Winter works 2

The stove is nice and cosy, but with 13 degrees Celsius not necessary. But works are going on. The driver's door had a malfunctioning electric window opener. It went as slow as a snail can go. So today I was back in my garage again. Top2000 music can be heard while watching the videos.

This one was a little trickier, then the last. But with some perseverance I did it again. Looking now for the before and after videos.

A prettyexhausted window operator is working here.

My original plan was to dismantle the motor 

of the electric window mechanism, 

but that was fixed to the complete up and down moving system. 

Three bolts for the motor

Plastic coverings removed out of the door

My loyal buddy can't miss me when working on his 33.

The complete mechanisme out of the door, five bolts.

No opening of the motor, one cable goring round, 

several covers causing trouble while functioning after 28 years.

The little motor in one piece

Great stuff made in Italy

Specs

The cable go round

The cable fixed to the up and down holder of the window

And out it is, cleaning

Trying to remove the window holder. 

No chance, thsi is one way ware.

Cleaning the rail for the holder to guide.

Cleaning teh wheels

Cleaning the window-moving-left-and-right-things

Fiddling an half hour to get the cabel fixead again 

&^$$^&%&*^@!@#!

My mother in law's screw driver did the job.

Testing the overhauled piece

Brushing the window seals. Dirty!

After testing movint het system back in the door.

Almost on its place.

The window touched the window frame, just adjusting it a little.

This little guy does the trick, a little.

Ready for the next spring to come.

Winter works

Holidays are on. Since I bought a little petrol heater, life's better in my garage. In winter time temperatures can drop to 5 degrees C or even lower, and the temperature in my garage won't be much higher, since the door is to the cold north side.

Yesterday I fixed the right passenger's door lock of the Bleu King. It was not working good, and the electric motor which had to lock the door, did not do its job properly. Locking your car is essential in these parts of the world.

Minor works, I use to call it, and it keeps the spirit of driving a youngtimer high. Luckily the Alfa 33 is a thankful mechanic piece, so everything can be fixed with some patience and care. No special tools needed.

The problem seemed that the electic motor in hte locking mechanisme did not perform well anymore. A simple opening operation had to confirm my diagnosis.

The dismantled and opened locking motor; simple mechanics.

A little electric motor and some differential parts

the parts were all sound and complete, no wear or tear

After testing the motor, it performed fine.

The problem was that the parts were dirty of old grease

So I cleaned them with a brush

Checked the housing, it was sound, no damages.

The longitudal axle I brushed and cleaned with some petrol

The small axle I cleand, the inner wheel tube too.

Putting the parts together again, little new grease on it

The pop nails I replaced by two screws and a piece of threat.

The other nails I put back in with some gleu

Ready tot go

idem

Behold the results of my labour, or as my wife uses to recall:
"klik klak, Thei heat weer get gemak!"

Personalising the 156

Well, I'm from a generation that stickers were allover. Stores handed out stickers, events and museums, schools or all sorts of institutes handed out stickers to promote their cause.

I never liked it to stick them all around too much, but nowadays they're rare for promotions.

I like them on my cars to personalise them and to let them stick out the masses.

Two examples on the new 156 here. I order them on eBay as unique pieces.

I think it looks good.

The traditional Green Clover on the flanks of the green 156.

It's even reflectieve.

The Italian lips on the bumper.

So when you see a green 156 in front of you,wearing the Italian lips like this, you know it's me. Or my wife.

Salute.

New attempt

Well, it has been a while since I had an update on these pages. The main reason for this is that I was very busy in looking for an new 156 Sportwagon. Meanwhile, we were driving the King Bleu.
Now wintertime was appraoching, I was anxious to replace the King by a daily driver 156.
In the summer I saw one green 156 with roofrails, for sale at a workshop in Noord-Holland, Purmerend. The price was relatively high, the car had a nasty dent in the back door, at its right.
No option.

Surfing my favorite pages on Autoscout24.de I found several 156's, but never had a good feeling. I visited a black one in Vught. That was not an well manintained car, rust, scratches, oil, so I let it pass. Some sellers I contacted with mails and messages, even phoned one. My interest in selling from a private seller was not very high. Some dealers had some interesting sales, like the one in Ter Apel, who reduced the selling price in one phonecall with 250 euros. Interesting, but too far for having a quick visit (a drive from my place to Groningen is about 275kms). Although the car had a good maintenance history and look inside and out, very good. But I did not like the color, nor the milage.

Not a nice color, somewhat old fashioned

My criteria where: 1.8 (1.6 is too lazy, 2.0 too consumptious and the six cilindre too heavy), low milage, and with a light, but not gray color, good maintenace history, no rust. Leather interior would be nice, but not essential. Clean is more important.

After having a good talk with my wife and after the first very wet and cold weather conditions, she was convinced that hte King was not able to act properly in the winter trafic. So now I had to decide which car to buy. The Purmerend car was still on my mind, so I called my own dealer, workshop Creemers  The salesman who works here was so kind to make a phonecall for me to Purmerend to ask in what condition the green one was. His story was convincing, he even sthought it would be a good reliable company which was selling the car. That did it. So I made an appointment for a test drive on the next saturday.

I packed the whole family in the King and at 9 in the moring we went to Purmerend, a good 2 and a half hours drive and only (...) 205 kms. Vakgarage Willem Schoon seemes a solid company and the salesmen, father and son, are very trustfull and honest. So the deal was made. The car would become an new APK (MOT or TüV). Next saturday...!

So after a very nervous week, we fetched the green one past saturday  travelling by bus and train and foot (never thought 3 hours could last this long!).

Train travellers in Purmerend

Willem Schoon once had an Alfa Romeo dealership and sold this car to the previous owner who drove it till last spring. Always had its maintenance done at Willem Schoon's Vakgarage. All bills and APK-documents inside the car. Good engine, good body, good brakes, tires and battery (believe me that I double checked it, even on the workshop's bridge). Nice interior with wooden steering wheel and green seats... My wife has baptised it Olivia (hey, why would a car be a man, at last we're living in a gender neutral time.).

2001
135.200km
Good timing belt

And a dent
(The deal with the wife was to repair it otherwise the car would not be purchased. I was convinced instantly. This seems to be a nice little job for my welder, painter Jan).

My life has a new fullfilment again.

My wife's favorite dent

After getting the car at Willem Schoon's Vakgarage

On our drive way, looking good

Driving home, after 200 km of highway, no pain at all.

I decided to keep the dealership number plate cover for a while,
for the sake of Willem Schoon Vakgarage.

In our street, matching the neighbor's foliage.

Best angle for a sportwagon.
Still a little bothered by the roof rails. The wife likes 'm. 

I already have a list with little works like my wife's favorite dent in the passenger's door, checking the watertemperature gage, replacing the polyester bottom plate under the engine, (mmmh ...) replacing the passenger's seat rail and the door seals, giving it a good Dinitrol treatment (Jan?).

#$@%&&# 156!

It's been an week now since our goodbye and I'm able now to tell the story without bursting into teams.

The Alfa 156 Sportwagon is a very nice car to drive. Today I read a German article on Auto Klassik in which the 156 was honoured because of its fine handling, being a good compagnon on the road.
Well my compagnon has left us last week.

RECAP
In this post I mentioned several problems after we bought the 156. "So the 156 has some work, of course. the rear tires are almost worn, the keys didn't work in remote, there is some rust, obviously. And the engine strikes at 3000 rpm." A mentally sane person would ask: "what the hell did you buy?" Maybe I was thinking too much a project car and not a daily driver?

Inspection of the air filter and a bad air filter house

After we solved the 3000-rpm problem, it seemed to be the sensor for the camshaft, the timing belt was due. So these two issues were handled in one go at a garage in Geleen. Hobby mechanics who started a workshop for Alfa Romeo restoration and repair. Luckily the camshaft sensor was sitting behind teh timing belt, so this was one repair action: €540.

Camshaft cover oth the 1.8 twinspark removed

The keys was a simple job. I orderend two new plastic caps in China for 5 euros and replaced the innen 'life' of the old ones in the new cap. New springs, new buttons (after repairing the microswitches), new batteries and go. Good work. € 8.

We decided this year to take the new 156 on our holiday trip to Italy. It has airconditioning and we would be driving more relaxed, since the weather forecast was hot. Before we went on our holidays, I wanted to change the worn rear tires for new ones. Michelin Energy Savers (185 65 r15), the originals from the first moment of the 156. On the last day for our departure we found a set and got an appointment at Kwik Fits in Roermond. € 180.

Before we went to Italy I noticed the oil level was low. And since the oil used in my car was 10W60 oil, I had to buy a litre of this expensive (€15 litre) type to top it up. In Italy the oil level was very low after driving around in the first week. Since there was no 10W60 available in the motoring area of Torino (we stayed 50 kms of the FIAT capital), I had to change complete for 10W40 oil. In the agroturismo Marcella, the very helpful woman farmer helped me to change the oil. It seemed there was only 1 litre left in the engine of the expensive stuff! This coould have gone very wrong.   € 60.

During the oil replacement in Italy works I already noticed the very bad mounted protection plate under the engine compartment. In fact, form the 6 mounting points only three were realy functional at last. so I bought some polyester putty an repaired it myself, rather then buying a new plate for about € 45. This was a fine job I did in some spare hours and costed only 15 euros for the polyester.


Polyester repairs on the under engine cover

After a nice holiday without any problems with the car, the 156 was due for it's annual APK (Dutch MOT). Therefor the rust problem was to solve and my welding man, Jan, was contacted to insect the car. For this I had to strip the interieur completely, so he could grind and weld without catching any fire. The job took me about half a day and a ton of stuff in my garage. The right sill was caught heavily by the rust devill, while the underbody had a first grinding and grounding paint already by myself. € 15.
Jan deliverd within a fortnight an excellent job. He welded and covered the repaired and unrepaired and unreachable rust spots with Minitrol ML his favorite anti rust treatment. € 420.


Bad sills by the rear wheels arches


A ton of parts in my garage after removing the complete interior


 Emptiness inside


Newly repaired sill, with a smaal twist in the lower line

Well, Jan delivered three days before the APK was due. So in a two days after work Blitzkrieg action I had to mount all the interior parts in the 156 again. I'd rather had some more time to inspect, clean and repair minor issues, but that would be for later. Finally I managed to get the car ready for the APK. Can you imagine I had some trembling knees when I left the 156 at Creemers.
Before noon I got the call. Like a doctor the receptionist brought the message in stages: first some minor things and in listening to his words I knew there was some heavy diagnosis to come.
Minor issues would be the wiper rubbers on the rear gate, the brake pads at the rear wheels, but then the stabilization rods mounts in the rear where worn and rusty, the front brake hoses were old, the airbag indicator was constantly blinking, the front wheel suspension had backlash, rusty rear suspension mounts ... And then he didn't even mention the engine problem.


Upper suspension domes are almost gone

The mechanic noticed it did not go to the full maximum revs when the throttle was open. He suspected a mall timed  belt....? This was not an issue for the APK, but it was not good for the engine at last..... Total cost around when done by Creemers €2200.

A message that hit me like a bomb

The thing is, the repairs weren't that big, and the cost for the parts would be around € 500, I estimated, but the car failed the APK and could not be driven anymore till the repairs were done. So there was a time issue that put heavy pressure on the job. Above that, this car had become a burden, that had to go way.

After  half an hour on the phone with the wife, we decided to get rid of the 09-HH-JN Sportwagon.
This debacle had cost me some € 2768 and a lot of pain in the ass in not even half a year. Not knowing what would be next.

How could I've been so stupid to buy this car, you might ask. Alfa drivers are men with a heart and they see cars different then other drivers do. I was blinded by the fine color and the shape of this Sportwagon and some repairs would not bother me. But this I didn't expect.

The Bleu King was due for APK a few days later. Some minor repairs on brakes and the chairs, adjustment of the carbs was for free. Total cost € 210.  So no new 156 Sportwagon in the next year.

The burden 156 Sportwagon 09-HH-JN just before giving it away at Timmermans, AKA 'Bertje van de Pater'.
I didn't even bother about the good tyres nor the towing hook I restored. Our Alfa hearts were broken...