Hi all

[deemac66]

Hi all, I'm (obviously) new to these forums just posting to say Hi.
I'm a second generation mechanic running my own hoist repair business in SA.
I currently have a 2002 156 JTS selespeed (yeh, I know sucker for punishment). Engine is in pieces ATM with a rod through the side and worn cams, the Selespeed actuator is also leaking, so I have a few projects to go. Previously owned a 2000 156 twin spark Monza (which snapped the belt was told by the salesman the belt had been changed) and currently looking for another twin spark for my partner.

[colcol]

Hello deemac66, welcome to the forum, i also have a 2002 JTS, but mines a manual, cause i love changing gears, as you most likely know by now, they put rods through the blocks when they run out of oil and they wear the cams out when the oil isn't changed on time and it gets cotaminated with petrol, and can be caused by too much city running and or not warming up and only being used on short runs, the oil gets contaminated, this can be cured by taking for a good blast now and then, and the oil to use is 10-60 fully synthetic racing oil of your favourite oil maker, cam belts should be changed at 50,000klms or 3 years, or whichever comes first, when i purchased my 156, i too was told when the cam belt was last changed, by the salesman, but was releived when the time rolled around for me to change it, then i knew it had been done, the twin sparks and JTS's drink a bit of oil, so check the oil level on a weekly basis, but they are great cars, look after yours and it will return the favour, Colin.

[deemac66]

Cheers colcol! I prefer the interior of the JTS to the Twinspark. I bought the car (very cheaply) from an overseas student, all the damage had been done before I bought it. I knew it had a big end problem when i bought it and I SHOULD have pulled it off the road straight away but I just couldn't drag myself away from driving it hahahaha. So now I have a rebuild on my hands I swapped a bit of labour for a wrecked 147 from a good customer of mine (one of the Alfa shops in Adel). So I have used the twinspark bottom end and have fitted new JTS piston's (bought from an old mate in the engine reconditioning industry) to rebirth it as a JTS engine. As I am sure you and many others here already know the heads and cams are not interchangeable between JTS and Twinspark. I see from previous posts the V6 is a good reliable engine, have you had any experience with it, I love the sound of an Alfa V6.

[colcol]

The JTS interior has better central air vents than the twin spark, so it moves the air conditioning from hopeless to acceptable, the JTS also has stability control, cruise control, side airbags and curtain airbags, the early twin sparks didn't have these, the twin spark and JTS motors have a Fiat cast iron block, the JTS head is used in the Lancia Lybra, the 4 cylinders are reliable enough, as long as you do the oil changes and cam belt replacements on time, which obviously some people don't, the V-6 is an Alfa Romeo engine which dates back to the early 80's, before Fiat took over Alfa Romeo, and once again, it is a good reliable engine if you do the oil and cam belt changes on time, like how hard can it be to check your oil every week?, Colin.

[aaronbenji]

hi all too

thanks for all the information guys