What kills the T-spark???

Originally Posted by Andyboy

Then how do the Japanese manage it?

They probably cheapen up the car in other area's such as the interior..

They also prioritise on other areas during the design phase. Quality is something you build in, rather than add on!

Exactly. You just cannot defend the stuff Bosch makes now. Both German and Italian cars would be so much better with Japanese electronics.

Long overdue pictures

Alfa and Thami 010.jpg
Alfa and Thami 011.jpg

Yeah you're right mate!!

Is the white color tensionner for TS and the chrome color one for JTS?

Originally Posted by Skillz

Long overdue pictures

Attachment 46452
Attachment 46453

No mate. one is new and the other is used...

'Worrying number of 2.0 litre engine failures due to oil starvation when engines were full of oil points a finger at oil pump failure.'

Car review: Alfa Romeo 156 (1998 - 2005)

'Random failures do happen though. I was working at an Alfa dealer one Saturday and a 145 2.0TS arrived knocking its tits off - and it had plenty of oil.'

Confirmation of oil pump failure?

Originally Posted by gokuu

Is the white color tensionner for TS and the chrome color one for JTS?

Both for TS. the greyish one is plastic and the other metal

The JTS tensioners will be the same, as the belt arrangement and the block are the same.

the radiators can gradually fall apart without water loss resulting in high temperatures which in turn help cause head gaskets to fail.my relatively low mileage 01 spider has a dreadfull radiator and several 156s ive owned x and y reg,had radiators where the cooling vanes had dropped out all over the place but usually from the bottom up.The alloy heads also suffer from corrosion and over a period of time this can undermine the head gasket as water eventually can go where it should not.being an individual with limited financial means i.e. skint, im mindfull of the fact that when i buy a " previously enjoyed"usally by many!! second hand alfa i checkout the radiator and cooling system as well as the notorious tensioners.

Originally Posted by Monza96

'Worrying number of 2.0 litre engine failures due to oil starvation when engines were full of oil points a finger at oil pump failure.'

Car review: Alfa Romeo 156 (1998 - 2005)

I am sceptical of this... Oil pump failures have happened, there is no denying that. However having spoken with someone who has rebuilt a lot of TS engines he reckoned that the oil pump also becomes damaged when the engine is run low on oil. It then reduces pressure and the engine fails many miles down the road at which point the engine is full of oil.

There is also the issue of cranks failing many thousand miles down the road after being run low on oil, and because the engine is also then full of oil, the oil pump gets the blame.

But why doesn't that hold for other engines?

It can't be just Twin Sparks that get run low on oil. Do other engines eat their oil pumps if they are run low on oil?

Is there a narrowere 'tolerance' issue on how much oil Twin Sparks need?

I find it difficult to believe that Alfa owners check their oil levels any less than the drivers of other brands of cars.


I have just had a coin dropping moment. This thread has confirmed an earlier idea. I'll have that brain burp and await a response, or share their response.

The TS engine does have a bit of a drink problem when it comes to oil, and that coupled with the engine not being very tolerant of neglect is what causes the problems.

On the TS engine if the oil pressure light comes on due to a low level then chances are you will have done damage. On most other engines the light comes on before damage is done.

People are also not used to lifting the bonnet of their cars between services these days, and Alfs'a go against the convention here.

Originally Posted by Monza96

'Worrying number of 2.0 litre engine failures due to oil starvation when engines were full of oil points a finger at oil pump failure.'

Car review: Alfa Romeo 156 (1998 - 2005)

It also talks about air con condenser stone damage, brake disc scoring, steering rack failure, Clutch, clutch release bearing, and gearbox input shaft bearing problems..... are these all really common problems? Cambelts, suspension bushes and oil consumption come up regularly in this forum, but some of those problems I don't remember clocking?

Originally Posted by mave

It also talks about air con condenser stone damage, brake disc scoring, steering rack failure, Clutch, clutch release bearing, and gearbox input shaft bearing problems..... are these all really common problems?

No.

TS oil pumps fail very seldom. My specialist says that he's only had one case of a failed TS oil pump and that was due to the oil sump being dented from contact with a rock.

On the other hand he's had many cases of cars coming in for a service with their engines rattling because of lack of oil. Some of them did have bottom-end failures over time but none of them had a failed oil pump.

Ignorance

Originally Posted by symonh2000

I heard a rumour that there was a mix up in the translation between Km and miles, hence the rest of europe got a shorter change interval.

Its a shame it ook them so long to change the interval really, it must have been around 10 years after the 16V TS was launched.

Don´think it was a translation error since my 166 TS from 1999instruction book says 120.000 km which was then changed later to 80.000 km or 3 yrs.

I think the 164TS originally came with chain and not belt?

[quote=Bjerregaard;2000274]Don´think it was a translation error since my 166 TS from 1999instruction book says 120.000 km which was then changed later to 80.000 km or 3 yrs.
I agree.
My 1999 book says 120000km/6-years too.

Originally Posted by Bjerregaard

I think the 164TS originally came with chain and not belt?

Yes, but that was the old 8v TS. Completely different engine.