Alfa Pages

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 8:10 am Post subject: how i spent the weekend

gritsop · Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 8:13 pm Post subject:

Hi,

Any info on what exactly did you do on the motor? Complete rebuilt, new valves, tappets etc?

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

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:09 pm Post subject:

yep, new bearings, new rings, cylinder bore honing, valve lapping, new seals, new belts & tensioners. despite 600,000kms of good service, pistons, valves, guides, tappets, camshafts were found to be within specs and were thus not replaced.
regards,
zp

lee16v · Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:14 pm Post subject:

Good job.
I wasn't brave enough to take my block indoors on the kitchen sink!!!

john 33_16v · Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:25 pm Post subject:

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:09 pm Post subject:

Well, the problem is, ain't no sink in my workshop. Ain't no water, ain't no electricity, no light, no heating, no space...

gritsop · Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 1:01 am Post subject:

Hi ZP,

As you may have correctly guessed, Alfa people like pictures ... Wink

So more pictures from the rebuilt are always welcome Very Happy

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

Ben_nz · Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:01 am Post subject:

No way, 600,000kms and your camshafts and tappets were within spec? Mine were wasted at less than quarter of that mileage. Sad

How did you remove the block from the car?
_________________
"Now, all that is left to do ... is wait that something else brokens, to fix up again!"

johnboy · Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:38 am Post subject:

Great job chap,shame about lack of space Crying or Very sad

600,000km

just shows,alfa should have shuck with the boxer.just made it bigger Wink

john
_________________
WODA WE NEED? MORE POWER!!

Alfa gt jtdm blackline
1990 S2 16v veloce sleeping!
2002 ts gtv the wifes now
1997 seadoo gsx 800
1999 freestyle superjet

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:47 pm Post subject:

Hi,

the block was removed from the car using a false wooden sump, flat, and an hydraulic jack. During refitting, engine was lifted and installed by hand, which means i was sitting under the hood and lifting the short block with my arms. Quite an easy job, but then i had to fiddle to get the gearbox axle straight in the clutch. Well, due to the reasonable weight of the block, i didn't suffer too much from it.
Concerning cams & tappets, all of my pals always laughed at my frequent (5000kms) oil changes, and filter every second oil change. I use semi-synthetic 10W40 oil, mostly Mobil Super S over the last 400 000 kms. Besides, i always let the engine idle a full 2 minutes when starting from cold. I also hear some oil filters lack an oil relief valve which prevents oil starvation during cold starts ; i always use Purflux LS515 or original Alfa cartridges.
Here's a few more pics.

Regards,
zp

Ben_nz · Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 10:19 am Post subject:

Yours:

Mine:

Yours:

Mine:

These are photos of the worst lobe and second worst lifter from the engine of mine that broke a cambelt.
I'm a good boy with my oil changes, but the problem is I can't buy an Alfa with an engine that's in good condition to start with! My current engine makes lots of clattering and I expect it has the same problem as the photos above. Crying or Very sad

_________________
"Now, all that is left to do ... is wait that something else brokens, to fix up again!"

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:53 pm Post subject:

Hi,

Yep yours are worn! i recollect changing tappets on a customer's 145 last winter. Exhaust valve on cylinder #2 would never open, hence the car was running on 3 cylinders while compression test, ignition & injection were OK.
After head removal, i found one dead tappet, two worn ones, and one good on this cylinder bank. Camshaft was worn on three lobes, and tappet bores were worn to the point that clearance was far out of spec even with new tappets. Customer didn't want to change all the stuff so only tappets wrere replaced. Guess what? The fix only lasted six months...wear caused clearances to increase dramatically and the engine was no more able to sustain oil pressure at idle, and bad knocking sound could be heard from said camshaft housing.
I heard this failure is quite common on 145/146 boxer models ; our local Alfa shop said it had seen several and suspected Alfa reduced quality or hardening of tappets on those cars.

regards,
zp

ps : i had to dig up the old tappets from the 145 but had kept them in my gar(b)age :

gritsop · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:59 pm Post subject:

Zenith,

Out of curiosity... What do you do for a living ? Are you an engineer, electronics guy or simply an enthusiast dealing with Alfas Laughing

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

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:59 pm Post subject:

In a former life, i used to repair cars for a livin, but well, no more! Today i still fix some from time to time, mostly tricky problems or exotic developments, between two regular jobs. Desperately trying to get a job that'll let me enough spare time to enjoy another of my hobbies : mountain climbing.

Ben_nz · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:12 am Post subject:

ZeNiTh-PbArM · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject:

Hi,

Since the worst wear always appear on cylinder #2, which is the farthest from the oil pump, it might be possible to incriminate oil starvation due to insufficient flow when engine's cold. Oil filters without bypass valve are reported to trigger such problems.
And yes, cam bores wear! On the Alfa Nord engines, tappets bores were bored directly in the head. Due to the cost of a new head, Alfa supplied oversize tappets (no more available today) ; in case of wear, it was possible to re-bore the head and install bigger tappets to restore proper clearance. Sud engines tappet bores are part of the "cheap" camshaft housings ; replacement of the housings is required whenever clearances get out of specs.
In my experience, tappet bores easily get oval, and in the case of chewed tappets & camshafts, they're almost all the time damaged beyond repair. The easiest solution is to find good second-hand ones. New tappets can be sourced at various dealers, including Audi, Rover, Ford, Seat, Opel and Volvo ; maybe some of these manufacturers also sell oversize tappets, i never really inquired. Anyway it's still possible to refurbish an old housing by inserting custom-made liners. Not a cheap solution, unless you're friends with a local machine shop...

regards,
zp