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156 lots of trouble, please help!

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lots trouble
2K views 40 replies 10 participants last post by  zulu ferret 
#1 ·
Hi, A week ago i bought myself an 2001 156, 2.0 TS lovely car for about 100 miles, Its now using LOADS of oil, white smoke out the back only on start up until the engine is warm, it is not losing any water at all but over heats regulary, may be because the radiator fun is not working(dont know why?) the car still has a lot of power and i'm hoping someone will say its not the head gasket!! other problems include knocking from the front when going over bumpy roads, the battery goes flat when left over night but jump starts and runs fine?
Any advice with any of these probs grealy recieved and if it is the head gasket would you advise an ameteur to try it with a manual????
Many thanks
 
#2 ·
Does it lose coolant from the header tank level mark?

Does the radiator cooling fan run when it is left idling for a while?

What temperature is recorded on the gauge?

White vapour from the exhaust is normal, in winter.

Anti-roll bar/links/suspension bushings?

Age of battery? Hello and welcome.:):
 
G
#4 ·
David. The first thing we need to know is where you are as you have not listed it in your profile.

What I intend suggesting is that you take the car to a good independent Alfa Romeo specialist and ask them to check the car over for you. It won't cost much and they will tell you whether there is anything wrong or whether you are jumping at shadows.

Tell us where you are and we can hopefully point you in the right direction.

These cars do use a lot of oil (well the TS engines do) so when you say 'Loads of oil' how much exactly. It must be checked and topped up EVERY week.

It could just be a dodgy thermostat causing slow warm up. DO NOT ATTEMPT A HEAD GASKET CHANGE IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER. Its probably not necessary anyway, as Zulu Ferret has already said....White smoke..its winter..all cars do it when cold..look about you.

*MOST IMPORTANT* How many miles has the car done, and do you know if the cam belt has been changed ever?

You almost certainly need a new battery. Get it checked and changed if necessary. All modern cars need a good battery, its the electronics.

Come back to us with the info requested and we'l take it further for you.

Welcome to AO

AlfaLincs
 
#5 ·
David

As AlfaLincs says, 1st thing - new battery, don't keep jump starting it or you could blow your ECU and DO NOT try the head gasket yourself....it's ok for an amatuer to try it on a fiesta with a push rod engine or something, but alfas are too complicated if you don't know what you're doing!

I'm also thinking thermostat for your overheating fault, as for the white smoke, how much smoke are you talking about? Can you still see the car behind you???
 
#7 ·
Hi,

The most important thing is to fix the fan before it causes damage, over heating the TS engine leads to bad mojo.:tut: Oil consumption is normal on many TS engines which is due to tollerence inconsistansies at the factory, e.g some use oil others dont use any. White smoke is normal on a cold morning, however, just keep an eye on it. Get your alternator checked its an easy check to make sure it charging the battery, my guess is its the battery thats knackered due to the lack of a warning light to say otherwise. BTW the fan will probs be thtemp switch that needs replacing or more than likely the contacts are dirty, its rare to see a fan motor burned out. If your worried about head gasket 2 easy checks, give the old water tank a good sniff see if it smells of oil, check your dip stick make sure the oil doesnt look like bailys cream:thumbs: This isnt a 100% check but in most cases it will rule out any serious problems. Just on another note if you manage to sort these problems out id get the cam belt changed asap. If I can be of further asistance let me know semjasa45@hotmail.com or I can talk you through what u need to be doing its not a problem.
 
#11 ·
Hi, Many thanks to you all for your replys!,
I already put a new battery on the car as i thought this was the problem(didnt solve anything),
the engine is using half its oil every 3days and the smoke out the back fills the road! only until the engine is hot!
the car runs fine and only overheats in traffic and i have just checked the water which is now brown(was'nt a few days ago) but it has'nt lost any! also the engine management light keeps coming on intermitantly
I live in Canterbury kent
great people great site thankyou!!!!!!!!
 
#28 ·
Classic Head gasket symptoms. But your using nearly a litre of oil a day. Jesus man, get that thing sorted now. As it's overheating when your in traffic then it's pretty screwed. Sorry but I recommend a new engine and not a rebuild as the heat damage to the head will have trashed the alloy, possibly burnt out a few valves too. £1500 for a recon fitted or £1500+ for a rebulild on your cooked mill. I know which way I'd go.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Sounds like trouble near the #1 cylinder. I'd check your oil and water levels very closely. Especially if the oil is milky and the water is darker than normal. Smokey exhaust on acceleration? Then most likely the head gasket. Possibly broken #1 piston rings or cracked head but you'd have a lot more noise with the rings.
 
#17 ·
ooh oil on 1 and 2, i was expecting it only on 1 cylinder, since its on 2 cylinders it seems less likely that a piston ring or valve stem seal has suddenly given up (whats the chances of it happening on 2 cylinders at same time) so you need to be realistic and accept its engine swap time.
 
#18 ·
Our old 'smoker' still puff's a bit of blue on start up, but when I had the head off a couple of years ago, the bores looked fine.:): Did the valve lapping stint, and popped new umbrella seals on the valve guides. Reckon now she could of done with new exhaust valve guides as these are critical clearance wise. Anyway, she uses a negligible amount of oil, and as the gearbox is on it's last legs, not going to bother with the smoke signals on startup.:):

When I was a 'keenee' would of seen if it was worth re-building the box, after stripping it, but nowadays I'm a lazy tike!:D:lol:
 
G
#20 ·
Thats not sounding very good..and I'm getting bad vibes about the previous owners reasons for selling. These things tend not to happen overnight.

Are there any Alfa independents in Kent that we know of ? I don't know any off hand.

AlfaLincs
 
#21 ·
dont worry about the brown water, long as it dont smell of oil.
The battery going flat, check the boot light isnt stuck on, n yes u will have to put someone in the boot to check. Im afraid it sounds like piston rings. Id recomend an engine swap. How far are u from chesterfield Ital Motors are good.
 
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