Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 v6

Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 v6

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0a

23,879 posts

193 months

Saturday 24th August 2019
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A fantastic looking thing. Everything an alfa should be - lovely looks, special engine, interesting interior, slight feeling of risk every time you go to start it!

Paul S4

1,181 posts

209 months

Sunday 25th August 2019
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Well done....!

Having had two 156s, an X reg 1.8TS which was my first Italian car, followed by a 2005 156JTDM 150 that I put about 100,000 miles on.

There are a few things I could mention if you are unfamiliar with 156s....

Find a reputable Alfa indy specialist if you can.

Timing belts are important, not sure what the intervals are on the V6, but they are quite a job to do and most suggest that the water pump/tensioners are done at the same time. My TS needed a timing belt at 36,000 intervals ( initially Alfa said 72,000.....but for good reason reduced that to 36K)

The V6 is a heavy engine, and all 156s are well known for wearing out the front suspension components.

The rear dampers sit in a cup that corrodes over time, and can break and ruin a tyre ( ask me how I know that...it happened to me !)

4 wheel alignment on these cars can make quite a difference to the way they drive and is well worth getting done by someone who knows what they are doing

Stock headlights are very poor and really need upgrading.

Others who know their 156s better than I will possibly chip in...

But, once sorted they are fantastic cars and underrated by non Alfa people !

They still look good after all these years ( they came out in about 1997 IIRC), and that V6 Busso engine is one of the best ever.

A decent stainless steel exhaust will make that sound amazing !


Keep the updates coming and pics of course !




JBT

118 posts

145 months

Sunday 25th August 2019
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Snap, OP

I echo what Paul S4 said, especially about the suspension. Certain parts have a lifespan of weeks, it seems, regardless whether they are OE or branded aftermarket.

The only way to get the skirts to stay in properly once they start coming off if to take them off entirely, clean them up and stuck them back on with teroson terastat or similar. It'll be at this point you find out if you actually have any outer sills!

Loose mirror cover will be a broken internal mount - either the plastic one at the outside edge, or the cast one at the rotating base.

The 2.5 doesn't have an awful lot of torque, so needs to be wound up past 4k to get things going. This is not an issue, as you may well have found already that this is where the Busso V6 shines. There are plenty of exhaust out there if you want to take the engine note up another level - I wholeheartedly recommend Wizard Exhausts. Not cheap but absolutely worth every penny.

https://youtu.be/2WjqE9X0pU8

Not a great video but hopefully you get the general noise.

Enjoy! Yours is a lovely looking example, Blu Vela really pops with a good polish (not that mine ever gets one).




waynedear

2,158 posts

166 months

Sunday 25th August 2019
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That’s a beauty, belts should be done 4/5 years, sold mine recently after discovering colossal rot, most of the floorpan, inner/outer sills, check again, when I got the skirts off it got worse, not a single mention on the mot, heavy underseal and pop riveted plates with sealant everywhere.
I am in no way saying yours is like that, worth checking though.
ds2500 pads really improve the brakes, as does a straight pipe instead of the cat.
Check the rear bank, spark plugs often do not get changed.
Belts on these are not that difficult, just a space issue.
I only really drove mine 230 back from Scotland, such a nice place to be

Oilchange

8,422 posts

259 months

Sunday 25th August 2019
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Git a wizard on mine, have to drive it a bit sheepishly through town as it will make the hairs on the back of everyone’s neck stand up, all the time. Possibly not a good thing at 6am. Cat is still on too
Yes the 2.5 is largely gutless at low revs but has enough torque to let you just lift the clutch and it will roll uphill in a traffic jam. No throttle required which is fun. Above 4k, it’ll go ok buteconomy falls like a brick.
I changed out all four of the speakers in mine, papery rubbish from the factory. New ones make the sound much better.
At some point you will have to weld it, being kept in what looks like an underground car park will help though.
Cam belt, sparks etc a big job, mine was done about 70k / 7 years ago. Booked in again.
Watch for crumbling rubber pipework;
I replaced the rubber breather pipe from the head and the inlet right angled throttle pipe with silicon ones as they cracked everywhere.
Check rear calipers, they can seize, i also put 2500 in the front which helps.
If you want to preserve the front end whack a strut brace in, makes a big difference to the handling/ wear on the inside of the tyres

davebem

746 posts

176 months

Sunday 25th August 2019
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Great cars these, ive also got a 2.5 156 with a sunroof and tan leather, i completely rebuilt mine with quaife diff, eibach roll bars/springs, wizard manifolds, downpipes and complete floor rust proofing:



What are your plans for her?

Edited by davebem on Sunday 25th August 21:24

Oilchange

8,422 posts

259 months

Sunday 25th August 2019
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I paid £750 for mine with about 70k and a desperate need for a new water pump!

Oilchange

8,422 posts

259 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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If one of those new parts is a wizard, there’s no going back.
Be warned!

MiniMan64

16,867 posts

189 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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Welcome to the club!


Oilchange

8,422 posts

259 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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Wizard advertises on Facebook I think or you can go via

https://www.autolusso.co.uk/exhausts.html
https://www.wizardexhausts.com/

waynedear

2,158 posts

166 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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Find your local powerflow dealer, they will do an exhaust for you with levels of loudness that you choose.
Or mij in W Mids

Oilchange

8,422 posts

259 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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The wizard is not cheap, £650 including centre pipe, however, the Ragazzon is not far behind, depending on end tips it is (in Euros)
345+228
355+228
385+228
So roughly £515, £524 and £551 at 0.9 exchange rate.

Assuming you are going cat-back (will fail mot without it)

davebem

746 posts

176 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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The underneath doesnt look too bad as the underseal doesnt look like its loose, a lot like my original rust free 51 plate. Athough Id still have a poke at those rear vents to be sure. Also check the fuel tank straps and the area going diagonally between the front jacking point and the sills as the metal is very thin there. I think someone already mentioend it but check the rear shock spring pans for fatigue, also check the front brake pipes where they bend round into the engine bay, if thats all ok then youve got yourself a good un!

Those rusty chassis legs support the oil coolers, horn, bumper and arch linings etc are still available on the continent, if you search the german or italian ebays for the following part numbers you can normally pick them up for around 28EUR ea. They just bolt on saving you a trip to bodyshop.
60618410
60618411

Edited by davebem on Monday 26th August 16:46

Paul S4

1,181 posts

209 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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I forgot to mention the fuel tank straps ( but someone else has posted about them !)

One of mine snapped just after I had filled it to the brim with diesel, and there was a horrible grinding noise coming form under the car : one strap was actually digging into the tarmac !!

I snapped it off and then gingerly drove home and left the car parked up until I could source some new ones from Alfa.

Mine was a 2005 car, in Moonbeam Blue metallic ( cannot recall the Italian name ) but the roof developed quite a few small rust spots ( again this is a known issue as others have mentioned it on the various forums) Quite annoying really as the rest of the paintwork was fine.

clutch

16 posts

142 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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Great car! I had one a few years back..as you know already, the engine is a peach and over 4k is the best sounding thing south of a Maserati/small Ferrari.

Things to watch out for (apart from bodywork)

1) as said before by others..top suspension mount always goes quickly. You do not always have to replace bottom ..top always goes first. Replace in pairs.
2) thermostats stay open leaving undercooling. but cheap fix
3) oil leak from gearbox..might as well change clutch at same time.
4) radiator every 60kish
5) stay on 16 inch wheels (they were designed with 15 in mind) 17inch hmmm..your wheels look great.
6) spark plugs...rears pain to change..get an Alfa garage to do it..local "any marque" will only change front bank and won't tell you that they have not done all 6
7) belts better than 4 pots..but change at 5 years.
8) looks like yours is a lusso. Bilstein dampers (yellow) with fairly standard springs great balance.
9) if you rev it a bit 10/60 oil

There are the negatives..but they are offset by the fun

But what fond memories of the car I had...awesome. keep the revs up, stir the box

Enjoy it..the car cannot do 3 point turns but for a 4 door saloon, so much fun!

Looking forward to updates




clutch

16 posts

142 months

Monday 26th August 2019
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Miniman64

What a car! And a rare one..did I see yours in the paddock at a Castle Combe autumn classic a year or so back?

My dream to find a V6 Sportwagon





JBT

118 posts

145 months

Tuesday 27th August 2019
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Doesn't look overly bad underneath, Integroo - think you've found a good 'un (subject to further inspection as Davebem said).

In terms of Ragazzon vs. Wizard backbox, the tone is quote different between the two. A Ragazzon (to my ears) is a big gruffer with more bass in it's roar, a Wizard will really scream over 4k (although on my car, the engine is louder than the exhaust from 4k onwards unless the windows are down - might be something to do with mine be a 4-cat CF3 engine, yours may be a CF2 with no manifold cats). Its only my opinion as both will sound great. The starting point for the Wizard design was a Japanese Unicorse backbox which is twice the price of the Wizard again, before you factor in import costs.

The ultimate for me would be equal length downpipes, which make the V6 sound like the older longitudinal Busso Alfa's (GTV6, 75 etc) by evening out the exhaust pulses. It's almost impossible not to lose some ground clearance with that setup though, as the transverse Busso in the 156 forces the rear downpipe to curl round the front one to gain the extra length, as there is nowhere else for it to go.

carinaman

21,224 posts

171 months

Tuesday 27th August 2019
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clutch said:
Miniman64

What a car! And a rare one..did I see yours in the paddock at a Castle Combe autumn classic a year or so back?

My dream to find a V6 Sportwagon
Looks like it'll need work and it's an Auto:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Edited by carinaman on Tuesday 27th August 14:52

Oilchange

8,422 posts

259 months

Tuesday 27th August 2019
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I think the wizard is backbox and centre pipe, aft of the cat. The price you quote for the Ragazzon is minus the centre pipe, I think.

Pat H

8,056 posts

255 months

Tuesday 27th August 2019
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I put a Wizard centre pipe and back box on my 156 V6.

Not cheap, but it was beautifully made and fitted perfectly.

Quite loud. And my car was a CF3 with the extra cats.

Forget talk of equal length manifolds. They are a swine to fit and the expense and hassle really isn't worth it. Been there, done that etc etc.

The 2.5 V6 is the nicest incarnation of the Alfa V6. The 3.2s may have lots more power and torque, but they don't rev out as nicely and don't sound quite as nice.

Someone commented that they are the best sounding engine this side of a small Ferrari. I disagree. Having owned a F328, two 3.2 GTVs and the 156 V6, I would offer the view that the little Alfa sounds best and has the most pleasant power delivery.

I absolutely loved my 156. Not the fastest car that I have owned. Not the best handling for sure. Certainly not the best built.

But there was just something wonderful about it. It was a thing of beauty. The interior was sublime and the engine was a delight.

They have a considerable appetite for bottom arms and anti roll bar bushes. The anti roll bar is a pig of a job. The timing belt is not really a DIY prospect, either. And if the lambda sensor on the rear manifold fails, then don't even think about doing it yourself.

I have never owned a car which cost so little, but felt so special.

I really miss mine. I enjoyed it more than any other car I have owned.

smile