Davo

You know I figure most of my issues have been electrical rather than mechanical on the sele - the melted wiring on the 20-pin plug two years back, flashing gears when that plug was stressed leading to replacement of the loom late last year to fix the P1742 errors etc. Driving the car for an hour this morning has convinced me it remains an electronic issue. Perfect gear changes, lovely and smooth, motoring along in 4th and the display will flick to reverse for a couple of seconds, then 3rd then 5th and either go back to neutral or just continue along happily (none of this happening at the gearbox unless it gets forced in neutral). Similarly cruising in 5th it will flash up a sele failure beep a few times and settle back to thinking it is in 5th (daughter reported it doing this after hitting a pot hole to add to the theory....). So, with the new wiring loom in place then I'm back to either a dodgy sensor on the actuator or the electrics on the "car" side of the 20 pin plug - which have had me concerned in the past....i.e. this has always had me intrigued..); This is just so difficult to sort - it will drive perfectly for 30 minutes in between episodes (and will probably behave itself at the mechanics today...

Well...... Not quite! The good news is that the gear shifts remain absolutely wonderful - the bad news is that it is still dropping into neutral Its happening in gear, under power and at rest with a few reverse gear flashes to add some spice. No error codes, new relay, perfect pressure and clutch rod, and I even managed to have it happen hitting the driveway after a run around the block while the MES graph was recording - pressure was just after a prime, about 50 with a perfectly smooth absoutely unremarkable profile. I just can't link the hydraulics to the problem so surely it has to be "something" else.. This thing is driving me crazy - and I troubleshoot high and low tech equipment for a living so I am very patient and understand the process and the red herrings that get in the way. I really hate to have this thing beat me but I've been working through various sele issues for two years now and have only had maximum one month trouble free in all that time. At least I have learned heaps about the system thanks to the always upbeat and knowledgeable Smaky! Wife and Daughter are ready to drop the car over the nearest cliff with me in it so it is time to hand it over to the professionals I'm afraid. I have a good indy, a well known Alfa specialist who knows the car and put the current (second hand) actuator in it - it was from a 156 I heard, modified to fit in some way.....so best he takes over again. I'll keep you posted.....

Good one - so that was daughter trying to find a gear I assume! On to the present: topped the oil up tonight and ran a heap of clutch drains and gear cycling (I was getting a bit worried as it took a bit of coaxing to get around the "sele failure" messages). The oil reservoir was full of foam at this stage as the air was working its way out. I had a couple of failures trying to get a cal over the line - the clutch movement happened with a loud "squishing" sound and the actuator was making sounds like a bunch of ball bearings in a can! The rational side of my brain kept reminding me there was a heap of air to bleed out - but I was starting to picture needing a tow to the garage..... Still sounding rough but with a successful cal under my belt I figured I needed some heat into the system so I headed out the driveway and took it for a run - what a huge surprise: the gear changing was absolutely wonderful, I'm talking 50% better than anyhing I have experienced with the car in my two years of ownership. No kidding it was exactly like driving a normal automatic and the downshifts were just sublime (and this was cold!). 10 minutes of thrashing around the neighbourhood and back for a "hot" calibration - the oil had cleared up by now and the actuator was back to making normal sounds - all good. Another 20 minutes of error free driving this apparently "new" car and I was all smiles. Could this be what a real Selespeed is like? Of course I know a few test drives don't imply a successful fix but I can certainly say those $10 o-rings have been a great investment so far.

Hi Smaky - you're up early (or late???) Fingers crossed mate! So what are those two "lever switch" errors? I'll drop in a new relay just to be sure, might move it away from the engine as well to get it away from the heat.

This is getting "interesting" - lots of new leads to chase down to get the Sele sorted; no huge problems over the last few weeks - two or three drops into neutral while idling one drop into neutral at speed Having sourced some o-rings I went to install today but first checked the errors - had a new one (or three); That looks like the one at speed.... other two were at standstill, not sure what the lever switch relates to: Now my pump / accumulator / realys have always been pretty solid - this is the first suggestion of a relay issue. While mulling this new error over in my mind I went about replacing the o-rings to fix my "pulsing" clutch rod; ....and this is what came out of my long-suffering sele actuator - split o-ring; I'm surprised the thing was working at all.... oh well, new orings installed (all Viton); Just to round off the day with frustration I didn't have enough sele oil to top it up and calibrate - off to the dealer tomorrow to get some, might check out a relay as well..... Cheers

Definitely a "drinks in the pool after work" day.....(and the pool was up to 33 degrees as well)

At least it is only a 20 minute job! The right sized o-rings are a little tricky to track down but I should be able to find them next week - 10.5, 11.5 and 12.5 ID at 1.2 or 1.5mm thickness from some basic research?? ... and it hit 45 degrees today (record temp for Sydney), glad for undercover parking at work!

Perhaps they just aren't used to the look of the strut + springs on the 156 - the offset top mount can look "different" to other cars (especially with no load on the hoist);

Yeah - "only" 43 degrees C today in Sydney Battery is only a few months old (replaced during the last round of troubleshooting and hitting 14 volts with the engine running so it feels OK). Calibrations have been spot on since the EV0 swap but I haven't had it hooked up to MES during the week. Key question: should the clutch rod be moving at all with the engine idling in Neutral? I'm not getting any kangarooing or clutch drag symptoms but it sure doesn't look right to see that clutch rod "pulsing" so obviously.

It's been a couple of months since a thorough wiring re-jig solved my problems with multiple sensor errors but now I seem to have another issue creeping in. First symptom was a drop in reverse while driving (only on the display obviously) then a couple of drops into neutral. Sele failure messages and difficulty getting it started - a few selections in mar prior to starting did the trick. Straight onto MES at home, no errors and pressures was fine, rod length spot on but some strange sounds on cycling the gears. Attempts to calibrate failed - didn't get past the first clutch bleed stage and came up with a clutch valve error. That strange sound was the clutch solenoid failing to get the clutch rod extending fully. The solenoid would work OK via manual actuation with the software but with the engine idling in neutral the clutch rod was pulsing in and out about a centimeter a few times every second. I figured that must be the o-rings not sealing correctly (i.e. the engine was good and hot). Now I have the original EVO solenoid from the troubleshooting last year and being a quick job I fitted it and immediately got a successful clutch bleed + calibration. Long test drive was fine but on checking the clutch rod while idling straight afterwards it was still pulsing just as badly! Five days of daily (short) drives later and just had a single drop into neutral so this one isn't going to go away! I'm guessing the clutch rod isn't supposed to move while idling in neutral and I know it is a symptom that tends to indicate the o-rings are shot. Both the EVOs I have are second hand so I have no idea how old they are - I can pretty easily source some new o-rings and give that a try.... This sele really is trying my patience - every time the phone rings I expect it to be the daughter calling to say she is stuck somewhere! Pity because apart from the sele the car is a cracker.....

Hi Guys - reporting back on this one: I sourced a Sele wire harness in good condition and installed it a month back along with a good clean of all the contacts and very careful securing of the 20 pin plug. Everything has been perfect since, no flashing gears, no errors and normal clutch operation. The car has had daily use (but only very short 10 minute drives...). Fingers crossed it keeps going but so far so good!

From what I gather the pressure spikes are just artifacts from the sampling time with the graph function on MES. The pump is working fine and it is taking over 7 minutes between primes sitting in mar so I doubt I have a pressure problem. Given the number of different errors that are popping up and the return of "flashing gear syndrome" my best guess is the wiring playing up again. I had first, neutral etc flashing in mar this evening and it stopped as soon as I gave the harness around the 20 pin plug a good flex. The guy that supplied the EV0 valve probably has the complete electrical harness, might be an idea to get that off him and at least try it out? Dodgy electrical connection would give the high sensor signals - assuming "high" = increased resistance?

Still no pump on opening door - pump activity during shifting on mar is the same (every 2 shifts). Hooked up MES and set it up for hydraulic pressure + clutch travel (so you can see where it shifts) and went for a drive; I had a few "flashing gears" in third and then a drop into neutral - saw this (green circle is where the drop into neutral happened); Get a load of those hydraulic spikes - can't be "real" surely?? - sat watching for more spikes, engine running in neutral; Took off again, saw no gear flashing but then got a sele failure message + drop into neutral saw this (green circle was the error); And now this seems to be the error of choice - P1742 high signal - gear selection (not clutch position...) hopefully pictures are worth more than my words!!!

Well "something" has changed - I noticed yesterday afternoon that the pump didn't kick in when I opened the door. Then this morning after an 18 hour period again no pump. Great I thought, the door switch or pump has died But no, turned the key to mar and the pump kicked in for only 2 seconds rather than the usual 10 or so - could it possibly hold pressure that well?? I have never had any fluid leak prior but perhaps the pressure was equalizing somehow due to a faulty EV0? Anyway just conjecture until I get a chance to hook MES up and see what the pressures are doing... Ps; perfect test drive this morning apart from a single drop into neutral coasting along in 4th or 5th . I'll drive it to work all week and see what happens.

OK now is when I REALLY confuse things! I was going to swap the EV0 back out to the original plus check over the wiring today. First surprise was the Sele failure message from yesterday was in fact a P1742 error - gear selector sensor reading high this time. Makes me think wiring seeing as it is the first time for this error and fits with the new gear number confusion. Second surprise was I had difficulty removing the EV0 solenoid- jammed pretty tight but with a bit of effort it came free and the cause was the o-ring that seals the solenoid body to the actuator was in pieces and jammed into all sorts of strange places.... I have no idea why there were no fluid leaks - or how it functioned! I grabbed the nearest o-ring that was close to the right size and screwed it back in very carefully. Primed the clutch a few times, calibrated and tested and all seems OK, no leaks or gear flashes during a short test. More testing.....

Yep - changed the EV0 last Saturday (post 26) didn't have any effect, multiple clutch bleeds, calibrations etc since and I'm still getting P1743 errors and dropping into neutral. the worst of the symptoms disappeared after I ran the clutch self learn routine and it has been driving well with the problems apparently restricted to the first 10 minutes of driving. Makes me wonder if I should try the other clutch setup routines on MES? The strange thing is that I have suddenly seen some "confused" gear number flashing on all gears, again only for the first 10 minutes until the car is warmed up. This screams bad wiring connections or sensors to me so I have been contact cleaning everything in sight..... The picture above is on the ECU side of the 20 pin connector and makes me worry about the state of the wiring looms back to the various ECUs involved. Note the black shielded wire that is hacked up - my guess is that is the clutch speed sensor wiring and I can't imagine how it would be in this state on the engine side of the connector???

Just a thought - I just found out the used Sele actuator installed in the car in 2009 was from a 156JTS (no extra detail on year model etc) but apparently the mechanic had to modify the main shaft to fit into the gearbox. This is a well respected Alfa specialist mechanic so the work will have been good.... Any chance this could be adding to the problems in some subtle way - it never has been "comfortable" (or reliable) and might explain the rough wiring I have tripped over in the past (now fixed); http://img818.images...3/dsc0051xs.jpg

Well at least I've got a pattern if not a diagnosis or a fix Same again this morning, gears flashing between 1st, 3rd and 5th up the driveway, a single Sele failure message in 4th and two minutes later it was struggling accelerating in 4th (like kangarooing at speed) and dropped into neutral. All good then for an hour in traffic. I'm running out of new things I can do to fix this so probably time to hand it over to a professional - but I know from experience the intermittent nature of the symptoms means weeks of theories and "testing" in between multiple visits and money spent on red herrings.... If only the daughter could drive a manual

Interesting day's testing: nothing to note on first startup, a couple of flashes between 4th and 2nd on the display, one Sele system failure message at speed in 3rd ( all this within the first 3 minutes) no missed changes or dropping into neutral and a perfect drive all the way to work (one hour / 25 km / stop-start most of the way) MES reported the error was P1743 clutch Sensor high. The home trip produced a single "confused" flash between 3rd and 5th (it was in 3rd...) within the first kilometer and then a perfect run home. Seeing as the car was well and truly at operating temp I ran a calibration and checked the rod length (28.1 as always) So, what can impact the Sele performance when the engine is cold versus nice and warm? I'm thinking the above symptoms are looking more electrical than mechanical??? What is the bet as soon as the daughter get back into it it stalls!

Hi Classic - I had a long battle with "flashing gears" on the display and crazy gear selections a year back that ended up being due to a the 20-pin connector and some melted wiring (definitely no error codes on the Sele or engine ECU). This latest round of stalling has been centred on two errors - P1743 Clutch Sensor (high signal) and P0725 Engine Speed (no signal). From what I gather the P0725 might be seconday to the P1743 (but I'm not sure). The first symptom was stalling on takeoff, then some Selespeed Failure messages and more recently I'm seeing dropping into neutral while at speed and gear numbers flashing on the display (which is making me think wiring again.....). If the errors were more repeatable we would have a better chance to nail the underlying problem(s) but I find I think I have fixed something only to have it reappear two weeks later - depressing!!

No please don't send me back to electrical troubleshooting land Reseated the speedo connector (by feel - couldn't get the clocks right out - night time, first try on the 147 etc...), and getting into the spirit I hit the relays next to the battery with contact cleaner then thought about the Sele ECU in the passenger footwell so I cleaned and reseated both those connectors and the relay there. 40 minute / 20km thrash around the back blocks and not a hint of trouble, even with lots of stop / starts. Let's see what a 1 hour session in Sydney peak hour can do tomorrow....

It is going to be a while before I can get the car to the mechanic so I figured I would test one small theory that the problem seems worse from cold for the first few kilometers while things warm up. Sure enough on startup I had flickering N on the display and same for gears 1,2 and 3. Random "flickering" not regular flashing to be specific (first time I have seen this...). Some strange shifting followed i.e. car in second but 4th displayed and slightly rough changes then things felt more normal after 5 minutes. I stopped and with engine off in mar had more flickering gear displays. Ran a calibration to settle things down and decided it was time to to play with the MES clutch self calibration routine having read about it a fair bit researching this problem. Ran the process first go and I must say it really does smooth out the gear changes, really noticeable and certainly worth doing Of course I then thrashed the car around the neighborhood for 20 minutes with zero errors and not a single flashing display, just a happy 147 doing what it should...... (not that I expect this behavior to continue....) I'll let it cool off and see if I can break it again.

After a depressing weekend thinking it through I'm thinking the same - clutch was replaced 20 months ago just before I bought it (reconditioned actuator was 6 months earlier) and has probably only done 5,000km since but something is acting up and if it isn't the actuator then clutch / gearbox is next.... I'll have a chat with the mechanic that did the work.....(he is a good one at least!). Thanks for staying on the case with this one Smaky

Yep, I check the length every time I calibrate (have calibrated a couple of times this weekend after the soleoid swap) but still getting the sele failure message and the clutch sensor high code, the rod length doesn't vary at all. That's a new clutch sensor and replaced solenoid without any impact on the problem, and from previous work I'm certain the wiring, earths voltage etc are solid. I did find if I floor it up hill on the driveway I can force a Sele error (and annoy the neighbours with some wheel spin). Doesn't give the clutch sensor error, just the engine speed and throttle shut-off. Not sure where to go next, everything seems to point to the clutch positioning - if it isn't the sensor or the solenoid then it's feeling mechanical (as in the cylinder??) Actuators still on back order from Alfa I hear!! Wreckers have them from $800 here but that would be the second one in two years.....

Sourced a good (used) solenoid and fitted today - warmed her up, topped up fluid, bled clutch, calibrated and checked rod length. Took her for a 20 minute run with lots of starts and stops - no leaks and normal, unremarkable shifting. Second run later in the day, she dropped out of city mode on a 3rd to 4th change (first time that has ever happened) and a minute later spat out a "Sele system failure" message traveling at 60km/hr. No repeat for the next 10 minutes of driving and no hint of stalling. Hooked up MES at home and I've got the seemingly ever-present P1743 clutch sensor high error .... Not feeling very hopeful I'm afraid .... Ps: that LW 174 "error" was just the untuned radio station due to having the battery off :) Next day: dropped out of first into neutral on the driveway / Sele failure message shifting up from 3rd to 4th (P1743 clutch sensor high error on MES)