So this weekend I decided to spend some time on my troublesome Giulietta so that I can stop hating it and start enjoying it.
So, first things first, I stripped the engine down and put the old water pump back on. Result! the engine no longer whines up to 3000rpm and has gone back to being silky smooth and quiet. The "new" water pump makes a noticable groaning noise when you move the pully by hand. I was not impressed so will be taking this back for a refund.
Then I decided to address the ongoing suspension issue. The only part that I haven't replaced was the strut top bearings but I have had a new set sitting in the garage for the past 10 months. If you have ever done work to the struts on a Giulietta then you will understand why I have put this off for so long. The wishbone has to come out to get the strut out and to get the wishbone off, half the front underside needs to be dismantled! approx 35 nuts and bolts before you can even get to the wishbone!
With the parts off the car I found that the Drivers side strut top bearing was completely knackered. If you spun the bearing it was really rough and noisy and it "Chattered" if you moved it with any speed. It would have been far worse with the weight of the car bearing down on it. With it all newly assembled the suspension is far far better. It rides a lot smoother now (but still not 100% perfect) but it now goes through bumps and ruts without crashing and knocking.
On a final note, I am really not impressed with the build quality of the Bilstein B6's. They are great performers but they have only been fitted for a year and they look really bad. A lot of the powder coating has flaked off as it is very poorly adhered and the metal is not galvanised so it has rusted far faster than any damper I have seen before. The metal is also very weak and easy to bend. The piston rod has badly corroded at the top and the metal is so weak that I couldn't put any torque on the rod to undo the top nut at all without the hex rounding off. In the end I had to use my electric impact wrence to the the nuts off. Sadly I will not be buying them again.
Next jobs on the list: Replace the gearknob and oil filler cap, fix the sticking fuel filler cap and sort the tailgate wiring. It also needs a damn good valet!
So, first things first, I stripped the engine down and put the old water pump back on. Result! the engine no longer whines up to 3000rpm and has gone back to being silky smooth and quiet. The "new" water pump makes a noticable groaning noise when you move the pully by hand. I was not impressed so will be taking this back for a refund.
Then I decided to address the ongoing suspension issue. The only part that I haven't replaced was the strut top bearings but I have had a new set sitting in the garage for the past 10 months. If you have ever done work to the struts on a Giulietta then you will understand why I have put this off for so long. The wishbone has to come out to get the strut out and to get the wishbone off, half the front underside needs to be dismantled! approx 35 nuts and bolts before you can even get to the wishbone!
With the parts off the car I found that the Drivers side strut top bearing was completely knackered. If you spun the bearing it was really rough and noisy and it "Chattered" if you moved it with any speed. It would have been far worse with the weight of the car bearing down on it. With it all newly assembled the suspension is far far better. It rides a lot smoother now (but still not 100% perfect) but it now goes through bumps and ruts without crashing and knocking.
On a final note, I am really not impressed with the build quality of the Bilstein B6's. They are great performers but they have only been fitted for a year and they look really bad. A lot of the powder coating has flaked off as it is very poorly adhered and the metal is not galvanised so it has rusted far faster than any damper I have seen before. The metal is also very weak and easy to bend. The piston rod has badly corroded at the top and the metal is so weak that I couldn't put any torque on the rod to undo the top nut at all without the hex rounding off. In the end I had to use my electric impact wrence to the the nuts off. Sadly I will not be buying them again.
Next jobs on the list: Replace the gearknob and oil filler cap, fix the sticking fuel filler cap and sort the tailgate wiring. It also needs a damn good valet!