Buying high millage 156

[Oldmanz]

Hi, I'm new to Alfas and have just been offered a 156 18ts with very high miles - 100k. The owner has just had it serviced and a new cam belt fitted. Looks Ok goes well, no funny noises, and I can't find any handling problems. What should I look out for in other worn and problems areas?

Thanks Oldmanz

>> Edited by Oldmanz on Thursday 20th April 12:56

[Avocet]

Wife has a 1999 1.8 with about 75,000 on it.

The most important thing is the cam belt. The service schedule says every 72,000 miles but Alfa tell their dealers to change (effectively) at 36,000 - so it should have just had its third cam belt! DO MAKE SURE this (and the tensioners) has been done by someone reputable - ours snapped at 57,000 and it bent a load of valves!

Also on the older 156...

Suspension bushes. Big ones at the rearmost end of the rear suspension trailing links. Also bottom front wishbones. Also check the radiator (ours hasn't long to go now) the bottom sets of fins turn to a green mush with corrosion. Also look inside the front wheelarches (difficult to see without taking the undertray off and the front inner wings) but there are a few bits of chassis extension that corrode pretty rapidly.

Undertray is likely to have been bashed and might be hanging down low.

Front tyres tend to wear on inside edges first.

Variator might be noisy on cold startup.

Engines tend to burn a fair bit of oil (ours does about 500 miles to the pint and is well within the tolerances in the handbook - and about average from what I've heard from other owners). If it's run very low on oil it can damage the engine. In fact, I've heard of a few that have completely destroyed themselves through owners not checking the oil.

Ours gets through stop/tail light bulbs pretty rapidly but I think that's just ours!

Other than that, nothing has gone wrong.

Check for FSH and receipts!

[Oldmanz]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the reply. Yes..... it's on it's second cam belt. From the bills with the car looks like a belt break at 78k! bills for head and replacement valves. So time to book another change now. also looks like the bushes have been replaced. Full history showing repairs of £1900 over the last 18 months, so hope most of the majors have been done!

I'll check the other items you have found, the radiator would have missed my attention for sure.

Regards Bill

[Avocet]

Belt not that bad as a DIY proposition on the 1.8. It doesn't have the additional complication of the balancer shaft belt that the 2 litre has. You need cam locking tools - I think Alfashop in Norwish hire them out.

Did well to get to 78000 before breaking - I was told we'd done well to get to 57,000 - typically they snap before 50k (I was told)!

Also forgot to mention that the rear brake pads don't last long but they're not a big job.

[SCOOTERMAN]

You need cam locking tools - I think Alfashop in Norwish hire them out.

Shop4parts (www.shop4parts.co.uk) sell them for £33ish (listed under "Tools" )

>> Edited by SCOOTERMAN on Saturday 22 April 10:49

[Oldmanz]

Thanks Ian,
I have a done a deal with a local Alfa mechanic who has offered to give the car a service, change the belt and variator charging for parts only in exchange for me setting up his home computer and network.

Last owner has fitted new pads around about 2k ago. Over the week end I've check the 156 out, and in all can't find any nasties. Inspected the rad and looks ok very little corrosion. Have foound that when the radio was removed (via the window route!) that the coax to the back window had been damaged and ended up removing the centre consol and cutting the cable back some 40cms and spicing in a new piece. Also playing with the rear elec. window today and that's now packed in, in the closed position. So another job for next week!

Bill

[saxmund]

Avocet said:

If it's run very low on oil it can damage the engine.

Err... surely that's no different to any car. The difference with Alfas is they use quite a lot, so if you're used to a new car that doesn't need a top up between services, you might have problems. If you're used to checking and topping up before long journeys, you should be OK.

Mine also gets through coolant quite fast, but it hasn't over the winter, which is good news as it seems to suggest it's evaporating somehow rather than leaking. I hope.

>> Edited by saxmund on Monday 24th April 09:55

[_Batty_]

im running a 90,000 mile V6 GTV with no problems
just make sure its well serviced.
mine uses no oil and fuel figures arn't that bad at all.
2 tanks for 500 miles
Matt

[saxmund]

Not sure if the oil usage isn't confined to twinspark engines. Having said that, there are apparently a few that seem to use no oil at all, but they're rare. In contrast to Batty, I do 800 hundred miles on two tanks in my 156 2.0TS, but I suspect it's got a bigger tank than the GTV.

[_Batty_]

saxmund said:

Not sure if the oil usage isn't confined to twinspark engines. Having said that, there are apparently a few that seem to use no oil at all, but they're rare. In contrast to Batty, I do 800 hundred miles on two tanks in my 156 2.0TS, but I suspect it's got a bigger tank than the GTV.

also it was a PH wales meet, and the last thing on my mind was economy, but haing said that i was really impressed even with that figure...

[Avocet]

saxmund said:

Avocet said: If it's run very low on oil it can damage the engine. Err... surely that's no different to any car. The difference with Alfas is they use quite a lot, so if you're used to a new car that doesn't need a top up between services, you might have problems. If you're used to checking and topping up before long journeys, you should be OK. Mine also gets through coolant quite fast, but it hasn't over the winter, which is good news as it seems to suggest it's evaporating somehow rather than leaking. I hope. >> Edited by saxmund on Monday 24th April 09:55

The variator is unusual - I think unique to Alfas in fact, and it needs oil ASAP on start-up. I've been told that running a low (but within the marks on the dipstick) oil level for long periods can trash them more quickly. Don't know if this is true or not but it's credible.

The other point I was trying to make is that whilst I accept that ANY engine won't fare too well with no oil in it (!?) there is more likelihood of an Alfa engine ending up in the position of having to do so! I'm afraid Alfa can spout all the bo**%^$s they like about it being a "performance" engine but there's just no excuse in this day & age for an engine that guzzles that much oil!

>> Edited by Avocet on Monday 24th April 22:55