omega
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,060
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the old saying is that your not a car nut till you have had a alfa
does this apply to diesels?
had plenty of French and ford but never a alfa so are they anygood? good mpg? what do you have to look for when buying?
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,836
Club RR Member Number: 174
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diesel alfas stealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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The JTD's are great aslong as they've had fairly regular servicing. The turbos and piston rings die if oral doesn't have regular oil changes. IIRC mpg will be mid 40s. The 8v is more reliable than the 16v (1.9 4 pot), And the 10v more reliable than the 20v (2.4 5 pot)
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,836
Club RR Member Number: 174
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diesel alfas stealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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Oh one thing, the sump on the 5 pot hang a bit low and even at stock ride height can hit speedhumps and crack.
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I had a gt jtd, it was great but constantly needed something or other doing to it. But it was remapped and went well.
Check for uneven tyre wear, they wear out the front suspension pretty quickly. Check underneath for rust on the floorpan, some had barely any protection under there. I had trouble with my ac too.
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1973 MG Midget 1.4 kseries
1994 Ex-Mod Land Rover 110 300tdi
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simes
Part of things
Posts: 734
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My brother had one, a 155GTD and this happened to it. (not his fault)  830264_10151374579507858_1164518596_o by simes205, on Flickr He like it enough to buy another. I drove the first one and quite liked it, felt more spritely than our E91 diesel. A very pretty looking car. |
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Simes
205Mi16 - 262 cams, Jenvey Throttle Bodies, Emerald managment blah blah......
E91 320D MSport
Honda NC30
Vespa 300GTS
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I bought a 1.8TS 156 SW, I wish I had got the diesel after I tried one.
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Some days you just need to take a grinder to an inanimate object, just to make your day a tiny bit better!!
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Isn't the same engine used by Vauxhall (and Saab) ?
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Yep
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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omega
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,060
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so to sum up
the engine can have major issues,mpg isn't great,you can smash the sump on a speedbump,suspension is high maintance,tyres don't last,it rusts like a alfa but has a Vauxhall engine.
where do I sign?
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yup, sounds like any other modern diesel to be honest.
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so to sum up the engine can have major issues,mpg isn't great,you can smash the sump on a speedbump,suspension is high maintance,tyres don't last,it rusts like a alfa but has a Vauxhall engine. where do I sign? But it'll say Alfa Romeo on the back, there will be a little Alfa badge on the instruments that lights up, and if you're really lucky it might have red leather Momo seats. I still miss my petrol 156. |
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,192
Club RR Member Number: 170
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diesel alfas ChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Dec 11, 2013 23:10:14 GMT
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I must have been caught in a multi quoting mood tonight! But my 147JTD 8v probably had to be one of the best dailies I have ever owned, surpassing the modern VW I had by a country mile. Saying that, there are a few things you have to keep an eye on (is there not always?). I had a gt jtd, it was great but constantly needed something or other doing to it. But it was remapped and went well. Check for uneven tyre wear, they wear out the front suspension pretty quickly. Check underneath for rust on the floorpan, some had barely any protection under there. I had trouble with my ac too. I bought a 1.8TS 156 SW, I wish I had got the diesel after I tried one. The petrols are pricey on tax, need a cambelt twice as often (with more tools being required for the job (dial gauge etc.) in addition to being thirstier than petrol engined cars from their competitors (to put it into perspective my Pug 306 GTi-6 was more frugal than my 147 2.0TS as well as a friend's 156 2.0TS, and dare I say it, it is on a par with a friend's 1.6TS (Who also drove my GTi-6 when I was converting his car to LPG). They do drive nicer though and the engines are lovely on song. Isn't the same engine used by Vauxhall (and Saab) ? Yup, the derv engines are made by Fiat, who now own Alfa Romeo. so to sum up the engine can have major issues,mpg isn't great,you can smash the sump on a speedbump,suspension is high maintance,tyres don't last,it rusts like a alfa but has a Vauxhall engine. where do I sign? Engines having major issues is down to neglect IMHO (I used to service mine on the dot as per Alfa specs with 5W40 fully synthetic with OEM filters (the motor factors would always seem to give me the wrong bits, fuel filter being the biggest connundrum (it was too large, meaning that the water level sensor could not be plugged in). The biggest issue I had with mine was the intercooler pipes (initially being tight I only bought one silicon pipe, upon changing the slightly weeping second pipe the MPG went skyward (for the better) as did the smoke (none at all from there being plenty on acceleration) in addition to it being more responsive. As a matter of fact I would recommend anyone with a 147JTD to replace their intercooler hoses for silicon items even at £120 for the pair (I was stunned at the difference, despite my final IC hose not having any defects for a while (it misted slightly at the connections until it split (specialists reckon the IC hoses are good for 50,000 miles tops, which in hindsight I would agree with). I would have saved the £120 in fuel savings over a year without leaving a cloud of smoke everywhere upon flooring the car. Bushes yes can go. But again from trying various bushes etc. anything from the motorfactors will barely last you an MOT. Only genuine/TRW items will yield any sensible mileage, or preferably going for poly items of the Superflex or Powerflex variety (both of which will probably outlive the car with no hindrance on ride comfort. As for tyres, the Michelin Primacies in 16" guise did over 20k on the front of the Alfa once I had grasped which bushes lasted and which were made of cheese (The upper arms failed an MOT within a year of it being replaced (One was Vetech, the other a Lemforder item from ECP: Autolusso said that bar the poly items only the genuine arms or TRW items seemed to yield any sensible mileage). Maybe I was lucky or persevered, but my experience of them was far from being a poor one. |
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I was getting 40mpg (actually it was 41 on my last tank before I sold it ) from my 1.8TS. To say I was shocked was possibly the understatement of the year. It was actually better on fuel than my 61 plate 1.6 Toyota Auris.
But yeah the cambelt woes on the petrol is a real pain instead of resolving the issue they just halved the milage, great plan and only the Italians could have come up with it as a viable option LOL.
I would seriously consider a 156 JTD SW thou as its pretty much anything you could ever need. And with Peden Conceptz 156 SW you can really see the appeal once modified even more.
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Some days you just need to take a grinder to an inanimate object, just to make your day a tiny bit better!!
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groovy
Part of things
Posts: 90 
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Not a diesel I know, but my 2.0ts GTV was probably the best daily I have ever owned. I regret selling her, and will probably buy another soon. The thing with alfas of whichever fuel persuasion, is the look back factor. I don't think I ever parked the GTV and walked away without looking back at least once to admire it lol As said before, stick to the prescribed service intervals, join an Alfa owners forum for the info, and you can't go too far wrong. I had three in total, and didn't have any major issues with any of them  Lee |
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