Electrical Problems

[Greeny94]

 I have a 1999 156 twin spark (my 18 year old son's actually) The ABS light on the dash has come on and the speedo has stopped working. A local Auto electrician has had a look at it but I have been told that the scanners he has and has borrowed wont work on the Alfa for some reason. He has consulted with others but still nothing. Recommendation was to take it to an Alfa specific repairer.
The problem is the car is only worth a few thousand dollars is it worth repairing or are there any other alternatives ?
Please help....

[Steve S]

Do you want to know how much it is going to cost to repair? Or are you looking for an excuse to sell it? I can offer a reply to satisfy either requirement. Either way a diagnosis is going to cost let than the value of the car so I would recommend doing that before making any decisions.

[colcol]

Take it to an Alfa specialist with a Alfa scanner, and ask for a quote to fix it, it surely wouldn't cost more than a few thousand to fix it, it, rather than pay someone to experiment, go to an Alfa place that work on these all the time, and pay for their knowledge and experience, it could be a bad earth or sensor, Colin.

[Craig_m67]

It could be as simple as a failed or unplugged ABS sensor. The output from it serves two functions; qualify vehicle speed and/or no speed as your wheel is locked.  ABS can't function without it.

A google search for failed ABS and speedo turns up plenty of results, for all makes, most with DIY easy sensor replacement as a fix.

Get the error codes scanned by somebody who knows the car.

[Cool Jesus]

All isn't lost mate I've read this issue somewhere when researching my ABS issues. I'll see if I can dig it up, unless someone beats me to it... as Craig mentioned, there's plenty of info and alfaowner.uk is a good resource for this series of Alfa. Actually I think this is where I read your ABS issue.

18 year old son, hmmm, I seem to remember that it may have something to do with doing a burn out or wheel spin of sorts Don't brow beat and berate him just yet though, my memories a little hazy.

Its got to do with the preset parameters of the ABS and how fast the wheels should be turning in relation to each other and engine speed, etc... I think what happens is one of the driven wheels spins faster then the rest and puts the ABS out of whack. Tyre size can be an issue too, are the tyres standard and of equal sizes?

I'm positive I've seen a self help guide to fix the issue. Check the ABS sensor pick ups at each hub too, make sure they're clean along with the pick up ring.

[Cool Jesus]

Had quick look at alfaowner.uk, quickest method to ascertain problem is with an error code scanner... failing that there's various issues which all seem to point toward the ABS picking up an error in the system from a rare issue of a faulty alternator not supplying enough power for the ABS, to faulty ABS sensors at the wheel or simply dirty connections and blown fuses. Search the 156 tech section of the UK forum for 'ABS error' and there's a few options for you to look at if a mechanic is not your preferred option.

Re costs, not sure what mechs charge to just read the error codes, can't imagine it would be much and it would point you directly to the issue as the other guys have mentioned. A replacement/repaired ABS module can be sourced for about $200 and easily removed and replaced, in fact I almost grabbed one from a member here that was wrecking a 156 for $150 only it wasn't the right module for my Spider. Can't imagine the wheel sensors to be over $20 ans as others have mentioned, an easy job. Seems I spoke too soon earlier, not such an easy problem to find unless you now what's causing it. Try a machanic, rather than auto electrician see which mechanics service european vehicles and call them to see if they can read your OBD error codes to save you driving around too much without a speedo.

[ANG156]

I've seen this problem before, the abs module is stuffed.

[colcol]

The phonic wheels on the hub and the sensor can become embedded with brake dust, and they cannot see each other so the sensor doesn't know what speed its doing, had a faulty sensor on the JTS 156, the sensors head is about the size of a match head, it was about $380 new from Alfa Romeo Australia, $100 second hand from a wrecker, installed it myself, worked a treat, may be worth giving your wheel hubs and brakes a clean, with some truck wash, Colin.