164 1995 cloverleaf

hello, just bought a black 1995 cloverleaf 24v manual, 80K on the clock for £1750. is there anything i should look out for on this particuler model age and mileage? ie known issues or preventative maintenance?

Hi and welcome to AO

I moved your question to the 164 lounge. cheers

I have heard that your face can hurt with all that grinning....

Hi and welcome..

with all 164's check for rust on rear arches (that touches where the rear doors close) as they can start to rust.

also oil the hinge point in the bonnet struts (they are riveted and can break - happened with one of my 164's...)

thanks for the welcome. given that the car is now bargain basement value, i am thinking about changing the cam belt, water pump etc, myself since there is some bearing noise coming from this area of the engine and it was last done 3-4 years ago. i am reasonably competent with mechanics. does anyone have the tools for locking the camshaft and tensioning the belt which they can lend or hire to me? can i get away without locking the cams?
thanks and regards

Hi Fergus and welcome.

See my PM but in short, the risk to your engine is too great to not secure the cams properly. The pulleys are not keyed onto the camshafts and that's why the cam locking blocks are needed.

Hi, Fergus, Good Luck With Cambelt Etc..mine Done 200 Miles Ago,, Tried Everywhere Rather Than Pay Alfa Prices // But No One Had Tools Or Would Take Risk Of
Not Getting Right...finished Up At Alfa///£500 ,,
See My 164 In Sales And In General Chat....alex

thanks for the advice - i have ordered a car data manual, and a pile of tools from gary at 'totally alfa'. will let you know how it goes. has anyone got an official Alfa belt tensioning tool, cam belt adaptor and auxiliary belt adaptor? i am happy to pay a deposit, and will get my local engineering firm to make up a couple of copies if anyone else is interested.

Take it Gary isn't ready to do these bits (tensioner and adaptors) then?

BTW, where are you?

yes gary will be making them, and i am now on the list! i am near maidstone, kent. the 24v cloverleaf is an amazing car to drive, and is incredible value. i can't see why anyone would want to change, once you have one.
f

Originally Posted by fergus164

yes gary will be making them, and i am now on the list! i am near maidstone, kent. the 24v cloverleaf is an amazing car to drive, and is incredible value. i can't see why anyone would want to change, once you have one.
f

I would get Rusper Alfa Romeo to do it for you (01293 871155). It would be done in a day, Dave is a 164 expert and you can be assured it will be done properly. You will need a tensioner and possibly a pulley or two. I had mine done a couple of years ago for £400 all in. Worth the money to avoid the stress and heartache if you ask me! Good luck!

thanks for the info - i think i remember driving past that garage, near gatwick? lots of red cars parked outside. as far as changing the cambelt is concerned, i actually find that sort of thing relaxing - provided you have the correct tools, parts and have allowed it to take a lot longer than you thought - having done it, you have a lot of satisfaction knowing that it is no longer an issue. adding up all the belts, pulleys, pumps, etc that can be replaced once you get in there, it comes to about £300-£400. once you add labour and VAT on top, i doubt you would get much change out of £800. for a 15 year old car, i would be happier to replace everything and know it has been done, than replace a belt or pulley and then worry about a bearing going elsewhere at any time, especially since i would like to take the car abroad this summer.