Sticking Clutch

[Tim Jobson]

Well I have finally got my 105 to start, thanks guys for the advice, I did all the checks and every thing was correct ( points gap, timing order, cam lobe timing marks and yes I found the timing marks) and yet she refused to start all day.    I even took all the jets out and checked them even though they really did not look exactly like the exploded diagram that chris forwarded.

It even did not seem to fire when squirting start you barstard so I double checked everything and yet no go.   At about 4pm I was about to give up and I decided to try one one time with a combination of throttle and choke and frustration when she finally burst into life.     Apart from a little back firing from the carbys it sounded so wonderful, my wife came out and could only see the whites of my smile as I warmed her up.

The next issue I have is that the clutch is frozen on the flywheel, I tried to free it up by starting  it in 4th gear however after about 10 lurches forward it has not freed up.

Any suggestions.

Cheers from a smiling TCJ

[1750GTV]

Gee - this car must have been standing for a while.

Glad to hear it finally started and ran. Sorry about the discrepancy with the picture - it was supposed to be a diagram of a DHLA Dell'Orto and from your photo it looked like those were the carbies fitted to your 2000GTV, at least, they would have been when new. Oh well, it's running now.

As to the stuck clutch - I've only had to deal with this once before on an old Torana I owned years ago. From memory we warmed the engine with the car in neutral, push started it down a hill in 3rd or 4th and then when it fired, drove it intermittently jamming the brakes on and off with the clutch pedal depressed. It took a while, and all the neighbours came out to give advice, but it finally freed up. Once free, I splipped it for a while to get rid of the remaining rust and crud. God knows what the flywheel looked like after that, but the car ran for another year or so before finally succumbing to metastatic tinworm. I did hear of someone with limited space jacking up the rear wheels and chocking the front wheels then doing much the same thing. Might be a bit tricky, especially if the car leapt off the jacks, and the diff might not like being run unloaded like that.

The final trick for these sorts of problems, and I use it sparingly because of its tremendous power, is to use your credit card. Strip out as much of the interior trim as is necessary, maybe even take out the gearbox and deliver the car to your favourite local mechanic along with your credit card. Last resort, but it usually works well. The car will be returned in a functional state, though your card may be severely bent, or even broken for a while. You fix the last problem by swapping some of your life for money, rather than swapping it for satisfaction if you'd done the job yourself.

Got any photos of the beast? You should probably nick name it Lazarus or Phoenix or something like that, as it does seem to be slowly rising from the dead.

Regards on a slow eastcoast Sunday,
Chris

PS: It's a nice day here and the surf's up. Might jump on a few waves this afternoon.

PPS: Agree about the Webers. My Alfa has DCOEs and they are fantastic - set and forget - though Dell'Ortos are just as good.

[Tim Jobson]

Well chris I have had a very successful weekend now that I have managed to free up the frozen clutch.   Today I change the old cooling fluid out of her after successfully starting and warming her up yesterday.   I was delighted to see only a little browny coloured water come out of the radiator and engine block drain plug when I flushed it through with a hose.

Now that it has nice clean inhibitor fluid in her I tried again to free the frozen clutch it by starting it in 4th gear and to my delight it went bang and freed up after another 10 attempts.   I was then able to put her in gear and aleast drive it 10 feet , unfortunately the brakes are frozen on so a longer test run will have to wait a little longer.

I was very happy to hear that wonderful burble from the carbys again and was surprised at how smooth it seem to idle.     I did look on that same web site that had the picture of the dellorto however it did not really look I like what I had, I must find a better more detail picture when it is time to overhaul them in the future.

I did notice that when she finally fired up the tacho was dancing up and down, is this common for these tachos?

Also noticed that my oil pressure gauge did not work, light does go out, so I presume the sender is at fault, is there a good way to check these?

The photos show a hazard light on my car, I wonder if this was standard for the 2000 model.

My gear shift boot has 2 rubber boots on it, cannot work out the purpose of the top boot!

The rear photo was meant to show the handful of rust that fired out of the tail pipe when she first burst into life.

Good weekend all up, thanks again for all the member help, i really make the quest of restoration less of a loney mission at times.

Cheers Tim

[1750GTV]

I did notice that when she finally fired up the tacho was dancing up and down, is this common for these tachos?

The main instruments in these cars are mechanical and whilst not as accurate as their electronic counterparts, they have a great visual appeal. A bit like a beautiful mechanical movement watch. Alfa fitted either Jaeger or Veglia Borletti to the cars and which ever you have, despite being mechanical, they should operate smoothly. If either is jumping around the cable may be at fault - most likely intermittently binding so it does the twist-release thing a few times a second. The cables are available though a bit of a pig to fit. The easiest way is to replace them when, for whatever reason, you pull out the dash. Otherwise try to tie a piece of string or wire to one end when you pull the old one out so that you mark the track from the instrument through the firewall. You'll need to get on your back in the footwell to disconnect/connect from the back of the speedo/tacho. It's easier if you pull out the drivers seat though if you can get it back far enough you may be able to contort yourself enough to see and reach. I pulled my cables out a while ago when I had the dash out and tried to repair them with electrical tape and light machine oil, but they were rooted, so I bought two new ones. Both instruments now work perfectly though the speedo reads about 3mph fast at 60mph (mines' calibrated in mph) with correct tyres and the tacho seems to read about 150 to 200rpm over at 4500rpm when compared to an electronic tach. Not a problem really and I couldn't be bothered getting them recalibrated - part of the charm of the car. As they read on the conservative side, they may help protect me from the revenue raisers.

Also noticed that my oil pressure gauge did not work, light does go out, so I presume the sender is at fault, is there a good way to check these?

Not sure - never had that problem. I guess you can put a voltage across the gauge and see if it moves. If it's the sender it'll need to be replaced.

The photos show a hazard light on my car, I wonder if this was standard for the 2000 model.

Not sure either - other members may be able to help, though every photo of RHD 2000GTVs that I've got does not show a hazard switch/light.

My gear shift boot has 2 rubber boots on it, cannot work out the purpose of the top boot!

Can't help here either, sorry. It does seem a bit redundant. The centre console is still out of my car (awaiting new carpets) so I'll take off the boot and have a look.

The rear photo was meant to show the handful of rust that fired out of the tail pipe when she first burst into life.

Time for a stainless system .....

Good weekend all up, thanks again for all the member help, i really make the quest of restoration less of a loney mission at times.

Replace only what you have to and restore the rest, otherwise it'll end up like my Dad's shovel - he's had it for nigh on 40 years and it's the best shovel he's ever owned - only had 6 new heads and 10 new handles

Keep up the good work and keep the photos coming. The 105/115 series Alfas are great cars and terrific fun to drive. They are well worth restoring and hanging onto for a long time. Mine used to be a daily driver but is now a garage queen and only used on fine days - my wife and I have other cars for day-to-day stuff. It's a bit of an indulgence I know, but sh*t, you only live once.

Regards,
Chris

PS: The brakes can be expensive to repair. The ATE calipers are easy to service with seal kits available. The rotors are also available as are the flexible couplings and pressure sensors. The expense comes with the boosters and master cylinder. While you're at the hydraulics, do the clutch ones too - all parts are available and not too scary. If you pull out the carpets, drop out the pedal box and clean it well. It's also worth sourcing a couple of new cleavus pins to take out some of the pedal play. The pedal rubbers, pedal floor rubber seal and metal floor bracket are also all available.

[Tim Jobson]

I agree chris with your suggestions on replacing only what I have too, I will always try to repair the original as I hate throwing anything out, unlike my wife with her shoes!

It sounds like you have done plenty of restoration work yourself, have you tackled any body panel repairs such as replacing the outer sills?  if not do you know who has done this themselves as I will be doing this task myself when hopefully the exchange rate gets alittle better so that i can get the parts from O/S.

Did you notice the push button radio in the picture, if I was a betting man (which I'm not) I would say it was its original sound system, Yes?

I was reading the workshop manual and noted that the brake caliper pistons should be reassembled in the caliper in a certain position using some sort of tool, is this important as I cannot see what difference the position of the pistion would make.

Can any members shed light on this?

Thanks again,
Tim

[1750GTV]

I agree chris with your suggestions on replacing only what I have too, I will always try to repair the original as I hate throwing anything out, unlike my wife with her shoes!

At least yours throws her old ones out ....

It sounds like you have done plenty of restoration work yourself, have you tackled any body panel repairs such as replacing the outer sills?  if not do you know who has done this themselves as I will be doing this task myself when hopefully the exchange rate gets alittle better so that i can get the parts from O/S.

I'm happy to tackle most mechanical repairs, often out of necessity as I've owned a lot of old bombs over the years. I've also completed many TAFE courses, have a well equipped workshop and a good mate who is a superb mechanic. I've never tried my hand at panelbeating though. There must be plenty of people on this and other bulletin boards who've got the experience, the stories and the pictures.

Did you notice the push button radio in the picture, if I was a betting man (which I'm not) I would say it was its original sound system, Yes?

I did - these add authenticity as well as sound ....
What make is it ?

I was reading the workshop manual and noted that the brake caliper pistons should be reassembled in the caliper in a certain position using some sort of tool, is this important as I cannot see what difference the position of the pistion would make.

Can any members shed light on this?

I've never quite understood this either and on my GTV it only seems to be the front caliper pistons that need to be aligned at a certain angle. The ATE manual says it has to be done, but not why. When I did my brakes, I had the calipers professionally rebuilt by a local hydraulic expert. With the way I drive, I need good brakes.

As to your gear shift boots - I took my boot off and I also have a second. The inner boot seems to seal the hole in the transmission tunnel and prevents the ingress of water, dust and noise whilst the outer boot is a secondary seal that mounts on a large plastic screw down piece.
It's been ages since I've pulled a gearbox out of one of these cars and I guess I'd forgotten this level of detail.

Have a good weekend - don't spend it all under the car ......

Chris

[Colin Byrne]

Ah fun fun fun

I did notice that when she finally fired up the tacho was dancing up and down, is this common for these tachos?

No the tacho and speedo should run smoothly, it could be the inner cable sticking in the outer, so you can take the cable out of the car, pull the inner out and give it a good clean with degreaser and coat it in some light oil before you put it back in.  It could also be a damaged drive pin on either end of the cable, only thing to do there is get a new one

Also noticed that my oil pressure gauge did not work, light does go out, so I presume the sender is at fault, is there a good way to check these?

If you ground the sender wire to earth the gauge should go high

The photos show a hazard light on my car, I wonder if this was standard for the 2000 model.

Not as far as I know

Hope that helps

[1750GT]

I agree with 1750GTV. Alot of the time a good ol service by an expert mecahnic or at least a check over of the vehicle always helps (at a small fee) and if the list gets all too long you can always continue to waste your time or should I say spend your time expediciously exhausting all options prior to praying before you attempt to actually sart and drive the vehicle only to find that the helping hand of prayer only turns around and slaps you right back.

Seriously find yourself a good Alfa mechanic, preferably one that's in the club and you never know there may be things on the list you can definitely do and others that will require a mechanic, so 1/ you know the problem and what it's going to take and 2/ you prioritise between mechanic and your jobs and usually get a much better outcome!

Oh! finally there are some very good Work Shop manual publications for the 2000 GTV at around $50-60 which will save you a shit load of time trying to get bad freebies off the internet.

Well must go off and drive my 17fidy.

1750GT