Alfa Pages

[RFlower]

Just bought above with a view to putting the engine for my wife's '86 Sprint, and drove it down from UK to France, wife driving Sprint. Car is v pretty, & clean, but previous owner's maintenance seems to have been limited to adding accessories and cleaning exterior.
Had a fun trip - thermostat was stuck open, taped up air intake to get heater working, v cold last month! power steering fluid dumped onto RH exhaust, took belt off pump, alternator bearings sounded terminal, but lasted the trip. Finally, the gearshift link rod came off the selector lever, luckily just as I drove into an Autoroute rest area somewhere in the mountains. Managed to get it high enough (suspension is lowered) with extra jack from Sprint, spare wheels, and some handy logs, to refit the rod in only 2 hours, and stick it in 3rd. All this in freezing rain, naturally.
Gently drove 30K or so to Cahors, and found an Alfa dealer! He had no clip to fix the rod, but took pity on us. After 2 attempts with circlips which came off, I had him weld on a washer. Gearchange now much better, 5 hours after it broke, and made it home, v gently, as I noticed bits of steel wire sticking out of one front sidewalls when the car was lifted up. This car has a current MOT!
I have just fitted new thermostat, replaced a few hoses, and put new bearings in the alternator. Unfortunately the noise from the alternator was masking the noise from the water pump bearings (or jockey pulleys). While I'm changing the pump I might as well replace the timing belts and jockey pulleys, but I've just noticed there don't seem to be any camshaft covers.
Am I mad? How do I set the valve timing? Help, please.

Strangely enough, I still quite like the beast, and might use it while I clean up the Sprint's rusty body. Anyone near here interested in the rest if I do take out the engine? Dark met. green, sunroof, spoiler, 7Jx 15 MiM wheels, lowered 35mm.

[Marcin]

Just from curiosity: are the 33's that rare in France, that it was necessary to go to UK?

As for the timing belts: you'll find three marks:
- one looks like T and it's on the flywheel
- the other two look like a 1cm wide groove and are positioned on each camshaft pulley

The T is visible through an inspection opening on top of the flywheel housing. The other marks are visible when you remove the cambelt covers, or through the inspection openings in the cambelt covers. Basially you'll have to position the T-mark opposite a solid mark and the marks on the pulleys have to be in the middle of the respective inspection openings.

Once you have installed the timing belts always turn the engine by hand before starting it, to verify if the pistons are not touching the valves

Good luck

Marcin

[gritsop]

Hi,

RFlower, a question for you. You mentioned that you replaced the alternator bearings - It has been a couple of months that I hear a roaring which I think that it comes from the alternator.

The frustrating thing is that it can be heard from the passenger compartment and only from the engine compartment if and only if you place your ear on the firewall just in front of the brake cylinder.

If I press the accelerator instantly it stops and there it goes again.

What were the symptoms from the worn bearings? Did the alternator's pulley have slack when you were moving it?
Also did you repair it by yourself or did you have it repaired at electrician's workshop? Were the bearings some special ones or just standard ones like SKF etc.?
Mine is a BOSCH standard one (car's electrical system is BOSCH with Jetronic LE 3.2)

Regards,
_________________
Thanassis Gritsopoulos
1991 Alfa 33 1.4 IE
2001 Alfa 147 1.6 Distinctive

http://www.alfa-restoration.co.uk
Parts Shop: www.alfa-restoration.co.uk/shop

[Buck Bundy]

I could be completely wrong, as I've never owned one, but the fact that you don't appear to have any Cam covers is possibly because you have Hydraulic tappets. No adjustment should be necessary, so Alfa chose not to give you easy access.

I think that's right. As Marcin said, you don't need to see the cam to set it up, the marks on the pulleys should do.

Buck
_________________
Sprint Veloce 1.5 - Ebay £310!!! (In need of TLC)

[Marcin]

Buck,

actually there are cam covers on our alfas, BUT they are also held by the head bolts On the other hand the cam cover is also a camshaft housing, so tight fit might be necessary
Probably I'll soon have to replace the hydraulic tappets, so I'll need to remove the cam housing. Hopefully it'll be possible to keep the head in place, so I won't need to change the head gasket.

Cheers

Marcin

[Ben_nz]

How do you know when you need to replace the hydraulic tappets?

[Marcin]

I'm not sure if it's the hydraulic tappets, I just can not think of anything else. My alfa is making is a ticking noise coming from the right cilinder bank (see my post "ticking noise in the 1st cilinder"). Hydraulic tappets will cause a ticking noise when not working properly. But what I don't understand is why does the ticking stop when I disconnect the electronic injector OK, it could be the injector, but when I leave it connected and disconnect the HT lead to that cilinder, then there's also NO noise. So it's not the injector, I'd say. I'd say it's no tappets either, as the whole camshaft/valve mechanism keeps working even if one cilinder is "disconnected" in the way I described above, so then the tappets also should make noise if faulty. I'm quite confused about it. I probably will replace the tappets soon, only to exclude them as a cause of ticking. It's quite simple and not very expensive. And if it won't help? I'll leave it as it is and wait for the big bang

Cheers

Marcin

[LanciaChris]

Sure there isnt some arcing going on down there that youre hearing? Is the plug lead in good order? how about the injector wires?