Hey guys,

So I bought my first Alfa ever (2009 159 1.9JTDM 16v) a week ago and everything was running perfectly until 2 days ago when I discovered it wouldn't start and the battery was dead (confirmed by an AA technician). So I replaced the battery yesterday, however, I did not use a memory saving tool/slave battery as I didn't think it was that important and I didn't have the time, a stupid decision I know. Now I'm having issues with little to no acceleration from a complete stop/idle, especially on a hill, it didn't have these symptoms before so I assume it is the computers being reset and idling poorly/the ECM needing to relearn its purpose.

Any ideas on what to do next?

Thanks!

There is always a cause to an issue, so a replacement battery is the immediate cure to the issue, now the cause needs to be cured to....
Go to a local tyre and exhaust centre. 99% of them do a FREE battery and alternator drop test. This will determine if a. The battery is holding a sustained charge point ( even new batteries can be defective).
b. The alternator is in fact, charging at a stable and consistent rate, 14.0v and above in a healthy system.
Once you have that out the way and if there is a discrepency in either( we'll assume that it's the alternator). Is it charging but fluctuating?
That's an alternator voltage rectifier issue So new alternator or an auto electrician can repair it.
Voltage us constant but voltage is below 12.5v. that either an exiter diode issue on the blue alternator wire ( auto electrician can fix) or its an earthing issue.
To discern the difference between the two, if you can get hold of a multi meter and keep an eye on the charge rate while doing this, the better things work out in the elimination process. Get the engine up to running temperature, blip the throttle to max revs. If the voltage starts regulating properly, it's an exiter issue. If it remains low but constant then it's an earth issue.
First is and clean the battery terminals thoroughly.
Next is to clean the negative terminal to the inner wing and if you have one fitted, from the gearbox to the engine block. If not, I recommend buying one off eBay for £3 and fit between the negative terminal and the engine block.... M6 to M10 lugs and the front right engine hoist lug is lovely and clean under the main bolt.
Now you are earthed up to the nine's, a common weak point on all 159's and you'd be surprised just how many issues are related to it!
These are free, easy and cheap to try... After that it becomes more expensive and more complicated so try them first and report back.
Now you may be thinking what the hell has this got to do with running issues that you've explained?
A lot! 159/ Brera's are very voltage sensitive and very, very amp hungry, so if they aren't up to scratch initially when a new battery is fitted, it throws up all manner of problems... An ECU has to relearn parameters and the amps that requires from all things competing for those amps, something has to miss out, more so if there is an underlying fault on the electrical charge system.

We will all try and help from there if it isn't resolved but you'd be surprised at how many causes are rectified just by performing the above checks and measures

 

As above a charge rate check is a good idea however before doing anything else I would clean the battery to body earth,add additional battery to engine earth and also make sure the battery connections are clean and secure.

 

Thanks for the quick and very very helpful replies! I'm taking it in to get a drop test tomorrow morning and will report back as to the results/what the mechanic thinks.

 

I had the same odd issues with power

So i took off the earth strap and of course the bolt snapped, so i put back on else where then added a 2nd to else where on teh body then a 3rd onto the engine block.

Still get the odd eklctrical shock in dry weather when i get out car

 

....

Still get the odd electrical shock in dry weather when i get out car

That's static electricity, earth straps won't help against that
The only thing that will help for that is the old-fashioned earth strap going from chassis to the road.....

(or wear less nylon )

https://www.wikihow.com/Get-out-of-a-Car-Without-Getting-Shocked-by-Static-Electricity

 

Grahameo......it's not actually compulsory to answer technical threads with ridiculously long posts.....just puts people off reading them. If you like a chat why not go to the non tech forums on here. It's worse when you put lots of anecdotal rubbish that's nothing to do with the question that was asked! And worse still when a lot of the info is either hearsay, opinion or just plain wrong!.....your carbon nonsense or your recent statement on Alfa handling for example. My granddad used to say "It's far better to keep your mouth shut and let people THINK you are an idiot than open it....and remove all possible doubt". Obviously this is just my opinion....others may disagree...but I doubt it! Lol. Obviously I can't stop you posting whatever you want...which is fine....I just won't be reading it. Be interesting to see how many likes I get on this post!

Sorry about that OP but I could not stop myself! Back on topic...its a strange one. The only similar issue I had was with my Jeep after a battery removal to repair the battery tray. Lots of strange faults and no power. I just left the earth off overnight...next day I reconnected and all was good!

 

He reminds me of Sizewell/Xanadu in more ways than his verbosity!:bigmouth: Still, takes all sorts.

To the OP: its not necessary to use a backup battery or other means when changing the battery unless this is stated in the vehicle handbook. The ECU does not normally lose its main (important) settings when disconnected. (eg fault codes are not cleared by disconnecting the battery even for hours)

On my Brera the only thing that's needs to be relearned are the windows.

 

I posted his equally wordy and condescending reply that he PMed me in this thread...but admin deleted it. I expect he went crying to them. They are no fun! This will probably go the same way! Lol.

 

PM = 'private message' so you might have expected that by publishing it.

 

So, finally managed to get it in for a test sorry for the delay. The much anticipated result is the battery voltage is perfect, alternator is charging correctly, and the grounding is correct.

Since my last comment I have been driving a fair bit and notice that the acceleration issue has almost gone away, however gear changes are sometimes clunky, shaky and it seems that it is missing gears a little. Could this be due to the automatic transmission fluids age? It hasn’t been changed for 10 years and i heard it was recommended to change it around 80,000kms (I’m on 79,500). Anyone know how to go about doing this?

The acceleration is still a bit 50/50, however I think it may just be that I’m used to driving a petrol engine, if this is the case it’s still a bit sad that the 1.9td engine doesn’t fare against my old 1.4 polo! Due to this I can’t help but think the Alfa should be much quicker from a stop, so I’m going to have an Italian mechanic check it out, could be some completely unrelated issue.

Thanks again for the help, any suggestions are welcome!

 

No problem mate, the Q tronic won't miss gears unless it's hard revved. I would definitely get the transmission fluid changed. Alfa say the box is a "sealed unit" yet Volvo, Vauxhall, Citroen Toyota and Lexus all use the very same box and recommend 30,000 mile fluid changes! Figure that one out!

 

Its a TF80-SC automatic box so a bit of a handy tip. Don't go to an Alfa dealer but go to a Vauxhall dealership and get the two drain plug seals, one is copper and the smaller one is a rubber o ring. It works out a hell of a lot cheaper.
The first thing to check is to make sure that you can budge the filler plug, it's no good draining it if the filler plug is siezed!
It's located on the top of the box, a torx plug. You don't need to remove the battery or tray to do it as long as you use a long extension bar which has a bit of play for your torx socket.
If you are draining and refilling DIY let me know and I'll take you through the whole process mate. It's not difficult but you will either need MES/ elm327 or an in infrared temperature sensor gun ( kitchen/ cooking type will work fine). The gearbox needs to be at 55c to 60c in order to set the fluid level correctly.

 

You’re a legend mate, I’ll definitely look into replacing the transmission fluid before I take it anywhere. I understand I need to use Tutela fluid, correct? Or does it just have to be the right weight like engine oil.. I’m new to a lot of this stuff (obviously) but I’m close with an experienced mechanic who would help me out with the change. I’ll private message you @grahemeo when I’ve got all the stuff for that step by step.

Regarding those plugs/fillers Vauxhall dealerships dont really exist in New Zealand (neither do Alfa dealerships which is helpful) so I may have to find an online store, oh well!