16mm wrench for starter?

[AlfaNeely@domain.elided]

In a message dated 03/15/2002 7:38:39 PM Central Standard Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:



> Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2002 08:37:00 -0500
> From: Dana Loomis <dloomis@domain.elided>
> Subject: 16mm wrench for starter?
> 
> Russ Neely's comment that "By the way, the starter bolts are the only place
> on an Alfa that requires a 16 mm wrench"  surprised me.  Maybe I've been
> working on the wrong Alfas, but every one I can remember has had 8 mm bolts
> with the standard 13 mm head in the starter.  I've pulled a lot of
> starters, and  I'm certain I've never used a 16 mm wrench on any of them. 
> 
> Russ also mentioned that he tries not to buy tool sets that include 16 and
> 18 mm wrenches because Alfa Romeos didn't use fasteners that require them.
> This is a reasonable economy measure for someone just beginning their tool
> collection, but I keep discovering the odd fastener in a size I previously
> believed was not used.  For example, the throttle linkage on carbureted
> 105s has one nut that takes a 9 mm wrench.  Odd fasteners are often
> associated with components that were "outsourced" from other suppliers,
> like brakes and carburetors, rather than assembled by Alfa Romeo.  
> 
> Dana Loomis
> 

Dana,
       I have been messing with L Jetronic and Motronic spiders pretty much 
exclusively for ten years or so.  They all have two starter bolts with a 16 
mm head and the shouldered center bolt with normal 13 mm head.  All are 8 mm 
bolts, I am talking about head size here.
       I went to look at the 74 GTV in the garage.  It arrived in so many 
boxes that I am not sure where the starter bolts are, let alone the starter.  
It has also been some years since I worked on a 1750, or any of my 1600 
Giulias.  I do not recall what bolts were used on them.
       I am pretty sure that the Alfetta starter bolts required the 16 mm 
wrench, but I could be wrong.

       Tom Sahines wrote to inform me that the front brakes on the 750 / 101 
cars do require an 18 mm wrench.  The only place I have used an 18 mm wrench 
recently was when changing the shock absorbers on my 94 Ford motorhome / tow 
vehicle.

       When bleeding the brakes on the late model spider, the rears require a 
7 mm wrench, the clutch bleeder is 8 mm and the front brake bleeders are 9 
mm.  8 mm bolt heads are common for trim parts, and even the spider heater 
and the ignition computer is held in with them.
       Other than that, you could almost do anything on an Alfa with a 10 and 
a 13 mm wrench.  17 and 19 are common for suspension, driveshaft and valve 
covers. The pan bolts are mostly 11 mm, with two 12 mm as I recall.  The 
shift lever is 11 as are two of the water pump / front cover bolts.
       Then there is the big stuff like 22 mm, 27 mm for the drain plug (if 
not 12 mm Allen) and the even bigger wrenches for the crankshaft pulley and 
transmission yoke.  The very biggest would seem to be the 55 mm very thin 
wrench to remove the nut when setting cam timing on the late model VVT intake 
cam.  I had to make a 55 mm wrench from an old truck spring on a mill for 
that one.  It is even stamped with the Alfa part number, just for grins.
       Luckily, American sizes often interchange nicely in the larger sizes.  
1 1/16 is exactly 27 mm.  1 1/4 is close enough to 32 mm to work on the 
transmission yoke, etc.
       Again, the above is mostly my experience with 82 and newer spiders.  I 
have slept since I worked on anything else.

Ciao,
Russ Neely
Oklahoma City

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