twisted_pr

yeah, I remember the rules from the Italian V-Twin days they have. it's more to avoid the of having to park with the Max Power crowd really "No, my car isn't a 'sleeper', it really is as slow as it looks" Will shout tomorrow around 3ish (after my looonnnng client lunch - has to make up for the incredibly boring meeting beforehand )

What he said Car lightening is either ridiculously cheap (as above) or ridiculously expensive (anyone make CF panels for a 147 GTA?) Modern cars have so much more heavy comfort/safety stuff in them than 20 years ago, but it sounds like you want keep most of that? If you do decide to change the all the seats, bagsy first dibs the GTA interior.

and I get to fiddle under her bonnet this w/end Sounds tempting. May park Womble (she came from Wimbledon and she's tidy - ex gf's idea ) out of sight around the corner, just to be safe

Human/car fuel - it's all the same (may explain why I can drink neither ). Details of AD(HD?) w/end here viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3044 Driving up in convoy is also an option, but I'm scared this lot will set fire to my Golf

SP - are you going to AD gathering at Mrs A's on 24th/25th? If so, and you're only going up for the Sunday, could I cadge a lift from the Big Smoke in your awesome sounding GTA? Fuel tokens etc provided obviously.

Oh, OK, thanks Smaky - will look out for that if the relay/pump/accumulator avenue fails. I just saw the shield someone had put together in the post about remaking the 20 pin connector and thought it was a good idea. I reckon the issues on my Dad's car are more related to the increased running time giving more opportunity for the fault to occur, rather than any heat build up in the engine bay. I guess I'll find out at the weekend when I visit. Which reminds me, time to dig the Dremel out to grind down the open end of that 27mm spanner.

And I thought I had a problem when I had three of the same model motorbike (Italian, of course). Sold one, still have two of different engine sizes left Are they all his own cars, or are most of them forum members' Selespeeds in need of attention?

Thread revival! well. if you're going to do it, best do it properly. Indeed it is, but as I found it's a dangerously slippery slope into the murky (or should that be dazzlingly shiny?) world of detailing. You know, the one where you're setting the alarm for 5am to make sure you take full advantage of an overcast but dry day ahead, having spent the previous night fretting over whether after the pre-wash, wash, clay and deep cleanse, 5 coats of wax is really enough or should you just use the whole tub? I once spent an entire Bank Hol w/end (yep, 3 whole days) and a stack of cash on overpriced detailing products, and couldn't see any discernible difference to my usual 2hr Autoglym effort. It was then that I came to my senses (via a swift self-administered punch to the gonads) and realised what a collosal waste of life and spondoolies it is (unless you're into showing rather than driving cars). Now the daily gets washed once every couple of weeks and likes it. Thankfully I'm fully recovered now, but if anyone has any tips on the best brand of cotton bud to use on the inside of a chromed throttle body I'm all ears.

Get lost spammer - too many posts to report them all Sorry mods, please feel free to delete this post once this once this scumbag and his/her posts are history. It just makes me

Thanks Rrascal. In addition to all the other bits I mentioned (most of which have arrived ) I've also bought some contact cleaner to have a go at the relay and 20 pin connectors by the battery/airpipe. Plus, as the problem kicks in when the engine gets hot I'm going to fabricate some kind of mini heat shield for the relay/20pin connector. If after all that lot she still doesn't work I think I might , as my father has threatened to send her to the scrappy (with just 32k on the clock!) rather than let me buy her off him.

Not sure if this is more of a general chit chat topic, but as it relates to advice on getting through the MOT, did anyone see the Honest John MOT survey results? http://good-garage-guide.honestjohn.co. ... alfa-romeo I find it staggering that lighting issues, often the most easy to identify and rectify are the most common cause of failure across all makes and models. I guess this will only go up in light of (no pun intended) the new HID regs, unless testers take the attitude of "the luminosity, aim and pattern etc were fine and I couldn't see any ballasts, so how could I tell?" Anyway, reason for posting in this section is that my Dad's 147 is going for its long overdue MOT shortly (once the Sele issue is sorted). As I'm new to Alfas, is there anything specific to look out for when doing a pre-check on a 147 (especially one that's been stood for a year)? Using the vast experience of the AD forum members, perhaps a model specific checklist could be compiled (at some point, as I know time and resources are an issue)? Thanks.

Thanks for the advice about tapping the motor with a hammer Rrascal. (Do you mean tapping in the normal sense or the Haynes Book of Lies sense - i.e. t**t it!? ) Following Smaky's advice (and guide) I've bought a couple of relays, along with a 2nd hand pump and a couple of sets of carbon brushes. So hopefully I'll be able to recreate the problem and find a solution. I also purchased a new accumulator along with a 27mm spanner (which I shall modify as per Smaky's other excellent 'how to' ) Probably unnecessary, but as I'm so far away from the car and will have in bits anyway, I thought I may as well, just for peace of mind.

Close, she's in Torquay, Devon - "The English Riviera" Thanks for the advice. I've got the CS fluid and my eye on a 2nd hand pump, but is it the red 30A relay that I need, or the black 50A one (or both)? She's a 52 plate if that helps? If the exiting pump relay and pump work out fine, what's next on the checklist? Pressure monitoring re accumulator test/replacement?

Hi there, My father (who lives 200 miles away) had previously complained of an intermittent fault with the 147 sele going into neutral and refusing to engage a gear. By the time the AA arrived the fault had cleared and he was able to drive home. The local Fiat/Alfa specialist plugged in a laptop and couldn't see any faults. After this problem happening a few more times (particularly after the engine had been running for 30mins or so) he gave up and left the car standing for the best part of a year. Determined to rectify the fault, I set about with a new battery (previously the alternator had failed, leading to total power failure when driving, plus after being stood the battery was goosed) and a full version of FES. I couldn't make the fault reappear, and after adjusting the clutch rod (from just over 30mm) and topping up the sele fluid (maybe a little too much) all appeared to be good. Well the bad news is that the fault is back, but the "good" news is that it has not cleared itself and I have been given some more info. Apparently the pump is not whirring when the door is opened or the ignition turned on. Plus the sele fluid was above max, with a small amount leaking out of breather pipe on the filler cap (probably me overfilling it?) Also, not sure if this is related but on engine start there is a slight "fan belt" type noise. Any ideas? It will probably be mid-June before I can have a look at the 147, so I would like to go down armed with a plan and any parts I might need. Thanks in advance. Phil.