147 GTA progress thread (July 2013 to present)
Discussion
Interesting and I feel bad for your predicament.
Is it not repairable? My mech mate has repaired 166 ecus and done some quite incredible fault finding work, it might be some simple soldering required. I would dig a little if faced with a huge bill for a second hand unit
Also, curious to know how much a stand alone would cost to set up against a second hand unit
Is it not repairable? My mech mate has repaired 166 ecus and done some quite incredible fault finding work, it might be some simple soldering required. I would dig a little if faced with a huge bill for a second hand unit
Also, curious to know how much a stand alone would cost to set up against a second hand unit
Old thread on AO about the issue. Was an easy pair and saved many owners thousands of pounds. Worth a try first before splashing out on a new ECU.
https://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gta/375231-14...
https://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gta/375231-14...
Zombie said:
Yeah, I know about the ECU repair but those I've spoken to about it suggest that it is a temporary fix if it can be repaired at all - 50/50 chance.
Standalone ECU is £2.5k ish as a plug and play fix.
Probably the ones who want to sell you a new one Standalone ECU is £2.5k ish as a plug and play fix.
I know what i,d try first.
Alfahol Addict said:
What a nice project, sorry to hear about your troubles with the ECU though.
Thanks. The ECU is working at the moment though. I'm in 2 minds about it. It could have been down to battery voltage, in which case I have a working ECU that I can flog for approx. £1k, which would certainly help with funding a standalone.
Or I could keep it as it is, which costs nothing (until the ECU fails, which it probably will at some point)...
Zombie said:
Alfahol Addict said:
What a nice project, sorry to hear about your troubles with the ECU though.
Thanks. The ECU is working at the moment though. I'm in 2 minds about it. It could have been down to battery voltage, in which case I have a working ECU that I can flog for approx. £1k, which would certainly help with funding a standalone.
Or I could keep it as it is, which costs nothing (until the ECU fails, which it probably will at some point)...
There are many theories about why they fail but he was of the view they will all fail at some point no matter what you do to try to protect them.
Problem with a second hand one is it could fail at any moment if it’s an original one. I thought about going second hand for a brief moment but they are all 13-16 years old now. Then it could be £1000 down the drain, still needing to pay £2500 to fix it with a new autolusso solution. That’s if you can even find a second hand one.
It’s just one of those things you have to take on the chin. Mine has gone up in value about £6k over what I paid for it 6 years ago, so just use man maths and knock it off that! Or see it as 6 month deposit payment on a boring German diesel, loads of people do that without blinking.
And let’s be honest a GTA with a new ecu be it original or autolusso, has got to be worth more than one still on an original ECU.
ITP said:
I believe it will fail at some point. I got one of the last new ones available from Gus (who I’m sure you are aware of as an Alfa fan) about 18 months or so ago when mine failed. He only had 2 left at the time......It was about £1600.
There are many theories about why they fail but he was of the view they will all fail at some point no matter what you do to try to protect them.
Problem with a second hand one is it could fail at any moment if it’s an original one. I thought about going second hand for a brief moment but they are all 13-16 years old now. Then it could be £1000 down the drain, still needing to pay £2500 to fix it with a new autolusso solution. That’s if you can even find a second hand one.
It’s just one of those things you have to take on the chin. Mine has gone up in value about £6k over what I paid for it 6 years ago, so just use man maths and knock it off that! Or see it as 6 month deposit payment on a boring German diesel, loads of people do that without blinking.
And let’s be honest a GTA with a new ecu be it original or autolusso, has got to be worth more than one still on an original ECU.
Yup, my thoughts exactly.There are many theories about why they fail but he was of the view they will all fail at some point no matter what you do to try to protect them.
Problem with a second hand one is it could fail at any moment if it’s an original one. I thought about going second hand for a brief moment but they are all 13-16 years old now. Then it could be £1000 down the drain, still needing to pay £2500 to fix it with a new autolusso solution. That’s if you can even find a second hand one.
It’s just one of those things you have to take on the chin. Mine has gone up in value about £6k over what I paid for it 6 years ago, so just use man maths and knock it off that! Or see it as 6 month deposit payment on a boring German diesel, loads of people do that without blinking.
And let’s be honest a GTA with a new ecu be it original or autolusso, has got to be worth more than one still on an original ECU.
Update.
To clarify what emerged with the ECU issues.
I gave the battery a full charge and it's been on charge regularly using a c-tech trickle charger since and it's not given any more trouble. Consequently, I don't know for sure what went on there. Could've been battery voltage. Could be an indication that all is not right with the ECU.
It's now overdue for an MOT. I didn't get round to it before it ran out as I've been flapping about getting the daily (159 TBi) sorted out (blown turbo) and that also had it's MOT expire within the same week as the GTA. I've elected to let it sit in the car port for a month so I don't have both of them run out at the same time next year.
I have been faffing with it to make sure it's OK though - aiming to get it though with no advisories again....
IMG_0228 by Chris, on Flickr
I suspect they're going to say that there's slight play in the upper arm bushes but I'll suffer that as an advisory rather than replace them as it's not sufficient to bother replacing them as it stands. (There are genuine Alfa spares sat in the garage.)
I've also gone on a spending spree and bought;
New seat base;
57652063274__420C5260-8812-4BFB-B195-D1AFDCA8A317 by Chris, on Flickr
New interior carpet
57652064425__E4E6D733-06DE-4D75-8D56-7BB09EB052A0 by Chris, on Flickr
And a new parcel shelf - old one is faded.
57652065770__5D26FCE8-5FF7-4957-93B0-2816514D935D by Chris, on Flickr
To clarify what emerged with the ECU issues.
I gave the battery a full charge and it's been on charge regularly using a c-tech trickle charger since and it's not given any more trouble. Consequently, I don't know for sure what went on there. Could've been battery voltage. Could be an indication that all is not right with the ECU.
It's now overdue for an MOT. I didn't get round to it before it ran out as I've been flapping about getting the daily (159 TBi) sorted out (blown turbo) and that also had it's MOT expire within the same week as the GTA. I've elected to let it sit in the car port for a month so I don't have both of them run out at the same time next year.
I have been faffing with it to make sure it's OK though - aiming to get it though with no advisories again....
IMG_0228 by Chris, on FlickrI suspect they're going to say that there's slight play in the upper arm bushes but I'll suffer that as an advisory rather than replace them as it's not sufficient to bother replacing them as it stands. (There are genuine Alfa spares sat in the garage.)
I've also gone on a spending spree and bought;
New seat base;
57652063274__420C5260-8812-4BFB-B195-D1AFDCA8A317 by Chris, on FlickrNew interior carpet
57652064425__E4E6D733-06DE-4D75-8D56-7BB09EB052A0 by Chris, on FlickrAnd a new parcel shelf - old one is faded.
57652065770__5D26FCE8-5FF7-4957-93B0-2816514D935D by Chris, on FlickrJust read this from the start... Hat off to you for taking so much care over the rebuild! It’s a car that will be a collector’s item for sure in the coming years but until then... just look at it! It’s such a good looker, looks far better than anything else produced these days.
I’ve never owned an Alfa but can see how they get under your skin. Their quirks would annoy me immensely during the winter when nobody wants to be outside fixing it in the dark knowing you have to get to work tomorrow. Will have to wait until I can afford to have a weekend car!
I’ve never owned an Alfa but can see how they get under your skin. Their quirks would annoy me immensely during the winter when nobody wants to be outside fixing it in the dark knowing you have to get to work tomorrow. Will have to wait until I can afford to have a weekend car!
Court_S said:
Just rad the whole thread. Top work, dedication and skills.
I really like these, they’ve very cool an sound fabulous.
Thanks, just need a wizard exhaust on it but it does sound mega as it is. Rattles the building I work in, apparently...I really like these, they’ve very cool an sound fabulous.
Blanco92 said:
Just read this from the start... Hat off to you for taking so much care over the rebuild! It’s a car that will be a collector’s item for sure in the coming years but until then... just look at it! It’s such a good looker, looks far better than anything else produced these days.
I’ve never owned an Alfa but can see how they get under your skin. Their quirks would annoy me immensely during the winter when nobody wants to be outside fixing it in the dark knowing you have to get to work tomorrow. Will have to wait until I can afford to have a weekend car!
TBH, I've owned it for 6 years now and it's only let me down a couple of times - both being ECU related, which is a generic bosch part you'd find on any car. I’ve never owned an Alfa but can see how they get under your skin. Their quirks would annoy me immensely during the winter when nobody wants to be outside fixing it in the dark knowing you have to get to work tomorrow. Will have to wait until I can afford to have a weekend car!
Oilchange said:
Busso powered Alfas arent as unreliable as people think. At least no more than similar cars of that era anyway. I run a 99 156 with a v6 as a daily.
Alfa's in general aren't anywhere near as unreliable as people think!!!Edited by Zombie on Tuesday 16th April 20:45
Oilchange said:
Get the wizard, you will wonder why you hadn’t years ago. Got one on mine.
There's no wonderment involved. It's described in the equation below;9Y(Tory Austerity) + Mortgage = No improvident spending i.e. A silly stainless exhaust.
It also equals no stand alone ECU.
No KW v3's
All 3 of which I would have been able to purchase if my Public Sector wage had simply tracked inflation.
Edited by Zombie on Sunday 21st April 01:28
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