#$@%&&# 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...

Sportwagon 2, adaptation

Well, the 156 is a kind of project car. "A kind, what do you mean?", asked my wife. Lots of euros are going to the 156 and she's not happy at all. "At last there are some works to do in and around the house!!"

In a fortnight I ordered a new thermostat, a CD containing the workshop activities, the OBD contact. Oh, and I disconnected the ugly towing hook ("do you think this is clever?"she asked me). I want to derust it and fit it anew. But the sexyness of the rear side is saved, for now.

The works covering the dismantle were plenty. This is a modern car with ample covers and plastic parts to shape t he inside of the most beautiful part of the Sportwagon. It cost me half a day to say goodbey to the towing hook. Look for yourselves.

Luckily I had a watch dog to monitor the progress.

A ton of parts came out of the boot

Well?

Towing hook assembly in the naked boot

The other side. 

Both plates I left in the car to fit the hook later again.

Deja vu?

King Bleu, dismantling by Kiki

Royal rust by the wheel arches in the 33

Oh dear!

Not much rust here. God bless.

Giulia, oh Giulia

Oh, did I mention I drove the Giulia recently?

Our local Alfa Romeo dealer had an event to participate in, and drive the brandnew Giulia. With some doubts. (I still remember the one time we had an similar invitation of our Citroën dealer. We drove a 2CV and we were invited for the new AX to drive. That I saw as an insult for the rightious 2CV-driver) I subscribed, but I made a critical fault, one could subscribe for the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the Stelvio(!) and even the 4C(!!). I gained a place in the event and I was to drive in the (moderate) Giulia 2.0. After a few dissapointing minutes, I heard, we could drive the car without an instructor, so Martianne and I were happy to go on our own. In the slipstream of the three other cars, alas. 

But is was fun anyhow. This automatic shifting Giulia was just the car for me. Not too fast and not too expensive. The Giula Q and the Stelvio are very expensive cars, this 2.0 is available only for about 40.000 euros :-). So in about 10 years it will be within our reach. (we waited 16 years for the 156 Sportwagon!)

Giulia, oh Giulia 

(why do you have an automatic gearbox?)

Concentrating on the road and on our buddy Alfa drivers in the 4C (what a sound!)

Back on the parking lot, amazed and overwhelmed. 

And it wasn't even a Quadrofoglio!

One for us, please.

Our smiles were big when we left the Giulia on the dealers parking lot. But the fun we have in driving our own 33 Sportwagon, DIY built and costing less then 1/10 of the Giulia is undescribable.

Sportwagon 2, the second

In my last post I mentioned out new 156 Sportwagon. We're still very content with it, although the problem with the 3000 rpms is not solved, yet. But I bought a little device, an OBD linking contact to read the ECU's calls.
It's WiFi connectable tou my iPhone with an app of the same firm. (Other apps work as well, for now this is appropriate to the job on hand). Some fancy gadgets are availbable with these OBD-linkable devices. But I think a dashboard af an alfa 156 is designed properly. so no extra geges for me, for this moment. Extra are the gages to read the state of the battery, the engine pressure and so one.
Nice toys, for boys.

The thing is, the device called an error, being P0340, that's a camshaft sensor error. Now it seems this sensor is located behind the distribution belt from the engine, so that's a good thing. The distribution was due too. Look here how it's done (in German). This is rather a illustratieve video of the problem I have. A simple sensor (90 euro's) and a fix for about 500 euros. That's good, but it's bad too. The distribution is about to be renewed, but why didn't this sensor problem occur when I bought the car?

Yesterday I polished the Sportwagon, inside and out, in the rain. Can you dig it? and every time I pass the car (I still do most of my errands by Brik bike), I wonder why it is such a beautiful car.

Even our daughter thinks now she has to go 

for her driving lessons, since this car is great!

Sportwagon 2

Well yes, finally we bought the new one. Since the 156 Sportwagon came out in 2000, we wanted one. But prices were high and costs were plenty. So we decided not to buy one. Till last month. In the Betuwe region we found a suitable example of an Alfa 156 1.8 16V TS Sportwagon of 2001 with about 171.000 km on the counter. For a 16 year old car, not a high mileage, but reasonable.
The seller took our Fiat Punto in, that old car no one wanted ever more.

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. This last item occcured when we had it for a few days. During our trip home of approximatly 150 kms, it worked fine.
Was it a good buy then? No, we paid too much. But I wanted it, and I thought there can't be a thing that can't be fixed. We've settled with the fact. We're content with it, and it looks damend good in this bleu color (why do Alfa's always have to be red?).

To be continued

Pip has already taken her place in the new one.

Heads

My old engine is dismantled. The heads are for sale to the best bidder.
Click on the photo for an enlargement.

Here the heads still on the engine

Dark room inside

Left and right, nice couple

the iconic Alfa Romeo text on the lids

The camshaft and valves

The whole in the engine was huge! No wonder the water left after refilling so soon!

left of the crankshaft there's a whole, right is the space for fitting a waterpump

a whole in the wall is never nice

The rest of the engine block 

pistons and camshaft

Reflection 1

Since I finished my King Bleu the driver's mirror did not work very accurately. The adjustment is not optimal, I can't adjust for the utmost corners and when  I do the possible, it just springs back in a middle position. Very annoying when you tend to drive many highway kilometers and frequently use the left lanes.
So I looked for another adjustable mirror on the Alfa Romeo Forum SCARB. In fact this is a great place to be and to virtually wander around a little bit. It is a forum, so everbody's calling out: don't expect  an accurate advice when you have a technical question, there's is always another member with another opinion. (I sometime visit the FIAT forum and that's even worse).
Mechanics, in my opinion is about facts and figures, opinions not often work in this profession. It fits of it fits not! My advice, throw up a ball at the forum's and make your own plan. But it's a great place for finding cars and stuff is plenty there for reasonable prices. When you trust the seller and practice a little patience.

I found a left side mirror for my Alfa 33, and the guy who sold it even claimed it was a New Old Stock piece in it's original box. That I took 'with a good grain of salt', I guessed it couldn't be true: the fly corpses still stuck on the back side of the mirror, even on the photo. But hey, everybody has to believe his or her own stories. I payed 20 euros ex shipping and I think it is a fair price.

When I got the package however, the questionable mirror had a 'no stock' not even an original mirror glass, it didn't fit the cover of the mirror housing. It worked, but it looked dreadful.

My cellar is a gold mine, but sometimes I forget. Now I had to look for some spare parts and I knew I had a mirror dismantled in an old shoe sack. To my surprise I found in the box with the shoe sack two original mirrors, a left side and a right side mirror in a used state. Not bad at all, but used. In this state I wouldn't have put one of these on my car. But surprisingly again, they had good mirror glasses. So my sunday afternoon was saved: hobby time again.

This is my set up for the afternoon, the kitchen table with some tools and spare mirrors.

(The scale in the background was my wife's, who was baking cookies)

The NOS mirror from the Alfa Forum member: not very new at all!

My old mirror with the proper mirror glass and a respectable inside mechanism.

Mind the three colored little cables. Make a note for the color on the right place at both ends.

The adjuster with the three recieving pods for the other cable end.

The lower one is the most practicle (and original).

Put some grease on the guiding ends to make it move gently in the inner adjustment ring.

Another view from the side Adjustment ring with color (B) note.

The cables from the adjuster end.

The cables are fit in the backside of the mirrorglass with a little iron triangle.

To get them off, you'll have to bend them.

One by one they come off... but mind you..

.. you can never put them in the right place again, with the triangle in the inside of the backside of the mirror glass. (At least I don't have a trick.)

You can prevent getting the cables out of the mirror cover by clamping them together. The ring keeps the bundle to not slipping through the cover whole.

The triangle put in place on the outside of the cover backside 

Don't forget to pull the cables through the inner adjustmentring on the backside. If you do, like I did, you have to pull the cabels out of the mirror cover (which you just prevented by clamping them to gether with the ring)

A trick to get the cables back in the cover again is to bundle them in a small rubber hose, that was inserted in the cover whole.

Put the hose throough the cover to bundle the cables in it...

... then pullt the hose through the whole in the mirror cover...

... puling through ...

... and Kees is ready.

Put the cables in the pods of the adjuster by pulling hard at the cables and pressing the spring.

Don't forget the two screws to fasten the inner adjustment ring on the mirror backside.

Ready

With a small brush you can finish the ALFA ROMEO logo