[ChrisSound]

Well I forced my girlfriend to drive me up to Grimsby to have a look at s 2002 156 Selespeed Veloce. The car was stunning, really well looked after and seemed to have everything going for it, pretty much said to the guy I would buy it then thought oh I had better test drive it eh?
So took it out n it was great, slightly clunky gear change between 1st n 2nd but nothing major (I don't think) so we passed a petrol station and all of a sudden the engine fault light came on and the selespeed light started flashing, there was beeping also car in limp mode 1st and 2nd only
The car had run out of fuel so we went to fill it up and no change, engine light and limp mode.
Got it back to the house and checked the selespeed fluid level and topped up and after some fiddling managed to clear engine fault light and selespeed light so took it out again. It behaved beautifully until 10m back to the house where it did the same thing as before.

I obviously declined the sale as I couldn't move the car but was mad upset as this car was stunning. Had the money in my pocket and everything!!!
First off does anyone know what may have caused an engine fault and when there is an engine fault does it automatically flash the selespeed light to let you know you have limited gears or is that a fault with the selespeed system?
Also the fella said it had been sat for a week and the battery voltage may have been low enough to cause false issues, he is going to charge it and use it for a few days to see if that is the case, if the car behaves fine he is willing to deliver it from Grimsby to Northampton for me to compensate me for my journey and prove that the car has no faults by driving it that far.

What do you guys reckon? An omen for me to stay away or a genuine car with a low battery or minor issue easy enough to diagnose and mend? Ora lemon best avoided?

The other point is this car wanted for nothing, reciepts galore!!

 

[iainfm]

Could well be the battery. As far as I know, a Sele fault won't bring on the engine light. Low batteries are renowned for causing xmas tree effects though!

Good luck with your hunt

 

[Chelsea Paul]

Well I forced my girlfriend to drive me up to Grimsby to have a look at s 2002 156 Selespeed Veloce. The car was stunning, really well looked after and seemed to have everything going for it, pretty much said to the guy I would buy it then thought oh I had better test drive it eh?
So took it out n it was great, slightly clunky gear change between 1st n 2nd but nothing major (I don't think) so we passed a petrol station and all of a sudden the engine fault light came on and the selespeed light started flashing, there was beeping also car in limp mode 1st and 2nd only
The car had run out of fuel so we went to fill it up and no change, engine light and limp mode.
Got it back to the house and checked the selespeed fluid level and topped up and after some fiddling managed to clear engine fault light and selespeed light so took it out again. It behaved beautifully until 10m back to the house where it did the same thing as before.

I obviously declined the sale as I couldn't move the car but was mad upset as this car was stunning. Had the money in my pocket and everything!!!
First off does anyone know what may have caused an engine fault and when there is an engine fault does it automatically flash the selespeed light to let you know you have limited gears or is that a fault with the selespeed system?
Also the fella said it had been sat for a week and the battery voltage may have been low enough to cause false issues, he is going to charge it and use it for a few days to see if that is the case, if the car behaves fine he is willing to deliver it from Grimsby to Northampton for me to compensate me for my journey and prove that the car has no faults by driving it that far.

What do you guys reckon? An omen for me to stay away or a genuine car with a low battery or minor issue easy enough to diagnose and mend? Ora lemon best avoided?

The other point is this car wanted for nothing, reciepts galore!!

Everything is negotiable, you can factor in selespeed repair into the price offered if the rest of the car is mint and it has full history, find out how much it is to fix and see how far he`s prepared to come down
or just walk away, there`s plenty of other decent 156`s about, just go into it eyes open and know what faults your looking for .

 

[ChrisSound]

Just had a call from the guy.
He put it on diagnostics and it came up with a Sele Oil Sensor. Apparently it was wobbling and when moved he could hear the pump cutting in and out. He's cleaned and tightened it and the car is running fine (20mile test drive).
Sounds plausible to me.

 

[iainfm]

Just had a call from the guy.
He put it on diagnostics and it came up with a Sele Oil Sensor. Apparently it was wobbling and when moved he could hear the pump cutting in and out. He's cleaned and tightened it and the car is running fine (20mile test drive).
Sounds plausible to me.

See if he knows what the fault code was. 'Sele oil sensor' is a new one to me... There is a pressure sensor though...

BTW, the pump should not run continuously. It should run for 5 seconds or so when the driver's door is opened, run again when the ignition is switched to 'MAR', then only run every 3-5 gear changes.

 

[156zoo]

Just had a call from the guy.
He put it on diagnostics and it came up with a Sele Oil Sensor. Apparently it was wobbling and when moved he could hear the pump cutting in and out. He's cleaned and tightened it and the car is running fine (20mile test drive).
Sounds plausible to me.

all cars have their faults selespeed ones can be expensive though...

 

[iainfm]

all cars have their faults selespeed ones can be expensive though...

They certainly can be...if you take them to places that don't know what they're doing.

Many places will start by changing the actuator (£1000), and proceed from there, but most faults are very simple and cheap to fix if you're willing to do a bit of fault-finding.

The worst Selespeed fault that I've seen is a crack in the gearbox casing, where the main shaft bearing went. This can happen to any manual box though...

Like anything else, it depends how well the car's been looked after.

 

[ChrisSound]

Luckily i'm not going in blind. I had a Selespeed a couple of years ago. The main problem I had with that was the clutch went causing the car to jump into neutral.
I guess it is a case of suck it and see, it comes with Warranty so thats I little bit of piece of mind.

 

[jay w]

Both of the explanations the seller gave were plausable....

I would be inclined to take the car for a really through drive, i would try and get it into a town situation where the car has to change up and down a lot, this will show up any outstanding flaws with the system.

If the car has a warranty with it make sure that the gearbox and the actuator unit are covered and ask when then clutch was changed they generally last about 80K

 

[ChrisSound]

Yeah I will be giving it a good drive 2moro to make sure the issue is sorted for sure.
Really looking forward to hopefully driving away with a smile on my face

 

[purple145]

when mrs P ran out of petrol rolleyes she claimed that 'selespeed fault' was displayed when it would not start up, so again sounds like there is an element of truth in there

 

[Bill xjr]

Yeah I will be giving it a good drive 2moro to make sure the issue is sorted for sure.
Really looking forward to hopefully driving away with a smile on my face

Hope its all good for you Chris cos it sounds like you have your heart set on it. I bit the bullit with mine a couple of months back 2001 sele veloce all got so far , its not like we are loosing grands and grands if it all goes wrong

 

[ChrisSound]

Cheers guys. Well I went up to go see it. Took it for a big long drive and it was lovely, so bought it.
Got all the way from Grimsby to Northampton with no faults whatsoever then took it for another spin that night n it came up with the same issues!

Yet to find out what it is got a cable to diagnose it on the way. Currently though the battery is out and having a proper recharge, may need a new one anyway. Airbox has been pulled out as it wasn't connected properly then found out is it split before the air filter but it isn't right so either will fit a k&n induction kit or find a replacement stock box.
Got a bit of cable checking and cleaning to do on the acuator and the throttle body. Need to find away to check if the crank sensor is working properly.

Im not angry or upset just want my car to work. The seller has been superb though and has said whatever it costs he will cover it. We are in regular contact too.

 

[purple145]

best to be philosophical about it, sounds like you have the car you wanted, its just the issues have cropped up now rather than in a years time.

I'd sooner have the car I want with a couple of niggles than drive round in my second or third choice.

 

[ChrisSound]

Thats exactly my thoughts too. All the little problems are irritating but it means I know what's been done and not, the main problem I am yet to diagnose but I have a feeling I'll need a new battery either way. Friday I have the whole day off n hopefully my cable will arrive by then.