Alfa Pages

[Evs]

Hi,
Recently got myself a 33 16v! Never owned an Alfa before but liked the look of it and thought i'd give it a go! The bodywork's excellent, as to is the interior, and yes, as read in many write-ups, it does go some!
Anyway, happy with the overall feel of the car, but when cruising along at about 80 the other day, I suddenly became aware that it tended to drift slightly and I lost confidence in the general steering of the vehicle! I've read that the power steering can be a bit too much when at higher speeds, but to me, this was more than just a tendency of the vehicle!
When checking the car out after the journey, all seemed fine, however, the car rocks back and forward very easily and compared to other cars, feels very bouncy!
Can anybody tell me what I should be checking for in order to improve the feel of it!?
Would be much appreciated, as I want to keep the car running at its best!

[Dreamracers]

Cant offer you any advice on your query. All I can do is welcome you to the wondeful world of owning an Alfa!

As Clarkson said: "You cant be a petrol head until you have owned an Alfa"

[Gary UK]

Congratulations you have a fun, fairly nippy and very agile car in your possession, ENJOY!!

33's with knackered suspension handle better than most cars do anyway but here are a couple of checks you can do;

* Press down on the front and back of the car, does it 'bounce' or just return to normal height and stay there?

* From walking speed apply the handbrake and bring the car to a halt, does the car rock?

[Matt Stolton]

It sounds like the wander could be caused by many little niggly things, so you may have to do a bit of prodding about.

The most common ailment of the 33 is the strut pan bearings. These are hidden inside the lower spring seat on the front strut, and allow the lower half of the strut to swivel when you turn the steering wheel. These are cheap (GBP12-16 each ish), and fitting them isn't too bad. When these fail the car will tend to wander in the direction of the last lock of the steering wheel.

Other things to check are the shocks, all cars shocks wear out over time, so do the test Gary suggested to make sure the shock is damping the springs. When you press down on a corner of the car, it should return back to its original position, and not bounce up past its original position and then back down again. If its too bouncy the shock is not damping the spring properly, and needs replacing. (a good excuse to fit konis!!!)

Other possible "ways to wander" include simple things like tyre pressure irregularities, or uneven tyre wear, although this also points to dodgey shocks or strut pan bearings. Deffinetly worth checking the suspension bushes, front and rear too, as these will perish over time and lead to suspension components moving in places they should go, leading to a misalignment and wander. I presume Gary's second test will test the bushes for wear and play in the suspension.

If your London based, particularly if your East, pop along to Clovertech for advice and ideas. You will be able to see my lovely white P4 (still not finished yet ) and my now revving G plate S2 cloverleaf (I managed to swop engines and get it running although a leaky petrol pump stopped me from driving it!).

Anyway, welcome to the clan, and don't be upset if things go wrong, its all part of the experience
_________________
Regards

Matt

Ex Alfa 33 'GTA' (P4 with Knobs On)
Now cruising in a 166 3.2 Ti!!

[Adam H]

Congratulations on your life-changing purchase. Your life is now complete and will follow the pattern below:

1 - 33 runs well - Fabulous, driving fast, car handling fabulously, outhandling other colleagues, slaughtering other cars of lesser makes, car coming alive in your hands, feeling the connection between foot and front wheels, home late after monster wheel squealing drive in country, cold beer, followed by night of XXX rated activity - Splendid! (99% of time)

2 - 33 is a sod - Bastard, gonna cost me a fortune. 3 cylinders running, funny noises abounding, handles funny. Clonk. (1% of time)

We've all had it, but it is still worth the 1%, honest!

Adam H

[johnboy]

[quote="Evs"]Hi,
Recently got myself a 33 16v! Never owned an Alfa before

That is so wrong man!
but at least you've seen the light.good luck with your car.as matt said,treat her to sum konis, you know it make's sense.welcome to the forum
_________________
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

[Evs]

Many thanks for all the advice! Looks like I'll be messing with it over the weekend! All good fun though!!
Cheers!!