Squeeky front suspension on 147

[colcol]

I have a rello that has a twin spark 147 that has developed a squeek in the left hand side front suspension, it is driving him crazy, can anybody think of what it could be before i have a look at it and i can pretend that i know what i am looking for, and therfor continue the lie that i know what i am doing, Colin.

[dehne]

its prob the swaybar/torson bar anyway something down there and they are annoying as you cant just buy the bush to fix it you need a new bar,
thats where i would start, but if left untreated the whole front suspension will stuff up, i know this has happened to my 156, need new shocks, swaybar, upper and lower ball joints and some other crap if brought local about $2000

[wankski]

top wishbone colin.

40 quid buys an oem replacement...

to check that it is the issue, grab some silicon spray with a nozzle thingo and spray the crap out of the two bushings. if the noise goes that be it..

it will shortly return.

oem arm only.

[Davidm1600]

Yes totally agree with Wanaski's diagnosis and recommended treatment.  My '03 156 has always had a bit of a squeak, but given that it has got a little worse in recent times, plus has a few clunks, I got onto the interweb thingy and ordered the top control arms and sway bar bushes from EB Spares. They litterally arrived in less than a week. I will have these fitted up in the new year, along with the new shocks (Bilsteins approx $400 for 4), and a few other jobs that need doing (ie. timing belts). 

[colcol]

Thanks everyone for your reply, now i will know what to look for, Colin.

[bix]

If it is the sway bar, Maranello can replace the bushes without needing to buy the entire Alfa sway bar unit

[colcol]

I would reckon that an entire sway bar from England would be expensive to freight to Australia, if you could just replace the rubbers, it would be a lot cheaper, Colin.

[Davidm1600]

That is all I am planning on doing Col.  The sway bar bushes are cheap, I think from memory about 4 quid. 

[wankski]

yes, u can replace the bushings only but sometimes that does not fix the problem as the metal bar wears especially when the grease has perished and thus there is play...

IMHO, the thing to do when the stock ARB is gone, is replace it wil the eibach upgrade kit. it's onlya  few hundred front and rear, and comes with upgrade PU bushings...

the problem with the front ARB is removal is quite labour intensive. Sub-frame has to come off...

if you possibly can time it with some other work requiring the same, such as clutch - that would be ideal...