Alfa Brera repair saga

bembo449

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I thought I'd share this with you all as it goes to show that the silliest of things can cause really big head aches when repairing cars
I bought an Alfa Brera 2.4jtd last year and not long after it developed a coolant issue where it would be fine for say 200 miles then all of a sudden the temp gauge would shoot up and all manner of warnings would pop up on the dash , so on finding pressure in the coolant system ( but no loss 0f coolant ) I worked my way through possible causes , thermostat , waterpump , blocked rad , heater matrix non of which were faulty , eventually I realised the head was cracked ( wtf ? ) so after some research I found out that the old alfa 156 2.4jtd head would fit and it was stronger with thicker valves to boot , now this 5 pot engine is very labour intensive to work on so I spread the work out over a few of weeks as there was no real hurry to have it running again , what I didn't bank on was having a month off the spanners due to ill health . Anyway having eventually got it all rebuilt , timed up , it refused to start , triple checked timing , all connections , battery fully charged , plugged in and checked all sensors were working etc but nothing , then it occurred to me how long the fuel had been sat in the fuel filter ( around 10 weeks ) so I emptied it out , topped it up with fresh derv and after a bit of cranking it started ! So it just goes to show that simple things can cause lots a headaches and that one should never forget to check the basics
 

Westheath

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Yes seem like they messed up the later heads on the 159 2.4 jtd's with cracks between the valves and glow plugs.

The older 2.4 20v jtd's could take a beating (the 10v 2.4 was a tank engine) especially when remapped but the valves were thicker (helping disperse heat)
and the cooling system a bit more robust.
Don't over dose the cooling system with anti-freeze use recommended quantity
and the thermostat can be suspect if its been replaced with a non Alfa Romeo one.
Also
Make sure your DPF is regenerating properly.

Just some problems with those I have come across.

:)
 
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Frontstep

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Thats a new one on me, 10 weeks fuel storage does not seem long enough to cause non starting with a diesel.
 

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Diesel will last for 30 years (ask the Russians!)
 

Westheath

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Probably air in the system as usual.

I had one of the young techs cranking a Volvo over trying to start it after a fuel filter change,
I was firmly tapping the o/s/f tyre with my foot he looked at me asked what I'm doing,
I told him it helps bleed the air out of the fuel system,
the next 3 second crank it started up I smiled and left him frowning.

Pure coincidence ...................... but I love a wind up :)
 
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bembo449

bembo449

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westheath , have you ever replaced the small pully belt that runs the alternator on the 2.4jtd ?
 

Westheath

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Yea the stretch belt, I have the tools to wind on and flip/flick it on the pulley,
but you can loosen the air con compressor and pivot it a little to get it on.

But you need to stretch stretch and stretch...........................
 
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bembo449

bembo449

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I ended up un-doing the air con pump , what an absolute PITA it was to do but the car is running well at least
 

Westheath

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Doing a stretch belt on a Golf with the spring loaded alternator...............now that's fun and it takes 2 people to safely get it on.
 
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bembo449

bembo449

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ive no doubt pal , I certainly wont be doing another 2.4jtd again oh no siree bob
 
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bembo449

bembo449

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are you sure ? everyone on the alfa owners forum reckons the tools for doing the job don't work on the 2.4 set up as its too far too stretch the belt o_O
 

Westheath

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are you sure ? everyone on the alfa owners forum reckons the tools for doing the job don't work on the 2.4 set up as its too far too stretch the belt o_O


You can own tools ......................... but you still need to know how to use them.

:)
 
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bembo449

bembo449

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well yeah but I had a rather large pry bar on the job and still couldn't get it to stretch enough without undoing anything , care to share exactly which tool you have ;)
 

Westheath

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Gates stretch belt kits x 2, and Fords 4 piece kit very good but cant remember part numbers, and a SnapOn SBT2KT
> iirc i use the Ford kit on the Alfa 2.4 JTD
Are all I ever need for stretch belt fitting ....... so far.
 
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bembo449

bembo449

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thanks for that pal , I cant say I will invest in a kit as I rarely do any but nice to know which kit to get if the need arises
 

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