My V6 idled perfectly before I had the cam belts changed recently. Now it's chugging like a damn tractor! Timing has been confirmed as o.k and runs fine throughout the rest of the Rev range. I cleaned the MAF when I changed the air filter recently after the idle problem started. Also tried ignition reset sequence but to no avail..... Any ideas gratefully received :thinking:
sounds like this. The V6 is very smooth and you sometimes dont notice its running on 5. Try removing coilpack leads one at a time and if there is no change when you unplug one then thats your culprit.
Not necessarily! Mine pulled quite well on only 5. At the time I thought the lumpy idle was due to a manifold leak, which reminds me 5leafclova do you you hear a ticking sound at idle?
Lumpy idle after cambelt change screams slightly wrong timing to me too, as symon said.
There is another way to check, though. Covers off, and then make sure the marks on the backsides of the camshafts (gearbox side) are lined up 100% perfectly with the level of the head.
On my car the rear bank (cylinders 1, 2 and 3) exhaust cam was ever so slightly off, which was enough to cause a rally-car idle and an occasional MCSF on a cold morning, but car still pulled like a train.
EDIT: Oh, and the mechanic also "confirmed" the timing as being correct. Then checked the coil packs (nope!) the spark plugs (nope!) the HT leads (nope!) the intake (nope!) the MAF (nope!) until I insisted he set that cam exactly onto the mark. And lo and behold, suddenly car purrs like a kitten at idle again. He was gracious about it and freely admitted that he'd learned something about the V6 there and then.
Probably is the timing - however the only way to check the timing is correct is with the correct cam locks.
I know older V6's had marks manufactured into the camshafts but I haven't seen them on mine.
Emphasis on CORRECT cam locks, yes. The mechanic had the "correct" cam locks, but they were actually for the 2.5. They look like they fit on the 3.2, but the timing is actually off.
My 3.2 had very distinct markings on the camshafts - impossible to miss.
Thanks for all of the pointers guys. I'm going to start working through the potential problems. Not sure if the timing was checked with the correct gauges and there was no mention of checking the marks on the camshafts....
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Alfa Romeo Forum
7.1M posts
216.5K members
Since 2001
The friendly Alfa Romeo Club - If you are looking to buy or you are already an Alfa Romeo owner, join alfaowner.com today to get the most from your ownership