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Is it possible to Recon a variator?

1K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  zulu ferret 
#1 ·
My cambelt snapped about 3 months ago, I bought a recon head from an Alfa Spares company, he asked if my variator was ok I said that it did sounded a little like a diesel on startup but not that bad. But as a matter of precaution a told him that I'd have one anyway.

Well approx 3-4000 miles later my car sounds like a tractor :confused: having took the rocker cover off I found that the exhaust cam was very worn on number 4 lobes. I went to see the Alfa Spares Company and they supplied me with another Cam. He also said that it could be the Variator as the one he supplied me was a recon and he had fitted one to his girlfriend car and that only lasted 3 months.

I'm a little confused as I'm not sure if the variator can be reconditioned and I was also thought that the variator I bought was brand new.
 
#6 ·
The variators not the real issue anymore, and to say the variator caused the exhaust cam to wear is complete BS, also if the cams where in good shape before the head was fited then I'd suspect the cam journals in the head had worn out, allowing the cam to rock within them and wear away the cam lobes, but the worst part is to come, those filings off the cam travel with the oil around the engine, eventually blocking the filter and opening the by-pass port, this allows them to EVERYpart ofthe lubrication circuit and more often than not the big end shells and crank feel it first, IMO after this damage you need to do a complete teardown of this engine and check every component for wear. I rebuilt an engine that had the same damage as yours a month ago, the bad news was it needed a crank as the big ends had ovaled beyond regrind, the variator was also shot but I could put that down to the pastey oil as the variator was full of it.
 
#7 ·
I had exactly the same issue with a mates car as Smaky described, the exhaust camshaft was showing the same symptoms and after what seemed like a routine (yet suspicious) replacement every fecking thing went wrong and an oil analysis confirmed high iron content (AFTER an oil change) It needed a crank too so we just scrapped it, repair was uneconomic (phase 1 GTV)
 
#8 ·
To be honest, this car should have been a scrapper, but I had the time and luckily, bar the head gasket and big end shells (£60 altogether) we had the entire list of parts needed, even the crank, though upon striping the car we did need lower wishbones and drop links too. The cost of labour to the owner was actually so amazing that I still have the hangover a month later, but from noisey runner to +10 BHP on the original spec figures cost him £200, I think that shows how cheaply a Cloverleaf can be put back on the road See "chatter at 2500rpm" in the 145/146 lounge for the full storey and complete list of damaged parts.
 
#9 ·
Can we not have a post such as:

My TS never suffered belt failure-.. the variator was silent-.. the big end journals were still circular..-she ran like a dream!?? That was my experience of having an Alfa, and, it was a Selespeed.:p

Then after four inspiring years of ownership, she was sold.:(: I wonder if the new owner has clapped her out yet? :lol:
 
#12 ·
LOL, I have had my 146 for 8 years (from new), maintaed it myself and have only replaced the front wishbones, drop links, thermostat and all brake discs/pads in that time outside of standard servicings, so I think that qualifys for your statement. My 3 previous Alfas where all just as cheap to run, the Fords, Pugs and Vauxhalls I've had have all cost a bomb to keep on the road, my 159 may have only been on the road for 3 hours but it would have gotten the same treatment as the 146 s it was required, lucky I dont have to pay labour eh???
 
#13 ·
Well done! Credit where credit is due.:): A difficult commodity to obtain now for the likes of myself, credit I mean.:): However, I will just have to return to that 'make do and mend' attitude we had in the in the forties and fifties. Now where did I stash that bicycle puncture outfit? Memories are made to miss??:D
 
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