159 2.4 Diesel "Change engine oil warning"

[David290361]

Hi All,
new member and I've searched this and a few other forums for this info, but have not found a definitive answer.

My daughter owns a 2007 159 JTDm 2.4 litre wagon. I was driving it yesterday when the message "change engine oil" warning message came up.
I first checked the service history and saw that a "major service" was carried out about 5000km ago, before we bought it. Invoice included an amount for engine oil and filter.

It wasn't done at an accredited dealer however.
I then had a look at the dipstick which showed a correct quantity of typically dirty looking oil. It is a Diesel after all.

My question is:
Is this message generated by a sensor which inspects the oil? Or is it a service interval?
Obviously being a new to us vehicle I will have the oil and filter changed. 

Another question is do you need a code reader to reset this fault?

The reason for the second question is: can I change the oil and filter myself and be able to clear this code?

Cheers

[colcol]

I remember going to a Technical Night with the Victorian Alfa Club, the service manager mentioned this, there is a sensor in the engine that checks the oil and when its dirty, it throws a light up.
The solution is to change the oil with nice clean stuff!, however, if the oil was really dirty and the engine has a lot of rubbish in it, the dirty oil light will come back again later when the oil is dirty.
The solution is to change the oil on a more regular basis.
I don't if you have to have the code cleared by a scanner, just drive it and see if the code goes away with clean oil.
I hope this helps, Colin.

[Evan Bottcher]

Col, I doubt the solution is to change the oil more regularly than 5000km?  That seems like bad advice.  Our 2.4JTDm goes 10,000km between services without any apparent problem.

<snip: deleted my dodgy advice so it's not misleading to others - listen to Mick or take it to a specialist :-) >

[colcol]

I agree Evan, the Service Manager said that city driving contaminates the oil and it has to be changed more regulary, just like my JTS, i remember the Service Manager complaining about how long it takes to get the undertray off with all the fasteners.
No idea how the sensor works, could be faulty, but if in doubt take it to an Alfa Romeo Service Provider, Colin.

[David290361]

Thanks fellas,

I'm getting used to these types of problems, I myself love European motors, French mainly.
I'll have the oil and filter changed at an Alfa Romeo place this week and ask the service people the same question.

I'll post back with the results.

When I was looking for a vehicle for my daughter I found the Alfa at $15K and a Peugeot 407 at $7K. She/we test drove both. I wanted to buy the Peugeot, but she really wanted the Alfa.

I told her limit was $10K and she would have to negotiate a deal. I was expecting the Alfa vendor to say no, but he rolled over and said yes after about 2 seconds!

Such is life!

Thanks again!

[Evan Bottcher]

Our 159 2.4JTDm is fantastic, a real workhorse and mostly trouble-free. Recently had a treatment sprayed in the inlet manifold that dissolves all the gunk that builds up in the inlet and cylinder head. It's running better than ever now. Just approaching 185,000kms now.

[Mick A]

The warning has come up because when the mechanic reset the service interval they didn't go into the engine computer and reset the oil change values there also.

It's an easy oversight if you don't know the cars or have the appropriate programs.

-Mick.

[David290361]

Thanks Choderboy.

This answer puts paid to doing my daughter's oil changes then.

I've found a place not too far away that tell me they have all the software etc. for European cars. He quoted me $260.00 for a service including oil and filter.

Not too bad when you consider inflated Perth pricing! I'll try him and if he is alright, he'll get all our work.

Thanks again mate!

[Mick A]

The 2.4 is a fantastic engine. The only big issue we've found with these 2.4's is the inlet manifolds. The swirl flaps are what cause an issue as the flap on cylinder 5 is operated by the actuator directly, then there is a link rod from that swirl flap to all the other ones, so it's bush bears the weight of all the others and wears out, letting out inlet pressure and causing rough idling. In some cases the rod actually pops off the linkages and the swirl flaps don't even operate, which causes a significant power drop and rough idle.

Anyway, I'm sure this car is fine I just saw Evan's post about cleaning the manifold so I thought I'd share some info for your interest.

Mick.

[Mick A]

Oh yeah, and obviously a restrictor plate in the EGR is a big help to prevent the build up happening again so quickly.

cheers

[David290361]

Thanks for the further information about the swirl flaps.

For your information, the vehicle is in for service.

Oil and filter change, general service: $280.00

They also found it needed a fuel filter, cabin pollen filter, air filter, wiper blades: $580.00
A glow plug was not working, so 5 new glow-plugs @$116.00 each plus installation. I hope that is it for a while!

God alone knows what they did in the "major service" 5000km ago - washed it perhaps? There is nothing really left to miss is there!

I knew it wouldn't be cheap!

A thought springs to mind: timing belt change interval?

95000km currently. My other Diesel vehicle cost me over $2000 for a new timing belt.....................

Cheers

[Craig_m67]

I'm glad I can reset my own service indicator.

From memory the JTD cam belt is 4-5 years or 140Ks, which ever occurs first.  Check the handbook for your particular car. Get everything in the critical path replaced at the same time (water pump, idlers, tensioner, etc). Biggest cost is labour.

** here's one I prepared earlier, check your own manual in case there's something specific to the 2.4JTDm not listed below.

[David290361]

Thanks Craig_m67,

Yep, confirmed when we picked it up just now.

That a replacement timing belt has been installed is not mentioned in the service book, so next service a timing belt. And the glow plugs, as the service agent didn't have any in stock, unless of course that service is during spring or summer. Whereupon it will be when it is next cold.

Service guys said that pollen filter and fuel filter were original factory ones, they are marked somehow.

Expensive exercise.

Again.

Cheers and thanks for your help!

[Mick A]

Thanks Craig_m67,

Yep, confirmed when we picked it up just now.

That a replacement timing belt has been installed is not mentioned in the service book, so next service a timing belt. And the glow plugs, as the service agent didn't have any in stock, unless of course that service is during spring or summer. Whereupon it will be when it is next cold.

Service guys said that pollen filter and fuel filter were original factory ones, they are marked somehow.

Expensive exercise.

Again.

Cheers and thanks for your help!

Just so you know, that is very very very, very very very veryveryveryvery expensive for glow plugs, ridiculously way too expensive in fact, they should only cost around that much for a whole set! Even genuine original alfa glow plugs on ebay are $147 for five plugs!

Also - just because one plug has failed there is no reason to replace the others, you can just replace them as you need. They are an extremely easy job to swap, there shouldn't even be a labour charge on them as it is so simple.

Cheers.

Mick

[David290361]

Hey again Choderboy,

Thanks for the heads up with the glow-plugs! And I'd hoped I'd found a reasonably priced workshop to service our vehicles.
I'll keep looking. Everything, and I mean everything, is overpriced in Perth!
The story I was told with the glow plugs is that they'll all start failing one after the other. This sounded quite plausible to me, I'm an electrician.

I have had a number of Diesel vehicles, but I've never needed to change a glow plug yet. I'm not sure that my V6 Diesel Citroen even has any, there are no glow plug lights that appear on the dashboard.

In fact in the Alfa, we get a "no glow plugs available" light along with an illuminated glow plug while it runs like a hairy goat for a few seconds after starting on cold cold mornings.

I thought this odd, "no glow plugs available". I thought it meant the car needed 'em but didn't have them!

Cheers again