New to Alfa

[Harley]

Hi legends,

I've just bought myself my first Alfa Romeo 2002 Red 147 manual with tan interior Luv it.
I'm a Citroen guy, 2cv and Ds daily drivers. The 2cv is heavily modified by myself, fuel injected with Megasquirt, channeled, uprated springs. The Ds now has to be sold to pay for the Alfa

The 147 goes in for a Vic road worth tomorrow so I wont really know what I'm up against until then as I basically bought it sight unseen from Sydney, but it has a service history, 1 owner, low k's and the right colour combination.

Firstly, at low revs, 2k, with low engine load there is an audible fluttering from the engine.
To me it sounds like an exhaust leak or tappet noise (!?) It goes away under load/acceleration.
Any Ideas?

Cheers,

Harley

[Harley]

As expected it got knocked back on a few items for the road worthy;
Clutch pedal rubber,
RH front park light,
Secure handbrake cables,
Under tray loose,
Top engine stabiliser bush split.

So I didn't buy a lemon 

Is the bush at the engine end of the stabiliser bar easy to press out? looks like there is a bit of limited space there...

Ohh and one other thing I guess you all know, the turning circle on these cars is terrible! 

Harley

[poohbah]

Welcome to the Alfa family Harley, I'm sure it will be the start of a long and happy marriage. Can't provide any insight on the stabiliser bar, but can confirm that my 156 also has the turning circle of a block of flats. But I don't care - the sound of my V6 is magnificent!

Did you get to the bottom of the "fluttering" or tappet noise from low revs? A while back I had what I thought was tappet chattering, and it turned out to be a problem with the cam belt idlers. Opposite of your symptoms though - it appeared at fairly high revs under load and gave me a flat spot in acceleration.

[colcol]

Welcome Harley, as much as i like Alfa Romeo's, i also have a soft spot for Citroen's as a few in the Alfa Club do as well.
1. Clutch pedal rubber, easy replacment.
2. Parking light globe, OMFG!, if its like my 156, and it is, they are a pain to replace, as there is limited room to get your hands in, but its do-able, remove the blown globe and spend all day trying to find a replacment, and carefull to get the correct one with the offset pins, they are a halogen globe, try Repco, Supercheap, Autobahn or Bursons, i purchased one from Bursons in Thomastown, just tell yourself, lucky its not a GTA, as you have to remove the front bumper to get at it!.
3. Secure handbrake cables, the tie straps have most likely let go and need bending up and you might need some creative engineering with cable ties.
4. Undertray loose, your kidding me?, a loose undertray, mine was loose on the 156 and Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia had all had a go designing it which would account for the THREE different types of fasteners used, Set screws, Cap Screws and Torx Screws, i removed them and replaced them with 6 mm cap screws with 6mm mudgaurd washers to hold things on properly, and when i get under the car, to do some work, i know i only need a 5mm allen key, you might find that the undertray may be damaged by flapping around or on various speed bump encounters, just repair the broken bits with a sheet of aluminium and some pop rivets.
5. Top engine steady bush split?, this is commonly refered to as the 'dog bone', the whole assembly is replaced as one, as the bushes are not sold seperately.
You have to replace the timing belts in twin sparks every 3 years or 50,000 - 60,000 klms and do the belt tensioners as well as they get rattly and noisy and can seize up, causing engine failure and the waterpump should be changed every second timing belt replacment.
The twin sparks like a drink of oil, so check the oil level every week and the oil to use is 10-40 Fully Synthetic, with all the right numbers complying with the Alfa Romeo specs, the brand of oil, being your favourite.
A good place to buy these parts in Melbourne is Alfa Club supporter, Italian Automotive Spares, phone number 03 9036 1606, they are located in Brunswick and they know their spare parts.
Welcome to Alfa Romeo ownership, you might want to join the Alfa Club as well, next week we are going to long time Alfa Romeo experts, Bennica Motors for a Dyno day, where you can put your car on and see how much power it puts out, the following week we are going on a Sunday run to Kilcunda, with lunch at the pub.
One day, if i ever meet you i will tell you my favourite car story about a Citroen 2 CV, but not today, Colin.

[Harley]

Thanks for the response guys.
I did some running around today, buttoning it all up.
Visited Vince at Northern, he put me on to Italian auto for oil filter and the individual bush, its different to the V6.

See the small tear!?
Removal of p/s reservoir and application of heat is in order for removal... my brother is confident he can make a simple pulling tool to extract it. I'll take some pics.
Collected the pedal rubber from mille miglia.
It was a fiddle to replace the park lights but not difficult, turns out the left was incandescent the right halogen, so the halogen was always blowing after a short period, due to drawing more current I guess!?
The club runs sound great! I am so time poor at the minute, that's why I bought the Alfa  so my wife and bub could have a modern , reliable car to get around in.
I suspect the fluttering sound I can hear is timing belt related.. I just got back from a run up Ferntree gully, it was definitely audible under load up the hills around 3k but seems to disappear at higher revs, the history shows a belt change at 40k & and 80k, car is now 107k. Should I hold out for another 33k... hhhmm do ya feel lucky!?

As for future 'mild' tuning plans... I'm keen to get my brother to do a custom exhaust, 2 1/4inch and get rid of some of those mufflers! Let the girl breath a bit more. I luv the induction sound of these motors  My bro works a few days a week at a rice rocket tuning shop in Thomastown, fabbing forced inductions and exhausts.
Other question is on suspension upgrade.  I have a bit of reuse rather than replace reproach.  I need this car to be as practical as possible, no lowering  but heard that the later cars, > 05 , had an upgraded suspension. Are the struts interchangeable with earlier, 2002, 147?

Interested in the 2cv story Col, I get up to some shit in mine! This one is on the biggest sand dune in the Simpson dessert;
http://youtu.be/GvGK-2ohRLg

Harley

[colcol]

The 'dogbone' engine steady, like the suspension arms have individual bushes that can be replaced, but the cost and mucking around, most just put a new one in, as you replace one, then ten minutes later the other end goes.
I would get the engine noise looked at quickly, if its an exhaust leak, it could burn something or emit poisonous gases in the car, if its timing belt related, then you may have a tensioner on the way out, if they seize then it will rub the timing belt until it breaks, followed by a loud bang and then silence, my 156 had an engine vibration last year, thought it was an harmonic balance pulley, turned out it was the engine balance shaft tensioner, the spring had come off inside the tensioner and it wasn't tensioning the belt any more which had jumped a few cogs resulting in incorrect engine balancing, had i let it go, it would have come off and jammed the engine timing belt flicking it off resulting in a loud bang and a long period of silence, Colin.

[Harley]

Yes, I will sort out the noise asap.
I realise now that although this timing belt has only done 25k it was longer than 3yrs ago... also changed buy a non-Alfa garage so my have used an inferior kit or simply not changed the pulleys I guess...
I'll drop the garden hose stethoscope on it tomorrow to determine the sounds origin.
Next idea; there must be a dozen Cam Locking kits in Melbourne, is anyone interested in either selling/lending/leasing the cam locks? Happily negotiate an exchange of beer tokens or similar.

Cheers
Harley

[colcol]

From my experience, and that itself is up for comment, use good brands such as Genuine Alfa Romeo, Dayco, Triden, Gates, Quinten Hazel, Bosch Timing Belts and you shouldn't have any problems, the belts themselves don't get noisy, its the tensioners and followers that get noisy, the belts start to dry out after you install them and they get brittle, the followers wear out with distance, ie going around billions of time, but the grease can dry out in them and you get a metalic whirring sound, there is so much work getting to the timing belts, you would be foolish not to replace the tensioners while they are there looking at you, you will also need a crankshaft lock OR Big screwdriver to jam in the ring gear to stop it moving when its on Top Dead Centre.
You see cars for sale with the boast, 'Timing Belt just done', but nothing else, have a look at the balance shaft belt as well, Colin.

[Harley]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=131184822964&alt=web
This cam lock kit looks well priced, anyone tried it?

Harley

[colcol]

Have not tried this one, i purchased mine from Totally Alfa in the UK, it would be interesting to see the side that butts up against the camshaft, some of them use dodgy methods, most good ones are Computer Controlled Machined Profile, and fit the camshafts properly, the tensioner tool with the handle is for the balance shaft tensioner, the same can be achieved with your left hand and screwdriver, a crankshaft lock is a good thing, as a Top Dead Centre Gauge, some people just stick a arc welding wire or plastic knitting needle down the plug hole to get the TDC, turn the engine over by hand and watch when the welding rod is at maximum height, Colin.

[Harley]

Did some digging around the engine bay today to discover that the Variator Solenoid atop the inlet manifold was disconnected!?!
So I guess I've been driving around without any VVT, the engine still felt good over 4k, hopefully I see some better performance and economy.
I have plugged it back in but not noticed any real difference.  I will check it's resistance and see if I can hear it energizing when I rev it over 4k.
Can't imagine why it would be disconnected on purpose..?

Harley

[colcol]

The variator is on the drivers side, at the end of the motor, near the camshaft pulley, when they go bad, the engine sounds like a diesel, i think they operate on oil pressure, i have never replaced one [yet], Colin.

[Harley]

Yeah, I am hoping that is what I can hear.
This is the Variator Solenoid that wasn't connected on my engine, #6

Here is a good thread about trouble shooting it;
http://forum.alfa156.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16466

Harley

[Harley]

I contacted the seller of the cam locks and he sent me some pics.


http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=131184822964&alt=web
What do you think?

Harley

[Harley]

Simple pulling tool worked a treat.
Made from an old plumbing fitting and some scaff/fencing tube is the perfect od to push the bush out 


Pressing the new bush in.



Harley