I've bought an Alfa !!

Mosser · Post by **Mosser** » 17 Mar 2005, 02:07

Doh!, i noticed an Alfa 156 selespeed (semi automatic) w reg on ebay today and thought i'd put a bid in on it not expecting to win it and i did, got it for £1120 bit noisy big ends that i have got to change,
I am quite liking the idea of an alfa now after thinking about it but i have never ever tried to take the bottom end of an engine apart, does anyone have any handy tips or hints or good web sites for me to visit about repairing big ends ?,
I have had a quick look around and it seems the shells for the big ends are pretty cheap at £25 for the whole set, but are there any other hidden costs to it?
I assume all i have to do is take the sump off and unbolt the crankshaft and it will just drop out once i have the cam belt off ??
Anyone got any ideas as i am in at the deep end on this one, but i'm up for the challenge and pretty competent with a spanner nowdays

Dave Bamber · Post by **Dave Bamber** » 17 Mar 2005, 02:28

Hmmm. If the big ends are noisy, chances are the crank may be damaged and will require a re-grind. Don't forget the crank is attached to the flywheel so you will have to unbolt this too, the crank won't just drop out when unbolted. You will have to take out the engine and gearbox and split the box off to get at the flywheel. Think about a new oil pump too, this failing could be the reason for the noisy big ends. I think you have bought yourself as real challenge.....

PowerLee · Post by **PowerLee** » 17 Mar 2005, 02:37

You might be better off sourcing another engine from a scrapped Alfa then trying to sort this engine out, Also Selespeed gearbox, Sorry mate but good luck to you.
I think you have bought yourself a wallet drainer!

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 17 Mar 2005, 03:15

Or, Just shove it back up for sale?
You could be ultra-nasty to the next owner by filling the engine up with 80 weight gear oil, which will shut the crank up, but undoubtedly knacker the engine eventually!
It may be worth taking the big end shells out (with the engine still in.. you can usually get to the big ends with the crank still in position) and having a look at them to see what the problem is. You can tell an awful lot just from the condition of a few bits of white metal.

gardenpeas · Post by **gardenpeas** » 17 Mar 2005, 03:17

the ladies love an italian

dan.2cv · Post by **dan.2cv** » 17 Mar 2005, 04:26

Just listen to this miserable lot!!!
I had a 2000 Spider and loved it. I test drove the 147 selespeed when it came out and have wanted one ever since. Under 1200 for a w reg is cheap, dead cheap. You could probably get double that if you broke it, but that defeats the object. Take your time, fix it up, then wear a sickening smug grin on your face when it all runs lovely and stands you in less than two grand.
Bloody good luck to you, I'm as jealous as all hell.

Mosser · Post by **Mosser** » 17 Mar 2005, 04:50

Thanks for all your replies,
I found an alfa forum and asked on there and they said that the steaks had a habit of popping out of the crankshafts on that model and i just needed to pop the sump off, recover the steaks and locktite them back in,
they also said to inspect the shells and crankshaft but said as the car still runs, they would most likely be fine but it might be best to stick some new shells in anyway,
Other than that they just said that the cambelt and twin balancer shaft belts all need changing every 36,000 miles and i might as well do them whilst i'm working on the engine, other than that they recon it should be a very cheap and easy fix !!
I really hope so, i dont fancy trying to take a selespeed gearbox out as it has loads of hydraulics all over it to operate the clutch
Also, i probably wont be using it as a daily drive anyway as the wife is dropping REALLY really big hints that she is fed up with her car now and would quite like the alfa once its fixed!!, i dont mind as i dont expect it will do the 41mpg that my xantia is doing at the moment, everyone has said i can expect about 34-35mpg out of it which isnt enough for my mega miles really

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 17 Mar 2005, 15:04

The balance shaft bearings need doing on that engine too occasionally, I think they're an engine out job.
My Dad had a Lancia Thema with a not unrelated engine, his balance shaft bearings failed which snapped the belt resulting in the cambelt going too. The balance shaft set up is pretty similar on the Lancia and Alfa Romeo engines.

Mosser · Post by **Mosser** » 17 Mar 2005, 20:53

It seems there's a lot to go wrong on these Alfa engines, and after thinking about it i dont really want to loose the comfort of my xantia anyway so my wife can have it registered in her name i think and she can use it as her daily drive, i'll just have a go of it at the weekends maybe
It is the 2 litre TS twinspark and its the pre aug 1999 155bhp version, after that month the derated the engine by 5bhp for some reason, its mated to the 5 speed selespeed semi automatic transmission that has a normal clutch plate but is hydraulically operated so no clutch pedal and no power or economy sapping torque convertor
I might like it, but i can find anyone to bring it to me until next thursday so i have got a while to clear out my garage so it can fit in there for me to work on it

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 17 Mar 2005, 21:31

Apparently the cam variators for the variable valve timing give trouble and make the car sound like a diesel when its cold...
The power decrease is probably more to do with emissions than anything else.

Mosser · Post by **Mosser** » 18 Mar 2005, 00:23

I head about the variators making them sound like a diesel too, but they are £85 and as i am going to check the crankshaft and shells before i attempt to start it i was going to only replace it if it needed it doing,
I was also going to inspect the cam belt rather than just replacing it because i added up the cost of replacing all these little bits and its about £400 worth !!, i want to make sure the car will drive ok first otherwise i will just look for a secondhand engine and put that in, there's lots of the 2l ts engines about nowdays as they dont seem to have changed much on the design over the years
OR does anyone think i should start the engine and listen to it before i take it apart ?

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 18 Mar 2005, 05:21

I would listen to it very carefully. If you've got crank bearing problems you probably have low oil pressure as well and the light will come on at idle when the engine is hot. This itself isn't terminal and many engines run for years showing the warning light at idle.
Big ends usually vary a bit with revs and load and can run reasonably happily at some revs.
May be worth trying to find out why the engine has failed - as you know its not a very common problem and hasn't been one for the last 40 years or so even at high mileages. The reason I say that is that it may have been run short of oil or something and you will have an idea where to look for problems while dismantling.
Also worth a quick examination of things like cambelt to make sure it isn't going to snap while you warm the engine up. Ancillaries are also worth a good look as you wouldn't be the first to suspect major damage and find something like a noisy alternator.
jeremy

Mosser · Post by **Mosser** » 29 Mar 2005, 06:57

OK, just thought i would update what's been happening with my Alfa 156 Ebay bargain,
I have got the rocker cover off and both cams are in perfect condition and the buckets they ride on look like new,
I took the sump cover off and checked the big ends and 3 of the 4 are perfect, with no visible wear to the soft top layer of metal on the shells,
However, the fourth big end (the one nearest the flywheel) has spun, it has pounded the shell so that it is 7mm wider than it should be and the soft metal layer is completely gone on both halves, the crankshaft is in good condition and only has very very light scoring and the rod itself doesnt even seem to have any wear on it at all, the shells havent broken up, they are just deformed and the top soft layer has gone,
So i am thinking that i need to measure the crankshaft journal on the worn one and just fit some new shells of the appropriate size and put it all back together and run it,
Can anyone think of anything else i need to do or check or do differently ?, this is uncharted waters for me, i have never taken the sump off an engine before !
I am also going to fit new cambelt, balance shaft belt, aux belt and all associated tensioners at the same time just in case
Sorry to be off topic with this thread as i know it isnt a french car, but i really want to get this engine running and am enjoying the challenge of it at the same time !
Cheers

Mosser · Post by **Mosser** » 29 Mar 2005, 07:01

Forgot to say that i spoke to the driver of the car and he said he had run it low on oil but hadnt admitted it to his company as he was supposed to check it himself,
He told me this just in case it helped me to find the problem easier, he was quite helpful with hints and tips on driving it, Like if a selespeed ever gets stuck in first gear, just jack it up and the front wheel will rotate slightly and it will jump back to neutral, something to do with preload somewhere apparently and common to the selespeeds !

uhn113x · Post by **uhn113x** » 29 Mar 2005, 14:24

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Mosser</i>

Thanks for all your replies,
I found an alfa forum and asked on there and they said that the steaks had a habit of popping out of the crankshafts on that model and i just needed to pop the sump off, recover the steaks and locktite them back in,
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
If Alfa make crankshafts out of bits of cow, what can you expect? Do you need to put mustard in the oil? No wonder they forgot to leave a space for the front number plate! [;)][}:)][;)]