[Shawnobi]

Hi,
Picked up my first Alfa, 115BHP 147 last night. Already fixed 2 of the faults the owner was getting rid of it cheap for.
However it feels down on power. I also own a VW Touran with 25 more ponies and only 30 lb-ft extra of torque and that will tear holes in the tarmac!
The alfa initially feels like it will zoom off as you let out the clutch then just go flat all the way through the revs.

My first thought is MAF sensor so will check that. Wondering if any experienced owners may point me to a few other suspects?

Thanks

 

[Shawnobi]

Is it possible to remove the MAF connector without removing the battery tray? I had a quick look and can't even see the MAF!

 

[dominic2115]

Check your turbo hosed for leaks/splits, these are prone to this

 

[sneaker]

If you don't get considerable smoke it will not be a turbo hose. Might want to replace the air and fuel filters especially if there's no reliable note on when they were last done. EGR valve is also prone to sticking, clean or blank it

 

[Shawnobi]

Hmm. So just pulled the MAF connector off and took it around the block. Didn't feel any different to be honest. Anything else I should be checking? There's definitely no smoke. Turbo operation?

 

[kandlbarrett]

I would start with seeing if there are any fault codes as not all faults cause the light to come on. If there are stored codes note them, clear them, drive it and see if any return. Then work with those.

 

[kandlbarrett]

As already suggested checking that the EGR is not stuck open is worthwhile or blank it completely to test.

 

[kandlbarrett]

Also maybe worth driving another 115 as a seat of your pants meter isn't a good check if you haven't driven one of those before.

 

[Shawnobi]

As already suggested checking that the EGR is not stuck open is worthwhile or blank it completely to test.

Yeah going to clean the EGR, Boost sensor, Map sensor and MAF tomorrow. Then check all the hoses. All the low power stuff I have read seems to be sub 3000 rpm. And that is where it is best.

Starting to wonder if I am imagining it but no other 115 to test. It doesn't seem much quicker than my old 1999 Peugeot HDi I just got shot of. Maybe I'll try a timed 0 -60. As I say, our VW touran has only a bit more power but it's brutal. But it does have a 6 speed and DSG.

 

[Firstcaralfa]

I would agree with what's said here.

EGR, all turbo hoses including VNT hoses. MAF, MAP and have a look at how coked up your inlet is.

I would put some injector cleaner in too and take it for a blast.

 

[kandlbarrett]

I am not suggesting that you are imagining it nor that you are wrong but do remember that the 115 is an old design and the turbo won't hold on to the torque like modern designs. Do the free or cheap checks but don't spend lots of money until you have done a side-by-side comparison.

 

[msw2016]

the 115 isn't overly quick in a straight line, overtakes on A roads have to be carefully considered. mine is great on half decent B roads where you can drive it fairly hard without losing traction etc.

 

[dgmayhead]

As said already. Don't expect too much performance from the 8valve. If it sounds ok, the delivery is smooth and it doesn't smoke it's probably giving all it's got.

 

[Shawnobi]

So did some jobs today. Failed at the MAP sensor as no Ribe bits and the MAF sensor was a 5 point head not a 6 so didn't have the tool for that either. Noticed airbox wasn't sealed properly so fixed that. So will want to have a look at the MAF when I get a chance to see if it looks very dirty.

However I took it for a spin and noticed something. Throttle has always felt a bit like the cable is elastic. Noticed that when I hit the pedal hard to the floor it will actually have some power. Just giving it about 3/4 like I had didn't really make it shift like I'd expected. It's not a linear pedal to accel. So I think it's been down to driving style really. Thanks for all the people who took time to comment though. I think it's actually running fine.