Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6
Discussion
Funny you should mention the temp issue as I was investigating that yesterday. I cant replicate the issue so much anymore, the temp stables at 90 when moving, and goes slightly over 90 when sitting in traffic. Ive plugged in MES to monitor it and the highest it got to was 99. Both fans kick in at low speed at 98 and go off at 95. Ive since learnt that the temp gauge does give a realtime figure unlike many other cars that sort of round it up when its around 90.
The radiator and coolant is new, the thermostat and waterpump were replaced approx 6 months ago by the garage that had it.
Is this all normal?
The radiator and coolant is new, the thermostat and waterpump were replaced approx 6 months ago by the garage that had it.
Is this all normal?
Edited by davebem on Monday 8th February 17:10
Not sure about the print out, but my V6 sat exactly at the point when in traffic, the fans kick in when at that point and bring it back down to 90. Perfectly normal. Yep its real time, you can see the thermostat open when driving from cold, I too loved the steering/throttle response and gear change. It really is spot on!
Ps when my rad was shot it was going to the notch just before the red, but creeping to just past 90 then the fans kicking in in traffic is nothing to worry about!
Ps when my rad was shot it was going to the notch just before the red, but creeping to just past 90 then the fans kicking in in traffic is nothing to worry about!
Edited by exgtt on Monday 8th February 17:33
Excellent thread, I have only recently parted with my 2.0 ts 147. I do miss the Alfa and fancy another as a weekend toy and a 156 v6 is what I fancy. Get used to changing suspension arms as they don't last long I found trw to be the best value and last longest. And change the thermostat it made a big difference to mine and every other 156/147 owner says the same.
Minor update: A knocking noise developed from the front suspension, on inspection I found the longer inner bolt on the rear lower wishbone bush had been overtightened and it had actually stipped the threads of the alloy block on the mount. I could turn the bolt by hand..whoops! this must have been my own doing when I fitted the new lower wishbones. For now I have fitted longer high tensile 90mm M10 bolts and tightened them with a nut and washer over the top of the mount.
Summary of work completed:
- Brake and clutch bleed.
- New pair of rear shocks and droplinks
- New suspension rear arm
- New matching rear tyre.
- Areas underneath that had surface rust were trated with bilthamber then waxoiled. Bottom of front wings and where wings attach to bumper protected, and brake lines all checked and ok. No major rust found.
- New bumper/horn bracket fitted.
- Driveshaft gaitors and hub nut replaced.
- Quaife Q2 ATB Diff fitted along with driveshaft seals.
- New front wishbones and droplinks
The car is now absolutely perfect, its completly standard (apart from the diff). This will be a hard year for the car, I have some track days booked and Im thinking of doing the ring in the spring.
Summary of work completed:
- Brake and clutch bleed.
- New pair of rear shocks and droplinks
- New suspension rear arm
- New matching rear tyre.
- Areas underneath that had surface rust were trated with bilthamber then waxoiled. Bottom of front wings and where wings attach to bumper protected, and brake lines all checked and ok. No major rust found.
- New bumper/horn bracket fitted.
- Driveshaft gaitors and hub nut replaced.
- Quaife Q2 ATB Diff fitted along with driveshaft seals.
- New front wishbones and droplinks
The car is now absolutely perfect, its completly standard (apart from the diff). This will be a hard year for the car, I have some track days booked and Im thinking of doing the ring in the spring.
Edited by davebem on Wednesday 17th February 20:05
Great car !
I am on my second Ala 156, current one being a 2005 JTDM 150 with a remap to about 190BHP.
Re the suspension, I had exactly the same issue with mine a few months ago ie the O/S rear strut base collapsed on the motorway. I was quite annoyed with myself TBH as I was not aware that this was a potential problem ( especially as I am on my second 156 !)
My local indy sorted it out, they also sourced some Monroe dampers and springs and a few other bits. Only thing is the car sits a bit higher at the rear that before ( mine is the Veloce ) so I am not sure if they got the correct springs... a bit annoying really, but never having had new rear springs fitted on any of my cars before, I assumed that they would settle after a few weeks ( they havn't ! )
Your car looks a good buy, quite jealous really as I have never driven a V6 Busso ! All you need now is a Raggazone (? spelling) cat back exhaust to set it off !!
I am on my second Ala 156, current one being a 2005 JTDM 150 with a remap to about 190BHP.
Re the suspension, I had exactly the same issue with mine a few months ago ie the O/S rear strut base collapsed on the motorway. I was quite annoyed with myself TBH as I was not aware that this was a potential problem ( especially as I am on my second 156 !)
My local indy sorted it out, they also sourced some Monroe dampers and springs and a few other bits. Only thing is the car sits a bit higher at the rear that before ( mine is the Veloce ) so I am not sure if they got the correct springs... a bit annoying really, but never having had new rear springs fitted on any of my cars before, I assumed that they would settle after a few weeks ( they havn't ! )
Your car looks a good buy, quite jealous really as I have never driven a V6 Busso ! All you need now is a Raggazone (? spelling) cat back exhaust to set it off !!
davebem said:
Ive always loved Alfas, and had a big soft spot for the 156. For a car that was designed by Walter De Silva (of Audi/VW fame) in the mid to late 90s it had very clean lines, a unique look and has aged really well. I like my saloons and always considered the 156 to be the perfect compact saloon size and shape, more modern 'compact' saloons are getting too big! These cars can be had for as little as £100 ranging up to £2000 for a well sorted 2.5 V6 or up to £12000 for a 3.2 GTA!! I think they have hit rock bottom although some are starting to get the right type of Alfisti owners and it wont be long before it becomes an emerging future classic. For a 2nd car that would be replacing a Clio172 I didnt want to spend too much in the outset, the car was going to be a weekend/trackday car and maybe used for the odd roadtrip. I have a diesel 159 as a daily and the use of my wifes Fiat 500 too.
After lots of searching I found the best condition 2.5 V6 available for sale, this one happened to be the top of the range Veloce model with sports suspension, side skirts, carbon dash and full leather etc. The garage specialised in performance cars and run by 2 petrolheads. They had changed the oil, filters, cambelt, waterpump, radiator and overhauled the brakes.
On the test drive, I was completely bowled over by the throttle response, progressive brakes, smooth clutch feel and smooth direct gear change. The engine note of the Busso V6 persuaded me to hand over the cash without really thinking straight at all!!
Plans so far are:
- Prepare for track day use but on the whole keep it fairly standard for now - bleed brakes, matching tyres.
- Remove V6 badges on wings and remove rear spoiler.
- Rust proofing the floor, subframe and checking brake lines for corrosion.
Oh man, I had a 1998 S Reg one of these, same model, same colour. Bought it in 2007 on a whim for £1500 with over 100k on the clock. Hadn't really been looked after too well, paint was a bit rough but serviced regularly, intended to run it as a shed and not spend too much on it whilst enjoying it and it never let me down once until the clutch gave way two years later.After lots of searching I found the best condition 2.5 V6 available for sale, this one happened to be the top of the range Veloce model with sports suspension, side skirts, carbon dash and full leather etc. The garage specialised in performance cars and run by 2 petrolheads. They had changed the oil, filters, cambelt, waterpump, radiator and overhauled the brakes.
On the test drive, I was completely bowled over by the throttle response, progressive brakes, smooth clutch feel and smooth direct gear change. The engine note of the Busso V6 persuaded me to hand over the cash without really thinking straight at all!!
Plans so far are:
- Prepare for track day use but on the whole keep it fairly standard for now - bleed brakes, matching tyres.
- Remove V6 badges on wings and remove rear spoiler.
- Rust proofing the floor, subframe and checking brake lines for corrosion.
Edited by davebem on Friday 29th January 10:33
Faced with a £500+ bill, and with another few issues beginning to appear such as an exhaust system, it went to the big racetrack in the sky although my mate saved the black Momo leather for his new Transit van!
Broke my heart, loved the car, great to drive, and have hankered after another for a while.
I did Donington yesterday, the weather was so varied, wind, rain, sleet, sunshine, we had it all. When I arrived having driven there I started to feel a bit left out as I didnt have a motorhome and trailer, there was lots of hardcore trackdayers and some racing teams taking part too getting some practise in. The whole day went without a hitch and I really enjoyed it. I really got to know the car and learn the track, the sound of the V6 down the straights was addictive. I never did quite figure out the best line to take around coppice though. Handling was good, understeer was an issue coming out of Mcleans curve in the wet, but it was easy to control and I learnt to hit the armco and then it would just bite in and grip. The Quaife LSD has made an immense difference, I had no wheelspin or lack of grip issues accelerating. In the afternoon when it dried up I noticed how much the car leans into the bends. Im still running the standard suspension so added to the todo list is stiffer antiroll bar and stiffer spring setup. I used just over £100 of petrol, but my tyres and brakes were still ok, got the climate set and settled in for the 40 min journey home. Oh and the engine temp issue hasnt re-occurred :-)
I shared a garage with this little newly built beast. Ill post up some better pics later.
I shared a garage with this little newly built beast. Ill post up some better pics later.
Edited by davebem on Thursday 3rd March 20:01
Here are two of mine lurking at the bottom of the garden.
In the foreground a V6 saloon, same vintage as the OPs, also has the Quaife, but no wing, and a somewhat grubbier engine.
In the background, a GT 3.2 that I got for £900 with a blown engine. 38K miles on the clock! OK, it needed close to 2 grand in parts to get it working again, as well as 6 weekends with my head in the bonnet, but it is a cracking car. Needs a quaife, but I can't quite stomach getting underneath it when it is working OK.
I am a serial Alfa offender, got a 155V6, a GTA SW and several more "projects"
In the foreground a V6 saloon, same vintage as the OPs, also has the Quaife, but no wing, and a somewhat grubbier engine.
In the background, a GT 3.2 that I got for £900 with a blown engine. 38K miles on the clock! OK, it needed close to 2 grand in parts to get it working again, as well as 6 weekends with my head in the bonnet, but it is a cracking car. Needs a quaife, but I can't quite stomach getting underneath it when it is working OK.
I am a serial Alfa offender, got a 155V6, a GTA SW and several more "projects"
Alfas have had the corrosion issue on the susp cup since forever. A 33 from 1992 did it to me, it was a known fault. I'm surprised that MoT testers don't know to check them there. After mine failed I had a look at the other side and nearly soiled myself, so that got sorted soon after.
Great cars, just set aside money and/or time for the inevitable maintenance. I would also be prepared to walk away when it's necessary and avoid getting too attached to it, either financially or emotionally.
Great cars, just set aside money and/or time for the inevitable maintenance. I would also be prepared to walk away when it's necessary and avoid getting too attached to it, either financially or emotionally.
I would love to find a cheap 3.2 GT to repair, I always thought they were bigger than the 156 but from your pic they look a lot shorter? Nice to see a similar 156, Im still on the lookout for a non-spoiler bootlid.
Ive lifted the carpets and the floorpan on my 156 is completely mint which seams to be very rare. Im actually condidering buying a rough 2.0 twinny and converting that to hardcore track use, then keeping the V6 mint for Sunday drives and road trips!!
Ive lifted the carpets and the floorpan on my 156 is completely mint which seams to be very rare. Im actually condidering buying a rough 2.0 twinny and converting that to hardcore track use, then keeping the V6 mint for Sunday drives and road trips!!
Edited by davebem on Tuesday 5th April 19:43
davebem said:
I would love to find a cheap 3.2 GT to repair, I always thought they were bigger than the 156 but from your pic they look a lot shorter? Nice to see a similar 156, Im still on the lookout for a non-spoiler bootlid.
From what i can find the GT is 6 cm longerEdited by davebem on Tuesday 5th April 19:43
They're as near as dammit the same size. The GT is far more practical - the boot aperture is huge, and the rear seats go flat. Fridge to the tip? No problem in a GT. They are starting to get expensive, but you can still pick up a bargain if you are friends with the local specialists.
The 51 plate cars do seem to be a bit better at corrosion resistance. I have an S reg V6 (also silver) that has needed pretty much all the floor pans replacing, and I've heard of later cars heading for the scrapper because of corrosion. The key test is to poke the tar on the floor of the car hard with a screwdriver - it often ends up going through.
Decent V6s are getting pretty rare now - there are loads of rubbish ones, and prices are heading up.
The 51 plate cars do seem to be a bit better at corrosion resistance. I have an S reg V6 (also silver) that has needed pretty much all the floor pans replacing, and I've heard of later cars heading for the scrapper because of corrosion. The key test is to poke the tar on the floor of the car hard with a screwdriver - it often ends up going through.
Decent V6s are getting pretty rare now - there are loads of rubbish ones, and prices are heading up.
Contrary to the use of being mainly a track day and fun weekend car so far, I was browsing ebay one night (sober...honest) looking for a door handle and electric window switch and ended up buying a whole bargain red leather momo interior. There is nothing wrong with my black interior although I had stripped the bench out to see how much it all weighed (which wasnt a lot). The inside is now an even better place to be, the red leather has aged really well with some nice wrinkles and has a nice smell. The crappy pics dont do it much justice. Luckily the seller threw in a door handle and electric window switch I needed too!
If anyone needs a mint black leather interior, let me know. £90 collected.
If anyone needs a mint black leather interior, let me know. £90 collected.
Edited by davebem on Saturday 30th April 15:51
Love this thread, love the car. I'm a huge Alfa fan, have had (and still have) a few. To this day though, a £400 156 2.5 I took a total gamble on is the best car i've ever owned. A little bit of preventative maintenance aside, I kicked the poor things head in for about 7k miles in 10 months and it only seemed to get better!
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