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I have a 147 tspark lusso just under 70,thousand miles, Broke down on me last week. I have been told the engine has seized due to piston number 4 I was also told this is a common problem with alfa's is the garage hood winking me, also told me a new engine would cost £3000 fitted is this also the case and finally where can I get a new recon engine and how much should it cost? thanks guys
No 4 piston? I can't imagine how a piston should seize unless the engine has been overheated. I think you should find out exactly what has happened, but that said, £3000 could well be a reasonable amount for a new engine fitted. I wonder if it could be ecomonically repaired instead? What is the extent of the damage?
DOn't know exactly cause the garage that has it at the moment has it at the mo won't open her up to find out. Although they say it is seized they also say they can stil turn the engine 3/4 of they way round, this doesn't sound siezed to me, I have found a place in Twickenham that will rebuild my engine engines direct. THey say they can do the job for about half that price. I'll let all know how it goes.
If i'm not mistaken, Engines Direct was featured on BBC Watchdog last week.
If it's the same firm, and please check first that I haven't made a mistake, AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!! They're also known as Rivermead Engineering. If it's the same company, run away!
See http://forums.invisionpower.com/index.php?showtopic=
You have been warned.
As for your problem, if it's seized they shouldn't be able to turn it at all. That's kinda the definition of a siezure. Could No4 piston be contacting a valve at TDC thus stopping rotation.....Cambelt failure? 70,000 miles sounds about right for a cambelt to expire. Most garages now recommend renewing belts at 36,000 miles, 60,000 at the very latest.
Good luck and keep us updated.
DC
If it's the same firm, and please check first that I haven't made a mistake, AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!! They're also known as Rivermead Engineering. If it's the same company, run away!
See http://forums.invisionpower.com/index.php?showtopic=
You have been warned.
As for your problem, if it's seized they shouldn't be able to turn it at all. That's kinda the definition of a siezure. Could No4 piston be contacting a valve at TDC thus stopping rotation.....Cambelt failure? 70,000 miles sounds about right for a cambelt to expire. Most garages now recommend renewing belts at 36,000 miles, 60,000 at the very latest.
Good luck and keep us updated.
DC
I Have seen a few engines for this car on ebay from breakers. Mostly on 30,000 miles and the best part is they go for arround £350-500 in working order, I know this because my alfa has done 100,000 miles now so im just waiting for it to give out. (still no sign though)
A friend of mine whent to Engines Direct and he was very unhappy at the end of it and spent a great deal more than they originaly quoted.
There is a garage in Putney that I go to, they are Alfa specialists and propper Italians too. Alfa posters everywhere which was very reassuring when I had my suspension replaced recently. I think it is called The Putney Service Center, its behind a petrol station on the Upper Richmond road.
Hope this helps
A friend of mine whent to Engines Direct and he was very unhappy at the end of it and spent a great deal more than they originaly quoted.
There is a garage in Putney that I go to, they are Alfa specialists and propper Italians too. Alfa posters everywhere which was very reassuring when I had my suspension replaced recently. I think it is called The Putney Service Center, its behind a petrol station on the Upper Richmond road.
Hope this helps
Matt, I've never had an engine die on me so I've never had to get one rebuilt.
I'd recommend asking on the www.alfaowner.com forum. There's a good amount of experience on there. They'll be a lot more help that I can be. If the piston hasn't seized, you could get away with just changing the head and keeping the existing block, thus keeping the current engine number.
A brand new engine is a nice solution but an unjustifiably expensive one. I'd hunt around the salvage yards, find one that's an italian car specialist if you can, and get a 30,000 mile engine if you can. If the engine's out of the car it'll only take a garage 30-60 minutes to renew the belts. If the engine's in good order when you get it, renewing the belts will probably ensure it lasts for another 60,000 miles at least.
Good luck, I hope it gets sorted. The best advice is to ask around on the net before booking the car into any garage. You've already had one lucky escape today
DC
I'd recommend asking on the www.alfaowner.com forum. There's a good amount of experience on there. They'll be a lot more help that I can be. If the piston hasn't seized, you could get away with just changing the head and keeping the existing block, thus keeping the current engine number.
A brand new engine is a nice solution but an unjustifiably expensive one. I'd hunt around the salvage yards, find one that's an italian car specialist if you can, and get a 30,000 mile engine if you can. If the engine's out of the car it'll only take a garage 30-60 minutes to renew the belts. If the engine's in good order when you get it, renewing the belts will probably ensure it lasts for another 60,000 miles at least.
Good luck, I hope it gets sorted. The best advice is to ask around on the net before booking the car into any garage. You've already had one lucky escape today
DC
Any local garage willing to undertake engine removal and refitting should do, but find out about reputations first if possible. Engineers or machine shops should ideally be members of, I think, Guild of Engine Remanufacturers.
It could be cam belt trouble, or right enough, a piston or valve could be the cause of it all. Unless some catastrophic damage has been caused internally, it should be ok to repair.
A resonable place to start looking may be www.uccc.co.uk/
>> Edited by Alfa Mad on Monday 13th February 20:21
It could be cam belt trouble, or right enough, a piston or valve could be the cause of it all. Unless some catastrophic damage has been caused internally, it should be ok to repair.
A resonable place to start looking may be www.uccc.co.uk/
>> Edited by Alfa Mad on Monday 13th February 20:21
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