halftone's 2008 Alfa Romeo 147 Sport Q2

2008

Alfa Romeo

147 Sport Q2

Nero carbonio 876/B

Purchased Dec 2015 in very good condition but cheap because of a disclosed but undiagnosed engine fault (a dreadful rattle that I was sure was not big ends or mains). After initial unrealistic optimism that it was an injector fault, hydraulic lifter, crank pulley or alternator pulley, this turned out to be what my instinct said all along: 2 detached swirl flaps (plastic Magneti Maretti manifold with metal flaps). I repaired this during late January and February 2016, with an Autolusso reconditioned head, all new belts, pulleys, tensioners and waterpump, gaskets, oil, filters, coolant etc. All flaps were deleted from the manifold and the EGR fully blanked. The turbo was also inspected, stripped and cleaned. It was in very good condition aside from sticking vanes due to the car standing unused for 6m.

The car is now terrific, the rattle gone, and I love driving it.

If you have a JTDM with the plastic manifold, get those flaps deleted NOW. It is a quarter of the work, and a tenth of the parts cost, of bent valves and head damage. I was lucky, even so. There was only very superficial cosmetic piston damage and no bore damage at all (leak tested fine).

Standard apart from deleted swirl flaps and blanked EGR. No DPF on this model, thankfully, so it should now have a long trouble-free life.

Standard Sport Q2

Standard Sport Q2

BOSE sound system retrofitted by previous owner. He also installed a Grom Bluetooth module. That allows phone music and calls via the CD changer input. Works rather well.

Standard Sport Q2 (= 15mm lower than other 147 JTDM's, uprated AR bars)

Standard Sport Q2