#3 Transaxle & other's tips

[alfacybersite <acs@domain.elided>]

Okay, some of these I'm so embarrassed about, but...

Should you loosen lug nuts before raising your car, place a Post-It note
on the side to say, "Tighten before driving off into the sunset."

So's you don't have the plastic thingy which aligns the clutch disc when
installing. Eyeball center really well, but barely tighten down bolts on
pressure plate. Temporarily install. Remove and tighten completely
pressure plate's bolts. Should slide in later with no problem.

When doing transaxle dis and re-assembly, first take your turkey baster
and remove fluid from clutch fluid reservoir. Then use your Harbor
Freight $1.29 (+ or -) hose clamp-off on the rear brake flex line.
You'll get considerably less brake fluid in the eyeballs and both will
bleed so much quicker.

Yes, you can bleed your own clutch and brakes without any trick stuff
other than a jar semi filled with reasonably clear brake fluid and a
clear hose. And, yes, you will be up and down a number of times. Place
tube on bleed screw, making sure other end is in fluid. Press six
to eight times on brake / clutch pedal so there are no
bubbles in tube. If there are, repeat. If not, tighten bleed screw and
move on. Do be sure to keep an eye on fluid reservoirs and keep refilled
as necessary.

Installing wheel axles: First, assuming you're in the midst of a major
'rear-end' restoration, replace the rear exhaust before replacing the
right rear wheel axle. Sup to you, but I use Anti-Seize grease on the
wheel axle's bolts. When replacing axle assemblies to transaxle, I use a
(right angle) 6 mm hex wrench to get bolts in place, then tighten with a
medium largish flexible socket wrench & 6 mm hex socket.

Must confess: Did just tighten all wheel lug nuts to 50#. There is so
much confusion as to how tight rims should be, but my deciding factors
are two-fold: Have I ever had a wheel fall off? No. Can I remove the
lug-nuts on a dark and stormy night with the Alfa supplied lug nut
wrench? Hopefully & probably.

Happy Alfetta GT motoring...

Biba
Irwindale, CA USA

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