Hello, New to the forum need help with a Alfa 156

[takiskylie]

Hello, just stumbled across this forum. I bought a nice little 156 JTS a little bit ago from a dealer who has since gone broke! this car went well for a little bit then the engine control system light came on but went off occasionaly. After a while it stayed on and the car stopped completly, numerous (NON ALFA) mechanics looked at it telling me they are shit cars nothing is wrong etc. Me not knowing much about cars assumed I bought a terrible car! When the car stopped completly I had a mechanic to it he said the motor has seized they are crap cars and towed it to my house! Since then another mechanic has looked it saying its not seized he will charge my battery and come back.....never heard from that guy since and car still sitting in garage I only drove it 5000 klms since I got it! Basicly what i need help with is some one in Brisbane who might know a little bit about these cars as I have since found out not all mechanics can fix them but I love my little car! Is there anyone in Brisbane who can come to me and maybe even tell me whats wrong with the car? The warranty from the dealership was never paid by the dealership and they are non existant now! The car has sat in my garage now for around 6 months as I got tired of being ripped off by people who say they can fix them  a whole heap of money spent "presto" they say its a shit car its seized! Yet when the battery is charged the car seems to sometimes turn over........

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Neil Choi]

It is like going to a GP for a diagnosis and being told, yes the car is not going, you need to go to an Alfa specialist. 

One of the AROCA Qld folks will help, join the club.

It is not that bad.

Go here

http://www.arocaqld.com/cms/pageDisplay.php?module=custom&type=sponsors&name=allSponsors

or give Richard Anderson a call

Address: 88 Toombul Road, Northgate
Phone: (07) 3266 6623

[lombardi]

Lesson learned here, alway's go to an alfa specialist, the car is not shit,the problem is the mecahnics are made of MERDA, or in slang-DUMB AS DOG S---T. gOOD LUCK WITH IT.regards

[colcol]

I also own one of these 5hit Alfa 156 JTS cars, and i can tell you in the 4 years i have owned it, it has not let me down once.
Join the Queensland Alfa Club, go to meetings and talk to people and find out where they get their cars serviced, never take a Alfa Romeo to a normal Mechanic, take it to an Alfa Mechanic as they work on them all the time and they know what to look for when they are servicing them.
Some of the things to look out for in the JTS include, check the oil every week, the JTS has direct injection and likes a drink of oil, the JTS means JET THRUST STOICHAMETRIC, which is Alfa Romeo's version of high pressure direct injection, the oil to use is 10-60 fully synthetic racing oil of your favourite brand.
The 156 can sometimes throw up an error message for engines and airbags, take it to an Alfa Romeo service provider with a Alfa - Fiat diagnostic computer, to save any guesswork, and to have the problem sorted pronto.
You have to change the cam belt and associated tensioners every 50,000klms or 3 years or whichever comes first, this is non negotiable, unless you want to live life on the edge and drive a ticking time bomb.
The front suspension can bump and clunk after about 80,000klms, look for worn out upper control arms, then it would be worn anti roll bar bushes and drop links, then look for worn out bottom control arms, an Alfa service provider would have done this job hundreds of times, Colin.

[Evan Bottcher]

As has already been said, you definitely need to locate an Alfa specialist.  There's a couple of topics on this forum that might help:

http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=9627.0
or
http://www.alfaclubvic.org.au/forum/index.php?topic=2803.0

A good specialist will have the Fiat Examiner computer and be able to diagnose the reason why the engine light has come on, and why the car will not start.  I would suggest getting the car onto a tow truck and to the mechanic's workshop.  If there is a recommended specialist from the people on here, they will not simply say 'the car is shit' and give it back to you - there will be a resolution one way or another.  You might still not be happy with the outcome, that's still possible, but at least get it to someone with plenty of experience with Alfas.

For my own curiosity, are you saying that when you charge the battery with a battery charger it will turn over on the key but still not start?  Have you tried another (known good) battery?  Did the mechanic who towed the car to you literally say 'seized'?

[takiskylie]

Thankyou for all the great replies and advice

I will be sure to contact one of the people from this site.

Reply to Evan Bottcher :  Yes with a good batery it does seem to try and start....like turn over. But it just doesnt kick over and flattens the battery then the car just starts clicking again...Now it has messages on the dashboard "ABS failure" and "VCD failure" and "EBD Failure" these came up this afternoon when my husband put a charged battery on the car and it did try turn over again...yes the first guy that looked at it try to jump start it, then he tried to push the car back and forth a bit and said "its seized" he diddnt seem interested at all and he clearly knew nothing of the car.

[Davidm1600]

Hi firstly I am sorry to hear of your problems with your 156, never a good start to ownership of such a nice car. Only non Alfa people will tell you such stories re Alfa's being crap. They are not, in fact quite the opposite. All that has been said is grt advice. Having owned a Jts 156 for some 5 and 1/2 years, let alone plenty of Alfa's I know from experience. I agree that you need to get your car onto the analyser as it should diagnose the problem to allow you to get it fixed. From my experience and it kind of sounds similar to mine, I would not be surprised that all is wrong is that you need to replace a Lambda sensor or two. There are 4 and they all fail with time, normally sequentially over time. I have just replaced the last one plus fitted a new high power battery and my error messages have gone. Mine died too once, the first time and it was a bottom sensor. The sensors measure the exhaust gases, as they are part of the engine management system. If the sensor is old. They start misreading the emissions and can shut the engine town via messages to the cars computer. Once replaced all should be good. So hence the advice getting your car diagnosed on the computer as it will identify which one . In terms if parts , my advice is jump on line, once you know what you need and get them from EB Spares in the UK, as it will be cheaper than locally, inc postage. Parts normally arrive in about 3-5 days from the UK. Good luck Nd hope you get back to enjoying your Alfa real soon.

[colcol]

I looked at a British Alfa service organisation, called Roberts aerospace, and they reccomend changing the Lambda sensors every 5 years or 60,000 miles or 90,000klms, they say with a Beemer its part of the 60,000klm service to change the Lambda sensors regardless if they are giving trouble or not, the JTS has 4, early twin sparks have 1 and the late twin sparks have 3, Colin.