2004 Alfa Romeo 156 JTS Selespeed

[TonyW]

Hi there,
I live on Macleay Island off Redland Bay and recently flew down to Sydney and bought a 2004 Alfa Romeo 156 JTS Selespeed with 78,000 klms from a private seller for $4000. It has quite a few scratches from the previous owners who were "golfers" and obviously did this in their garage. The outer rim of the mags are scored from the guy's Chinese wife parking it, typical. I drove it back to Qld over two days and really enjoyed the trip. I had it checked out by Norm at Alfamotive in Marooka in Brisbane, who I can certainly recommend as an honest mechanic that won't rip you off and has specialised in Alfas since 1968. All good mechanicaly! I've seen some posts about what type of motor oil to use. Norm only uses Penrite 10w - 70W and advised me to only use BP high octane fuel as this is the only recognised green fuel. I've owned several sports cars and these are fun to drive, a bit quirky with all of the sensors, but highly recommend.

[colcol]

Welcome to the Forum TonyW, always have the 156 JTS serviced by an Alfa Specialist as you are, the Selespeed needs servicing every year, the recomended engine oil is fully synthetic racing oil 10-60 of your favourite brand of oil, you say you have 10-70, unless its using lots of oil, i would stick to 10-60 to help your fuel consumption, the mags can be fixed at a alloy rim repairer, don't know any your neck of the woods, but down here in Melbourne we use NEWAY in Heidleburg.
I reckon the best fuel to use is the clean stuff that doesn't ping, i use 98 Caltex, and it seems to run allright.
Keep an eye on the oil level and change it often if you drive a lot in traffic, as these engines suffer from oil dilution, that ends up ruining the camshafts, a good run on the freeway will burn all the rubbish out of the oil.
The timing belts have to be changed every 3 years or 50,000-60,000 klms depending on conditions, lots of idling, dust and heat, do it at 50,000, and do the tensioners as well, and at every 2 timing belt change, do the water pump, Colin.

[TonyW]

Hi Colin,
thank you for your advice on the Alfa. They certainly are a breed of their own with the strict fuel and oil specifications and regular maintenance required. I think there is a company that hones the outer rims on scored mags at the Gold Coast. Any idea how much they charge in Melbourne? Cheers, Tony   

[colcol]

A freind was quoted by Neway for $115 to remove the buckle out of the rim, freight to Heidleburg would be a killer, go to some Alfa Romeo wreckers and see what they have, there were 4 JTS alloy rims on ebay 4 for $400, with no bids, for gutter rash rims, i beleive they smooth them down and add filler and then paint them.
Just make sure the oil is clean and it does not fall below the MIN on the dipstick, Colin.

[TonyW]

Thanks Colin, cheers!

[colcol]

Make sure the coolant is the pink/red stuff, not the green or blue, i use Nulon, but use your personal favourite, just make sure its Australian standards compliant, my cars have colour coded coolants, so i know which one is leaking by the colour on the floor!,  and check for pink spots of coolant on the floor or on your undertray, the stupid plastic water manifold is a serial offender, the plastic manifolds split and the seal leaks around the drivers side of the engine, seal is about $35-$40, and you have to pull off the serpentine belt and air conditioner compressor and manifold shield to get at it, previous twin spark used a aluminium setup, not plastic GRR!, Colin.

[TonyW]

Thanks for the coolant tip Colin, I will check that and watch for any water manifold leaks. That is silly, a plastic water manifold? What other cars do you have?

[colcol]

2 cars Alfa 33 for 28 years, green coolant and Alfa 156 JTS for 5 years with pink coolant, had a Commodore that i was doing some work on and it leaked green fluid on my floor from worn out hydraulic engine mounts and blamed 33 for leaking coolant, went all over 33 looking for a leak, found nothing.
Hate that plastic manifold on the JTS, where it connects to the cylinder head, it is a rectangular shaped hole that should have 4 bolts to do it up sqaure, this has 2 bolts, that do their best to pull it up, out of sqaure, so it will leak, it doesn't leak badly, just drips a bit, so you can get home, and keep topping up the coolant, Colin.

[tonybel]

hi Mate,
i have owned the exact car you have now, and reccomm using factory 10w-60, have try a few grades now, but keep going back to it. make sure you regualr clean and check your oil and put only premium
brands without mixing any. thats the trick to keeping this car running well.
cheers

[TonyW]

Hi Tony,
thank you for the input mate. Did you or any other members that may read this, have or had problems with the gearbox in the 2004 face lift model. The car I bought recently is currently fine, however a friend who is a wholesale car buyer told me recently to stay clear of these and I quote, "it's not if the Selespeed will play up, but when and can cost over $3000 to fix." Concerned!
Cheers,
Tony Warren
Macleay Island Qld 4184

[Craig_m67]

Your friend is being inflammatory, does he have any personal experience of these cars...

The selespeed unit (robot gear changer) like anything will wear out or play up if it's not maintained/serviced accordingly. They get a bad rap as people (generally) or their mechanics ignore them.. They are complicated, like new diesels..don't ask them to look at an Alfa diesel, they're the devils work.

It's not hard, it's just relatively unknown and complicated, as such lambasted.  The gearbox itself is the same unit as in the std manual engined car, perfectly fine. Find an independent mechanic who has experience with Alfas and who can connect the correct software to analyse and calibrate the thing (and the rest of the car) and you'll be fine.

[TonyW]

Thank you Craig, I appreciate your advice. I will get Alfamotive in Brisbane to service the gear box annually.
Cheers,
Tony