Alfa 159 1750 tbi (208000 miles)
Discussion
The last few weeks following the replacement of the turbo have been difficult and compounded by the fact the 159's MOT ran out on the 28th March, whilst my other car, a GTA also needs an MOT today.
The issues I've had with it have been set against a backdrop of needing to get both cars through an MOT...
19/03
I left my Dad to it on the Tuesday. I did finish work early to help though. We changed the oil again and put it all back together.
During the remainder of the week, I noticed that it appeared to be leaking oil. I assumed that this was coming from the cam cover as there was evidence of a leak from it when we took it apart. But as my Dad had cleaned the front of the engine block I thought that maybe this was resulting in the oil running frrely down the side of the block onto the manifold.
23/03 - Saturday.
Firstly, I found that the waste pipe from the shower in my house had been leaking for some time and the waste water was now starting to pool in the hall. Which helped things...
Having fixed that, we had a closer look at the suspected oil leak as it was apparently getting worse. Turned out that when the exhaust manifold stud had been snapped (not by us), it had also been driven into the head and had broken through the casting into an oil gallery, causing the leak.
The thread had also failed and the stud practically fell out.
All of this obviously presented a real problem. Potentially requiring the head to be removed to repair it.
We removed the bumper, radiators, crash bar, slam panel, headlights and the turbo for the 3rd time to get better access to the bolt hole. Then drilled it out, and inserted a heli-coil to repair the thread. Using thread lock to reinsert the stud to help it seal the oil leak we rebuilt the car. I think we had it back together by Sunday evening.
25/03 - Monday.
Car booked in for an MOT the following day. The only problem was that a few hours later, as I was driving it home from work at 7pm, it developed a coolant leak. Yes. Another one. (FFS). I found the leak was coming from a short section of hose, about 150mm long with a 90 degree elbow in it - one of the feeds to the turbo.
26/03 - Tuesday
My Dad picked up the car in the morning (thinking it should be an easy fix) and found the leaking hose was unusual in that it had an 8mm ID one end and 10mm ID the other, which meant finding something to replace it would be difficult. He eventually found a couple of pipes and jerry-rigged something together, took it for a drive and it promptly failed, dumping all its coolant over a petrol station forecourt. He limped it home and tried to fashion something else which also failed due to the heat from the turbo. The 3rd attempt to fix it proved more successful and he took it for an MOT (I was still in work).
About 4:30, I received a phone call - it's passed it's MOT but the hose has failed again and its dumped all of its coolant out again.
Armed with some other pipes and a tool box I went over to help fix it, which we managed and we limped it home.
It was at this point we were ready to admit defeat. However, that changed when we realised that a new pipe, only available from Alfa, is £90(ish)!
29/03 - Friday
Finally fixed the pipe using a section of LPG hose from B&Q. (I hope).
30/03 - Saturday
Another reason why I was panicking about getting the 159 fixed was that the weekend would consist of a Wedding and a subsequent hangover.
As an Usher, there was the real possibility that I could be promoted to Best Man duties as the Best Man's wife is heavily pregant. Sure enough, I received a short message from the Best Man that his wife had gone into labour and that he would "try" to find the time to message me the speech he'd written.
On hearing this and realising that I hadn't done enough to prepare for this, I really started to panic.
As a group of us were heading to the wedding in a minibus I had also offered to collect a couple of friends from the next village that morning.
Full panic mode engaged, I jumped into the freshly fixed 159...
and... Yup. the f
g thing wouldn't start.
It was also blocking the GTA in, so I couldn't use that either.
I'm sure you can imagine the overwhelming state of panic I was feeling at this point.
In said state of panic, I rang my Dad, who came round, found the problem (dodgy earth point - we'd had the battery tray out to change the coolant pipe) and got it started whilst I finished getting ready.
It was only then that I received a message from the Best Man;
"Ha, see you later"
The issues I've had with it have been set against a backdrop of needing to get both cars through an MOT...
19/03
I left my Dad to it on the Tuesday. I did finish work early to help though. We changed the oil again and put it all back together.
During the remainder of the week, I noticed that it appeared to be leaking oil. I assumed that this was coming from the cam cover as there was evidence of a leak from it when we took it apart. But as my Dad had cleaned the front of the engine block I thought that maybe this was resulting in the oil running frrely down the side of the block onto the manifold.
23/03 - Saturday.
Firstly, I found that the waste pipe from the shower in my house had been leaking for some time and the waste water was now starting to pool in the hall. Which helped things...
Having fixed that, we had a closer look at the suspected oil leak as it was apparently getting worse. Turned out that when the exhaust manifold stud had been snapped (not by us), it had also been driven into the head and had broken through the casting into an oil gallery, causing the leak.
The thread had also failed and the stud practically fell out.
All of this obviously presented a real problem. Potentially requiring the head to be removed to repair it.
We removed the bumper, radiators, crash bar, slam panel, headlights and the turbo for the 3rd time to get better access to the bolt hole. Then drilled it out, and inserted a heli-coil to repair the thread. Using thread lock to reinsert the stud to help it seal the oil leak we rebuilt the car. I think we had it back together by Sunday evening.
25/03 - Monday.
Car booked in for an MOT the following day. The only problem was that a few hours later, as I was driving it home from work at 7pm, it developed a coolant leak. Yes. Another one. (FFS). I found the leak was coming from a short section of hose, about 150mm long with a 90 degree elbow in it - one of the feeds to the turbo.
26/03 - Tuesday
My Dad picked up the car in the morning (thinking it should be an easy fix) and found the leaking hose was unusual in that it had an 8mm ID one end and 10mm ID the other, which meant finding something to replace it would be difficult. He eventually found a couple of pipes and jerry-rigged something together, took it for a drive and it promptly failed, dumping all its coolant over a petrol station forecourt. He limped it home and tried to fashion something else which also failed due to the heat from the turbo. The 3rd attempt to fix it proved more successful and he took it for an MOT (I was still in work).
About 4:30, I received a phone call - it's passed it's MOT but the hose has failed again and its dumped all of its coolant out again.
Armed with some other pipes and a tool box I went over to help fix it, which we managed and we limped it home.
It was at this point we were ready to admit defeat. However, that changed when we realised that a new pipe, only available from Alfa, is £90(ish)!
29/03 - Friday
Finally fixed the pipe using a section of LPG hose from B&Q. (I hope).
30/03 - Saturday
Another reason why I was panicking about getting the 159 fixed was that the weekend would consist of a Wedding and a subsequent hangover.
As an Usher, there was the real possibility that I could be promoted to Best Man duties as the Best Man's wife is heavily pregant. Sure enough, I received a short message from the Best Man that his wife had gone into labour and that he would "try" to find the time to message me the speech he'd written.
On hearing this and realising that I hadn't done enough to prepare for this, I really started to panic.
As a group of us were heading to the wedding in a minibus I had also offered to collect a couple of friends from the next village that morning.
Full panic mode engaged, I jumped into the freshly fixed 159...
and... Yup. the f
g thing wouldn't start.It was also blocking the GTA in, so I couldn't use that either.
I'm sure you can imagine the overwhelming state of panic I was feeling at this point.
In said state of panic, I rang my Dad, who came round, found the problem (dodgy earth point - we'd had the battery tray out to change the coolant pipe) and got it started whilst I finished getting ready.
It was only then that I received a message from the Best Man;
"Ha, see you later"
The radio element of the ICE hasn't been working since I bought it. It uses a combined GPS / Phone / Radio aerial that I found to be suffering from corrosion - think I mentioned this earlier in the thread. My Dad found a cheap aired on the bay of E recently which I bought as it appeared to be corrosion free, thinking this would solve the problem.
I fitted it yesterday, whilst waiting for the latest project car to arrive, but it changed nothing. Sat nav and GPS appear to work but not the radio. Still no reception. I checked that the aerial was plugged in at the HU end, so I'm now stumped as to what the problem is.
IMG_0256 by Chris, on Flickr
I fitted it yesterday, whilst waiting for the latest project car to arrive, but it changed nothing. Sat nav and GPS appear to work but not the radio. Still no reception. I checked that the aerial was plugged in at the HU end, so I'm now stumped as to what the problem is.
IMG_0256 by Chris, on FlickrEdited by Zombie on Saturday 13th April 00:39
It's been a busy year so far.
Starting with the turbo going bang on this car.
Put both my GTA and this though their MOTs
Prepped and sold my Dad's 166. Thankyou pistonheads classifieds, and not so much the time wasting anally retentive PITA who wrote off a whole day last weekend whilst we cleaned it and faffed about with videos at their request. (You know who you are and I hope you read this).
Since then we've bought another one with a replacement engine, rebuilt that, pulled the engine out and put new one in.
We've also dug up the drive outside my house and block paved that, which was no small task.
20643096_10154605659781507_7517951123218599722_o by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_0516 by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_0529 by Chris, on Flickr
I've been down to Birmingham with my brother twice to facilitate his purchase of a Ghibli. (Lovely car)
All of which is set against the backdrop of the usual family commitments. The to do list this year is large and seemingly impossible but I have a huge amount of love and respect for both of my Parents for facilitating it.
Anyway, I now have a pristine drive. And an Alfa that likes to lubricate it....
I think the "Oil Segregator" is to blame for this. I'd call it a cam cover. As anyone with a tbi or decent knowledge of Alfas will know; you can't buy a new one, they're all out of stock. And really expensive anyway.
However, the leak appears to be cause by a diaphragm within it;
IMG_8782 by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_8781 by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_8776 by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_8777 by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_8779 by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_8780 by Chris, on Flickr
Father did a bit of eBay research and thought he'd found a similar diaphragm. It's not quite the same but he thinks it might work. He rebuilt the spare cover aka oil segregator:
IMG_0620 by Chris, on Flickr
Which also gave us a glimpse of the engine internals for the first time since I got it. The castings are browned with oil staining but they're not black and the cam lobes look new. Not bad for 215k!
New cover in place and it appears to have stopped the leak.
IMG_0622 by Chris, on Flickr
I'm sure I'll know soon enough if it hasn't...
Starting with the turbo going bang on this car.
Put both my GTA and this though their MOTs
Prepped and sold my Dad's 166. Thankyou pistonheads classifieds, and not so much the time wasting anally retentive PITA who wrote off a whole day last weekend whilst we cleaned it and faffed about with videos at their request. (You know who you are and I hope you read this).
Since then we've bought another one with a replacement engine, rebuilt that, pulled the engine out and put new one in.
We've also dug up the drive outside my house and block paved that, which was no small task.
20643096_10154605659781507_7517951123218599722_o by Chris, on FlickrIMG_0516 by Chris, on FlickrIMG_0529 by Chris, on FlickrI've been down to Birmingham with my brother twice to facilitate his purchase of a Ghibli. (Lovely car)
All of which is set against the backdrop of the usual family commitments. The to do list this year is large and seemingly impossible but I have a huge amount of love and respect for both of my Parents for facilitating it.
Anyway, I now have a pristine drive. And an Alfa that likes to lubricate it....
I think the "Oil Segregator" is to blame for this. I'd call it a cam cover. As anyone with a tbi or decent knowledge of Alfas will know; you can't buy a new one, they're all out of stock. And really expensive anyway.
However, the leak appears to be cause by a diaphragm within it;
IMG_8782 by Chris, on FlickrIMG_8781 by Chris, on FlickrIMG_8776 by Chris, on FlickrIMG_8777 by Chris, on FlickrIMG_8779 by Chris, on FlickrIMG_8780 by Chris, on FlickrFather did a bit of eBay research and thought he'd found a similar diaphragm. It's not quite the same but he thinks it might work. He rebuilt the spare cover aka oil segregator:
IMG_0620 by Chris, on FlickrWhich also gave us a glimpse of the engine internals for the first time since I got it. The castings are browned with oil staining but they're not black and the cam lobes look new. Not bad for 215k!
New cover in place and it appears to have stopped the leak.
IMG_0622 by Chris, on FlickrI'm sure I'll know soon enough if it hasn't...
Hi OP.
Excellent work and detailed write up of your restoration!
I have recently acquired a sportwagon myself (same colour and spec but 2.0 JTDM unfortunately!) with slightly fewer miles (110k)
Aside from having new handbrake cables fitted and a headunit upgrade its running well. However i have had the wheels powdercoated and i want to paint the roof rails to match. I'v never removed roof rails before and have read that you must take the headlining down to access the bolts in the middle - did you find this? Or is there a workaround etc?
Any help appreciated!
Cheers
Excellent work and detailed write up of your restoration!
I have recently acquired a sportwagon myself (same colour and spec but 2.0 JTDM unfortunately!) with slightly fewer miles (110k)
Aside from having new handbrake cables fitted and a headunit upgrade its running well. However i have had the wheels powdercoated and i want to paint the roof rails to match. I'v never removed roof rails before and have read that you must take the headlining down to access the bolts in the middle - did you find this? Or is there a workaround etc?
Any help appreciated!
Cheers
ST270 said:
Hi OP.
Excellent work and detailed write up of your restoration!
I have recently acquired a sportwagon myself (same colour and spec but 2.0 JTDM unfortunately!) with slightly fewer miles (110k)
Aside from having new handbrake cables fitted and a headunit upgrade its running well. However i have had the wheels powdercoated and i want to paint the roof rails to match. I'v never removed roof rails before and have read that you must take the headlining down to access the bolts in the middle - did you find this? Or is there a workaround etc?
Any help appreciated!
Cheers
No need to remove the head lining!Excellent work and detailed write up of your restoration!
I have recently acquired a sportwagon myself (same colour and spec but 2.0 JTDM unfortunately!) with slightly fewer miles (110k)
Aside from having new handbrake cables fitted and a headunit upgrade its running well. However i have had the wheels powdercoated and i want to paint the roof rails to match. I'v never removed roof rails before and have read that you must take the headlining down to access the bolts in the middle - did you find this? Or is there a workaround etc?
Any help appreciated!
Cheers
You just remove the plastic covers (with some difficulty);
IMG_8497 by Chris, on Flickr
IMG_8498-2 by Chris, on FlickrI'd suggest a plastic pry tool. You can just about make out the mounting bolt for the middle bracket in this picture;
IMG_8524 by Chris, on FlickrZombie said:
We've also dug up the drive outside my house and block paved that, which was no small task.
20643096_10154605659781507_7517951123218599722_o by Chris, on Flickr
I had the driveway block paved about 15 years ago and have regretted it ever since20643096_10154605659781507_7517951123218599722_o by Chris, on FlickrOil stains stand out like a sore thumb and I like old incontinent cars
Needs jet washing and re-sanding twice a year
It's noisy when you run a trolley jack down it
I'm going back to concrete with a gravel insert next time
B'stard Child said:
I had the driveway block paved about 15 years ago and have regretted it ever since
Oil stains stand out like a sore thumb and I like old incontinent cars
Needs jet washing and re-sanding twice a year
It's noisy when you run a trolley jack down it
I'm going back to concrete with a gravel insert next time
My Parents have a block paved drive. My Dad and I have rebuilt over 50 Alfas on it in the sun, rain wind and snow - yes really, I remember taking a gearbox out of a 156 selespeed in the dark with 3" of snow on the ground.Oil stains stand out like a sore thumb and I like old incontinent cars
Needs jet washing and re-sanding twice a year
It's noisy when you run a trolley jack down it
I'm going back to concrete with a gravel insert next time
So it was an informed decision to go with blocks...
Zombie said:
B'stard Child said:
I had the driveway block paved about 15 years ago and have regretted it ever since
Oil stains stand out like a sore thumb and I like old incontinent cars
Needs jet washing and re-sanding twice a year
It's noisy when you run a trolley jack down it
I'm going back to concrete with a gravel insert next time
My Parents have a block paved drive. My Dad and I have rebuilt over 50 Alfas on it in the sun, rain wind and snow - yes really, I remember taking a gearbox out of a 156 selespeed in the dark with 3" of snow on the ground.Oil stains stand out like a sore thumb and I like old incontinent cars
Needs jet washing and re-sanding twice a year
It's noisy when you run a trolley jack down it
I'm going back to concrete with a gravel insert next time
So it was an informed decision to go with blocks...
B'stard Child said:
You can call it that Anyway back to the cars sorry for the threadjack
No, it is that, otherwise I'd be inclined to suggest that your initial comment was patronising. Anyway back to the cars sorry for the threadjack(Nice Monza BTW and I would love a Lotus Carlton, that was a hero car for me as I was growing up.)
Edited by Zombie on Wednesday 5th June 00:54
Zombie said:
B'stard Child said:
You can call it that Anyway back to the cars sorry for the threadjack
No, it is that, otherwise I'd be inclined to suggest that your initial comment was patronising. Anyway back to the cars sorry for the threadjack(Nice Monza BTW and I would love a Lotus Carlton, that was a hero car for me as I was growing up.)
Edited by Zombie on Wednesday 5th June 00:54
LC - not killed that yet but it does it’s best to kill me
Both marked their territory when parked but lets not get back to the subject of my regret
I'm having the same issue with headlights, fit some Led bulbs and it's like driving with no lights on!? They appear bright but the beam is non existnent. I have read that the effectiveness of Led bulbs can depend on the shape of the led itself and where it is located on the "bulb", apparently smaller multiple less are better than a single large one and they need to be in the middle of the "bulb" to mimic a halogen bulb filament. Also the bulb needs to be fit vetically inside the projector so as the less are facing left and right and not up and down if that makes sense.
I've ordered another set which matches the description as closely as possible, see how they are and then revert to halogen if no better. Philips make an led called ultra something and they are £120, but reviews have been mediocre so far...
I've ordered another set which matches the description as closely as possible, see how they are and then revert to halogen if no better. Philips make an led called ultra something and they are £120, but reviews have been mediocre so far...
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