Help needed - please read.

[joelk]

Hi chaps,

I got a serious problem brewing here and would appreciate the collective benefit of your experience...

Has anyone out there ever heard of a modern alfa (eg : a 2001 Spider in very good condition), just loosing all of it's oil?

All comments, negative or positve appreciated.

Thanks,

Joel K.



If you want to know why I ask read on, if not, your experience and comments are still appreciated...


In summary, I bought a car with / for my partner 4 weeks ago, checked it over, FMDSH, engine in top condition, low miles, always garaged, etc. Check the oil, both the condition of it and the level. All perfect. Bought it. Then 2 weeks later, partner manages to let the car roll down a small hill while parked, it whacks 2 cars and damages the front sides. Only visible damage is paint work on sides - and damages other 2 cars, she swaps insurance details, etc, accepts that shxxt happens, thinks nothing more of it.

2 days after, car develops a "knocking sound", like a loud like a repetitive "clonking", as if somthing is knocking against the fly wheel. Knocks slowly when idling and faster when reved. I check underneath the car, no sign of the problem, but identify it coming from somewhere near the cam belt.

The insurance company come round to sort the car - and say the engine knackered because it doesn't have any oil in it - and has seized !!! - Which according to their inspector has NOTHING to do with the crash!?

So according to our insurance company (Adrian Flux / Royal Sun Alliance) we're now looking at the prospect of footing a bill for a replacment engine - circa £3,000!!!

Our next step is taking to the dealership where it has prevously been serviced to see if they can identify the problem.

I just wanted to know if anyone else out there has had anything similar happen to them, ie, it's a regular fault with Alfas - OR - this is actually very irregular, and most likely caused by the crash.

Like I said, your advice and experience (positive or negative) is very much appreciated !!!


Thanks,


Joel

[Wacky Racer]

Hmmm, obvious question, is the sump plug still tight and in place, has the oil filter come undone??, the oil must have gone somewhere.......

[Mon Ami Mate]

Alfa's can tend to use oil more rapidly than your average Euro-box, especially if you use them as God intended. I check the oil level on mine every week and earlier in its life it would commonly use a litre every 1000 miles or so.

[Wombat Rick]

Mon Ami Mate said:

Alfa's can tend to use oil more rapidly than your average Euro-box, especially if you use them as God intended. I check the oil level on mine every week and earlier in its life it would commonly use a litre every 1000 miles or so.

Very true, and they only have a small sump (5 litres or so), so after 2,500 spirired miles, that's half gone!!
Do you know if the car was left in gear when it rolled away? If it was, it could have caused the cambelt to jump a tooth and you were getting valve to piston contact. Not sure where the oil would have gone though...

Shame though, sounds bad luck all round.

[Barbalatte]

Hi Joelk.
Here in Australia I know of one guy who seized his motor. Originally, Alfa-Romeo didn't want to pay for it under warranty. After a long fight through solicitors he ended up getting a new engine.
I must ask, is the car still under warranty?
If it is, then I would bring it to the dealer and ask him to change the engine under warranty. You will not have any luck with this endevour, trust me.
The next step wopuld be to bring them to you equivalent of "The Department of Fair Trading" and tell them you will speak to your solicitor.

Check on The Alfa Owners Forum and you will find more information, the guys on there are very helpful and many have had Alfa's all their lives. Check it out.

www.alfaowner.com/Forum/

[pdV6]

Quick question: Which side got hit in the roll-away accident? The oil cooler is situated low down at the front right (I think)... maybe it got holed or a pipe knocked off?

Edited to add: I've also heard of the connections to the oil cooler corroding and thus leaking.

>> Edited by pdV6 on Friday 29th July 09:27

[joelk]

Great thoughts guys. Very helpful. Please keep em coming.

In answer to some of your questions :

1. The three year warrantee ran out about 8 months ago.
2. The oil was checked 2 weeks prior to the accident. It had only done approx 200 miles (max) since it was checked.
3. Main damage was done to the left and right front corners (predominatly the right corner). If the oil heater and pipes are there, it could well have taken a damaging knock. That's a great lead - I'll investigate that one. EDITED TO ADD : Just checked it with an Alfa mechanic. He thinks that the Oil cooler is there on the GTV, but not the Spider.

Any other thoughts & comments most welcome.

Many thanks,

Joel.

>> Edited by joelk on Friday 29th July 11:16

>> Edited by joelk on Friday 29th July 11:16

[lanciachris]

Presumably youve checked where its been parked to see if there are giant puddles of oil all over the place / in the undertray?

[rustybin]

Were there any other signs of low oil before the knocking started i.e. low oil pressure on the guage or the warning light?

Are we talking about a V6 or T-Spark?

The only weak points in the oil system, from a crashing perspective at any rate, that I can think of are the cooler and associated pipes (which do corrode but not normally in four years), filter, sump plug, and sump. The last three of these would require quite a wallop to be damaged sufficiently to start dropping oil. Did the car go over any kerbs whilst it was rolling away? It's also the sort of damage that would be pretty visible. Sounds more likely that either the last service was done incorrectly or there was an existing problem with the car. Is there any chance you can ask your insurance companies inspector to tell you where he thinks it has gone?

I have a bad feeling that you wont get much joy on a warranty as they may be of the view that you have a repsonsibility to check the oil level and react to the warning lights / gauge. Your only recourse may be to the dealer on the basis of it being unfit for sale but I reckon you will still be asked to contribute something to the new engine cost as there will be an element of betterment.

Seriously bad luck.

[Barbalatte]

Joel, You can always ask Alfa UK if they can help you out. They some times can come to the party and maybe knock of a little on the parts and lower the price of repair. I have heard of this happening before, even out of warranty.

[pdV6]

joelk said:

EDITED TO ADD : Just checked it with an Alfa mechanic. He thinks that the Oil cooler is there on the GTV, but not the Spider.

Fair enough. Where is it on the Spider, though? Still worth checking as its one of the "weak" points in the system due to its very nature.

[joelk]

There wasn't any indication from any warning lights.

If the oil starts to run low, would an warning light usually come on?

[wombat rick]

joelk said:

There wasn't any indication from any warning lights. If the oil starts to run low, would an warning light usually come on?

Eventually yes, but it needs to be very low before it does.
Where has the oil gone though? There must be a big puddle somewhere and stains/dripmarks under the car?