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Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:27 pm
by Murray
Guys I'm working on a customer's engine (1981 GTV-6 2.5L) and have run across a part I've never seen before.I'm sure someone knows exactly what it is 8) It is located in the passenger-side cylinder head and it's a plastic clip which supports a plastic/rubber tube which runs down into the block,probably down into the oil sump.By the way this engine has indeterminate mileage on it (don't most Alfas :D ) and I was pleased to discover factory original head gaskets,fire rings and all.First time I've had the pleasure :twisted:

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:56 pm
by xrad
oil overflow return or crank breather? Must be an early part soon dropped from the assembly line..

Is there one on the other side?

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 12:50 am
by Murray
xrad there is only one of these - pass-side.The end of the piece of hose which this clip supports is just barely visible to the right of the casting which the clip mounts to.

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 5:34 am
by MR2 Zig
Does the hose run to the area of the distributor drive....maybe to channel oil there?

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 7:09 am
by xrad
still going with my initial thoughts...

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 8:09 am
by Murray
Mr2Zig no the hose appears to go all the way down to the sump I'll be going down there in a few days and will find out where the other end terminates.
xrad the hose is just hanging out there on the plastic support so I don't think it could serve to return oil from the head but who knows after all it's an Alfa :D

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 5:11 am
by MALDI
Isn't it near the air/oil separator on the right hand side valve cover?

Could it be related to that?

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 5:15 am
by xrad
I remember someone on this site describing the same thing a while back....

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 11:45 am
by Murray
I think MALDI might be on to something
Isn't it near the air/oil separator on the right hand side valve cover?
The tube which is retained by the plastic clip could have originally run up to the oil/vapor seperator which is directly above its location.It's beyond me however why AR would have seen the need to route accumulated oil captured from vapor back to the sump as opposed to just dumping it into the cam cover as is done on my 86 ?

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 2:48 pm
by Murray
Ok guys it's getting stranger :shock: I pulled the sump on this engine today and the attached picture shows where this plastic tube ends up.The weirdest aspect,to me,is that the brass tube that is attached to the oil pump is crimped at its end (and it very much looks to be original AR factory) so it doesn't appear to be any kind of drain from up top ???

Any ideas ?

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:43 pm
by xrad
I remember someone else posting pics of this a few years ago...

maybe some kind of oil heating device??

I have seen other pumps with just the metal part...someone probably did head work and removed the hose part...


Strange...

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 2:28 pm
by slyalfa
I do remember it being posted too. but do not remember if any one knew what it was or not.
where does the top go does it just end there on the plastic clip?

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 1:28 am
by Murray
slyalfa the top of the tube is supported by the plastic clip in the cylinder head and it is just hanging there.As Maldi already suggested it is located pretty much under the oil vapour seperator on the valve cover so it's possible that originally the tube was connected to the seperator but it's beyond me what its purpose could be ?

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 5:46 am
by xrad
I am pretty sure this is useless and was quickly discontinued.

But maybe it is called the "OIL PSYCLONE" and can add 5 hp?!?! :P

Re: Need help identifying weird part

Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 11:01 am
by kevin
Possibly a probe went down the pipe to detect oil temp thats why its is closed and suppoerted at pump. This probe could have come through a modified tappet cover . Any sign of that.