AFLA

Just to set things straight - she runs beautifully now for over a month (Aside from my 4th gear skip issue that is). Also while hill climbing the Jerusalem mountains and traffic jams in Tel Aviv. Guess it really was an airlock after all. Plus the new thermostat improved MPG!

I monitored the pump graph more than once and it looks OK - down to just a bit lower than 45 then re-priming up to 55. Slow to lose pressure - around 12 minutes. I will monitor again just to make sure... I think I will ask my indy to pry open the box end plate and replace the bolt just in case - while I'm there - as I really want to get to the bottom of this! Do the different position measurements for selection suggest anything? Thanks, Tuval

Hi Smaky! I wish I could hand her over to you - but I am a few thousand miles away (Israel)... Any way - as I have at least a month before I can surrender her to my Indy (cashflow), I am trying to see if and what I can diagnose and maybe fix alone. So this evening I got the full license for FES in order to properly take care of her. Just to be on the safe side I performed a bleed+calibration. Didn't help - although I think the rod is too far (it fluctuates below 28.5 but every now and then I get a reading it is 28.7 and upwards (will adjust Friday when I have time to mess around). The pump primes for around 3 seconds following switch to MAR. On door open (morning) it primes for between 9 and 11 seconds. When I checked the Selection position, I found two different values: 1) After going from 2nd to 3rd, the Selection Position when in 3rd was ~17.185 mm. 2) After going from 4th to 3rd, the Selection Position when in 3rd was ~17.850 mm. This was rather consistent. Does this have anything to say on the fault root cause? Does this mean this is a gearbox issue for sure? After I played a bit with FES, I noticed that if I connect to the Selespeed ECU while selecting the 147 CF208F, I got no ISO codes (as I got with connecting to the 156 Selespeed one - which is what I have). I further checked the options available and found I can execute a diagnosis routine called "Engagement lever pin securing screw diagnosis" (which is not found in the 156 Selespeed menu). I got the error 0f as result of this diagnostic routine. Does this assist in diagnosing? Do I have the infamous loose finger bolt issue? Thanks you! Tuval

Smaky, she is still at it... The gearbox is clean without any Swarf or the like. It now also misses 3rd every now and then! But- 4th seems better - especially when driven with a sure foot on the gas pedal. Yesterday, I tried her again at MAR and noticed one more peculiarity: after going up 1,2,3 then skipping 4th and going back to 3rd from 5th (through 4th), I tried over and over to engage 4th - and she did this with no problem. Over and over again (ie: 3,4,3,4,3,4,...). I also noticed this on open road while driving. This happens before the pump finishes cycling (quick succession of gears) and also after (slow/paused succession). Can the engagement and selection values (mm) of the various gears and the current measurements provide more info to find the root cause? I don't want to throw lots of money into her without knowing what it is. Luckily, my mechanic charged me only for Tutela and not for labor or parts till now as problem was not fixed. Please help. Thanks, Afla

Hi Smaky, I know it's been a whole - but only this month was I able to get it to my mechanic for sorting out. He had changed the potentiometer, replaced solenoid valves, and opened up the gear box to look for swarf. Alas, the problem persists. He thinks the only way forward is to replace the actuator for a used unit. How can it be that this problem cannot be traced? Can there be other elements that might be damaged along the path battery/relay/pump/accumulator/valves/selector/mesh that we are overlooking? Can it be the "finger retaining pinch bolt" or the "gear engagement sensor"? I can also add that above 5500 RPM she shifts much better into 4th. As if the problem is only at low/medium revs. Thanks in advance! I am very puzzled but do not want to give up on locating the root cause for this although my faithful Indy is about to. Afla

Oh, and just to add - I have not overheated really since and the temp does go down eventually. It's just that I am used to it going down really quick after the fan is started and the rad is cold to the touch. Heater blowing hot from start even when engine cold btw...

Hi Smaky, I have bled the system more than once by now and covered more than 1000 Km yet the symptoms do not change. I consulted with another ex 156 owner that experienced the same phenomenon. He eventually got it solved by his rad shop expert that closed a baffle on the right side tank, where both pipes lead to. It seems either there is no baffle plate to begin with, or the baffle is faulty. Another reason I think this might be the case, is that I hear that for certain rads, the baffle might contain a hole by design. I understand this has to do with enabling flow even while the rad is stuck or frozen (for sub zero climates?). Have you heard of this failure before? Or of this design? The rad itself is by Ordonez, but I found that the manufacturers part no. is 206601361 - for which I didn't find anything in Ordonez catalogue online. Can it be just the wrong one for me? The dimensions are the same and it's an aluminum rad. Thanks again, Tuval

Guess I was to quick to find and order the sensor... Which oil is recommended and where do I top the gearbox? How much should go in and how can I verify level?

Only before stat opens it is fairly rigid but can still pinch through with force and move some coolant. Once opened and really hot so you cannot hold for more than a couple of seconds, is flexible and can squeeZe all the way through moving larger amounts of coolant.

Hi Smaky, I have another issue with me Bella... Skips 4th going from 3rd to 5th. Both manual and city modes. Now this is almost every time unless going very gently. Warm and cold. 2-3 sec delay when occurs on the skip. No errors. Pumps primes 10 secs on door open. No flashing gears. Pressure between 44 and 55 Bar. Switches on every second shift. Is demonstrated on engine off and MAR as well consistently. Clutch length is 28.1 mm. Done enablement (with self learn at 3000 rpm) and recalibration. More than once. Sele oil is fine and topped up. Cleaned main connector. Battery fine (less than 8 months ago). Did NOT do clutch bleed. No change. My Indy says this is the Selector potentiometer that I can replace with used or new from eBay. He does not want to move and clean it before i get another as it might crumble and would not be able to drive at all. However I have also heard this might be down to "Swarf in the gearbox" that needs cleaning. Can this be down to faulty accumulator or worn clutch or Swarf and not the potentiometer? I heard the potentiometer is rather expensive and I cannot find the part no. to look it up eBay... Thanks again for your valuable help! Afla

Hi Smaky, Took it to my Indy and he concludes there is no gasket failure on account of checking the exhaust gasses, coolant and oil. We ran her for more than two hours in the garage. Have also ran her for around 1000 Km since replacement. The pump works fine and there is a nice flow back to the expansion tank from the engine at idle. Also replaced the thermostat for a new one just to eliminate. The old Behr one was fine after inspection. Same phenomenon: first speed fan comes on and takes a few minutes to cool her down. The rad is cold to the touch after heat dissipated, yet the measured temp is around 95. Once I give it some gas, the temp drops. She doesn't warm much over this. I will take it again to the rad shop to see what they can make of it and if I can get them to replace the rad for another model or another example. I must say I don't think this is really overheating. it actually behaves ok in traffic jams, maintaining temp just above 90 or so. I guess this is due to the amount of cold coolant kept in the rad and the constant but slow movement.

Thanks Smaky for your quick reply! Already drove some 200 miles by now and did a bleed routine warming the engine with cap off. Upper pipe is kind of solid only momentarily during warmup but is fairly squeezable when hot. Also let some fluid go from valve on rad. Will retry in morning. Didn't know we have another below the throttle body. How is this one accessible? Paraflu is clear blue and oil is clear w no mayo. I understand if gasket is busted would have the entire tank either fizzing with exhaust or swimming in mayo. At the garage, the other issue was sump plug dripping from previous service a week before. After threading and new plug, oil was reintroduced as was new really. Looked as beautiful as 10w-60 can be so I reckons is not harmed. Can gasket failure manifest differently?

Hi folks, hope you can help on this one... My rad leaked a week ago losing some coolant. Topped it up and headed to the local rad shop. (instead of entrusting it with my faithful Indy...) :-( They identified the leak quickly and this led to a replacement rad. However, ever since, the temp has been on the high side of 90 while idling. Previously, it would cycle between 88 and 98, with the fan cutting in properly for around 20 to 30 sec. Providing a nice and consistent graph. Now, the fan comes on and the temp does not go below 92.5 unless I massage the pedal a bit. High temp reached is around ~99 and at least once the high speed activated. A few seconds after the low speed kicks in, the rad is cold to the touch. Yet the fan will stay on for more than 4 minutes until temp goes down (to 92.5 the lowest). Air from the fan is cold. Heater if operated will emit hot air. A/C on will stabilize consistently around 90 yet higher than before replacement. Both upper and lower pipes are hot at this point. At cruise, temp is good at just below 90. Thermostat opens up within 5 to 10. As I had another job with my Indy, he inspected it and sent me over to his recommended rad shop that are good experts with old and newer Alfas. They said it is either the rad or the stat and their bet is on the rad by reason that it was the only change. They also said root cause might be a missing or malfunctioning separator between the high and low pipes. Both said pump is fine according to flow in coolant tank at idle. Came this morning to the local rad shop requesting a replacement. They stated they can replace to an original Alfa rad which is considerably more costly (twice the price) or replace the stat which they reckon is the culprit. My indy offered to replace the stat himself and prove them wrong. What do you think based on the symptoms? Can it be I have a faulty partially closed stat that was masked? This is driving me nuts and I can't forgive myself not going to my trusted Indy... Thanks for the help! Afla

Hi Smaky, Is it possible to see a guide on how to disassemble and get to the inlet manifold gasket - for the purpose of replacing/applying sealant? I understand this should be quite easy and is often a weak spot for oil leakage, running into the ducts and drenching the plugs - and is a likely cause for (excessive) oil consumption. Your PCV valve guide cured at least some of my consumption. Although I cleaned rather than replace it, as sourcing can be tricky... Thanks in advance! Tuval

Hi all, My driver side wing mirror is loose so much it can swivel forward. I found I can take it off, leaving it dangling on the wire loom. I looked inside and saw the spring loaded washer that connects to the top of the pivot stub is, well,... Not connected to the stub, hence the loose fitting. Anybody know how i can dismantle and reconnect the top washer/stopper to the top of the stub and reload the spring? Seems like it cannot be done without complete dismantling. Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to just go and buy a used mirror if I can fix it. Tuval

Regardless, I always found it to be exotic in the sense that she ia not meant for taxi. Like a fighter, or an albatros that are cumbersome on the runway but once burners are applied and airborn, there is no match to thrust to weight and agility, turn rates, etc.,...

Read somewhere this is part of the solution to overcome a heavy nosed front driven car, making it less sensitive to understeer and make them feel more responsive as opposed to designing weight to be further aft.

Oops its AFLA...! That's how my kid christened her when she arrived... Still corrects me now and again

What's your AlfaDriver forum name: alfa_hadera Whereabouts in the world are you?: Mostly Israel. What are you driving these days?: 156 Selespeed 2002 How did you find AlfaDriver?: Just followed Smaky's posts elsewhere... Describe your introduction to the Alfa Romeo brand: As a teen I used to admire from afar and dream that someday... as I turned 38 Began looking for a preemptive cure for middle age crisis... Outside of Alfa Romeo, what are your interests?: Whiskey, espresso, red wine, red meat, smoking, driving, entrepenueurship, startups, killer apps and innovation... What do you do for a living?: manage tech divisions/ projects/sales/innovate... Tell us an interesting/crazy/unusual fact about yourself: startup at age 16. Fell asleep during Metallica concert... What's your "special skill"?: can do anything i damn well think of If money was no object, what four vehicles would be in your dream garage?: - Dream daily driver: 156 GTA SELESPEED - Dream track car: 156GTA SELESPEED - Dream all-rounder: 156 GTA SELESPEED Wildcard entry: 8C What are you personally hoping to get out of AlfaDriver?: finding a fix for oil consumption And finally, describe yourself in five words: husband father capitalist socialist alfahead

So what actually fails? The pump itself or the motor? Provided I check the wiring and earth, what else can go wrong that I should take care of as part of preventive maintenance?

Smaky, provided the area is cooler than the motor, would it not serve the purpose of quicker dissipation as opposed to being in a Ferrari hotter environmemt?

Hi Folks, As our very own selespeed unit is largely based on the original Ferrari 355 F1 unit, I find myself searching and learning stuff off of the Ferrarichat.com forum. I do understand there might be of course certain differences from our setup (..."The Deluxe is the one with the real hair"...), but I do believe we can share some of our know-how. So, while closely inspecting a robot pump dismantling set of pics, I noticed something was wrong and markedly different - It has a fascinating contraption - an aluminium heat sink strapped on to it! Here is the robot pump dismantling exercise (you will need to register in order to view pics): http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showth ... =140452165 You will note the familiar accumulator and the Magneti Marelli pump and motor unit. Look at the heat sink attached to the motor. Naturally I searched in frantic clicks for the heat sink. Found a description here: http://www.ricambiamerica.com/blog/?p=159 Benefits are up to 25% reduction in pump motor body heat. However, for some reason, ricambiamerica do not list the item as being sold any longer. I will wait for their answer. What do you think? Seems like a very nice add-on - Provided of course that it can fit within our allotted space... Thanks to all. Tuval