Sepino, the archaeological area which takes you to the village of Altilia. Another pleasant visit is to Isernia Trivento, the ancient Samnitic fortress, and then on to Termoli, the most important seaside resort on the Molise coast where boats leave for the Tremiti Islands.

Another itinerary takes in Venafro, and on to the Benedictine monastery of S. Vincenzo al Volturno. It then skirts the artifical lake of Castel S. Vincenzo and up to one of the loftiest municipalities in Italy, Capracotta (1,416m), between Monte Campo and Monte Capraro.

Finally, you can come upon the traces left by Homo Aeserniensis and his prehistoric camp dating back around 700,000 years - the most ancient settlement in Europe.

Mazda mx 5 eunos roadster miata heater hose no 2

On my Mazda Mx5 eunos roadster or Miata in the USA.

Below is a picture of the heater hose that connects the heater matrix in the car and to the engine. I had a couple of occasions where steam appeared under the bonnet and could not see where it was coming from. As the cut in the hose increased I opened the bonnet to see water hit the exhaust and steam. I had to cut the old hose with a stanley knife as the hose pipe was stuck on. I have read on the net that oil dripping from the cam cover gasket increases contamination. This can cause the pipes to split.

The part number for number 2 hose from Mazda dealers was (B61P15185 hose, water)

new one fitted and its working ok.

Rubber gear box dust cover Miata Mazda Mx5 eunos

Under the console the electrical switchs are connected, two can be seen, one at the front to connect the light just below the gear gaiter / Insulator (NA0164481B). the other is for the electrical switchs wihic raise the windows.

the sound proofing is placed over the gearbox dust rubbers (bootdustchnglever M51417480A)

the gearbox dust rubber (boot dust chng lever) is placed over and I found that they can easily be over tightened. they only need to be hand tight in my view as more pressure is put on the dust rubber deforms and a gap will appear from the sides.

here the three bolts are tightened up and the lever is checked for operation. there is a guiding cut in the lever which enables it to sit home fully.

the new nylon bush (seat 039817462A) and the old one. I removed the old one by using a large pair of pliers and lever off the old bush. this flew off but remained intact. As with any job always be careful.

Miata Mazda eunos mx5 change the gearbox dust rubber

this picture the lever is out and you can see the white circular guide (039817462A seat). this is the old one. the new rubber (NA0164481B Insulator)is eased on. I used wd40 but have read that water is used also.

the three 10mm head screws are undone and the gearlever is pulled out. i cut the old gear lever dust rubber off.

here the large gearbox dust cover (M51417480A boot dust chng lever) can be seen that covers the gear lever. you can see that the rubber has perished completely and that there is no middle. four 10mm bolts hold the gear box dust rubber in place.

with the centre console off you can see the next thing is to take off the sound insulator. the two electrical connecters can be seen to connect lights and to the electrical window switchs.

After sourcing the parts. there are two philips screws either side of the console at the front, one under the ashtray and two in the rear console under the locking lid.

See pictures above

I used to get warm air from around the gearbox and wondered if this was normal. After research on the net, I found that there are a few dust rubbers which can be changed.

This stopped the warm air from rising from the gearbox area. Also afterwards the gear change is completely different. The rubbers give a more positive feel to the gear change through the gears. There are also a few sites which give details of the part numbers also needed. I also managed to download the part numbers from the miata website which was very helpful when calling the Mazda dealers in the UK.

The bottom one is called Boot Dust Change Lever (or Change Lever Dust Boot in English) - it's M51417480A - list price a year ago was 14.90 (+ VAT). The "middle" one is called "Insulator", is NA0164481B, the plastic bush is called a seat 039817462A.

I changed the gearbox dust rubber which covers the gearbox under the centre console, also the plastic bush and a second rubber which also covers the gearbox. Pictures show a step by step of how it was carried out.