03 147 little issues/character

[Gomez]

Hey all,

Just picked up my 03 147 today, ... love the thing.

Couple little niggle issues (which dont detract from the driving experience ... hence I bought it anyway)

1. Hitting the throttle and coming off it at a moderate to heavy rate, there is a knocking noise which sounds up under the pedal box/steering column. .... Havent got access to a hoist, but thinking a bushing needing replacing on engine/gbox? ... the "dogbone" at the top all looks fine, so is there something under there that could be the culprit?

2. every now and then an alarm for "Rear Fog Light Fault" comes up on the dash, .. then goes away?

3. ODO reading flashes between on and off every couple of seconds ... constantly. .... ideas?

Cheers in Advance

[Cool Jesus]

Hey Gomez, como estas?
Yes they are very addictive these little twin sparks, especially once you get the engine into shape. I say this as many 2nd hand Alfas have previous undeserving owners, who dont give them the attention they require.

Anyhow;
1. There's every chance that the suspension needs attention. The knock you mention, normally is detected as coming from that area is found to be the sway bar bushes being knackered, in any case I'd give the entire front suspension a once over to see what requires replacement. The shocks are another minor nuisance for the suspension. The standard items don't seem to go the distance and many owners either don't notice it or can't be asked. In any case, theres quite a few bushes up front that will most likely need attention, you'll notice the difference in ride and handling once they're back to norm.
2. Change the globe, its on its way out. The beauty about Alfas is that they always provide us with indicators that something is wrong and it wants you to give it some love 
3. A CANBUS item has been changed, replaced or re-installed. Usual culprit is a stereo upgrade to an aftermarket unit. If you have the OEM stereo, previous owner may have swapped it back? Otherwise a sensor or some electrical item has been changed and the ECU isn't communicating with it properly. You need to find someone that can hook up a diagnostic tool and conduct a Proxy Alignment. An Alfa mech will charge you somewhere in the order of $80 to do. Its a 5-10 minute job and requires littlw technical knowledge other than to press a button, may as well get any and all error codes while your at it to see what is and has happened.

[Gomez]

Thanks Jebus

Suspensio stuff is easy for me, as I'm a dealer for whiteline, superpro and other items ... will get it on a hoist and have a look. Shocks might end up with Coilovers and Alcon front calipers. ... Stops well, but fades after a few decent stops

Will replace bulb

I'll talk to the guys at Autotech here in ACT

Thanks

[colcol]

The drop links on the sway bar at the ends are easy to do, the rubber bushes not so easy to do, as the subframe has to be dropped down about 50mm or so to remove the sway bar by sliding out the back way.
The sway bar is usually replaced as an assembly, as the sway bar wears where it rolls on the rubber.
The steering column has to be disconnected as well, so the subframe can drop down, it is loosened off under the dashboard, by loosening the clamp.
Great piece of engineering that, on a Sud or 33, removing the front sway bar is about a 10 minute job, on a 147 or 156, you need to take your long service leave, Colin.