Just fetched my new to me s4 spider. 267 mile drive home went well. The gear lever rattles a lot! Had my hand on it most of the way home to dampen/ quirten it so I could hear the football on the radio. Is this a gearbox problem/ common / simple fix or a take the engine out to replace a washer type job please?
Rattle on gear lever
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I have no knowledge regarding the S4 but if it's anything like the Sud or the Alfetta the place to start is the connection between the gear lever and the gear linkage. Worn bushes or a loose bolt at this connection can certainly give a lot of gear lever rattle.
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Do you have the original gear knob fitted? I had this with mine but it was the aftermarket wooden gear knob which I had fitted. There is a metal ferrule fitted at the base which screws to the wooden part and was hidden by the gaiter. It had come loose and rattled at high revs.
Thankfully the spider has no linkages unlike you lucky Alfetta owners ..........
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gear lever? or could it be gear knob?
if you think it is the gear knob rattling and you have a wood aftermarket one, then try tightening the 3 little allen head set screws under that rubber grommet (slide rubber grommet down)
If gear lever, then it could be internal. I would first look under the centre console (good time to check the rubber gaiters are in place and not torn!) and check the breathers have not perhaps loosened...they hold in the shims left and right of the gear lever....I have never seen them loosened, but one never knows.
see 2nd picture here of breathers, you can see the washers and shims left and right of the gearstick mechanism.......http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/1115660-post9.html
could also just be the little pinch bolt that holds the gear lever to that stub........does the gear lever twist at all? (shouldn't!)
you can see the pinch bolt here at the base of the grey metal casting at base of shift lever
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/4688938-post1.html
if you think it is the gear knob rattling and you have a wood aftermarket one, then try tightening the 3 little allen head set screws under that rubber grommet (slide rubber grommet down)
If gear lever, then it could be internal. I would first look under the centre console (good time to check the rubber gaiters are in place and not torn!) and check the breathers have not perhaps loosened...they hold in the shims left and right of the gear lever....I have never seen them loosened, but one never knows.
see 2nd picture here of breathers, you can see the washers and shims left and right of the gearstick mechanism.......http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/1115660-post9.html
could also just be the little pinch bolt that holds the gear lever to that stub........does the gear lever twist at all? (shouldn't!)
you can see the pinch bolt here at the base of the grey metal casting at base of shift lever
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/4688938-post1.html
The car has a wooden after market gear lever fitted which is ok ish to my eyes. Leather original would be better i think but it has a Nardi wood rim steering wheel so it kind of matches.
The aluminium ferrel is firmly attached and when you bang the lever i can hear no rattles. I am not sure how you remove/ release the leather gear lever cover so I'm reluctant to venture further.....Is it easy to remove the cover?
Those two pictures explain your words clearly enough once i know how to remove the cover without damaging anything.
The aluminium ferrel is firmly attached and when you bang the lever i can hear no rattles. I am not sure how you remove/ release the leather gear lever cover so I'm reluctant to venture further.....Is it easy to remove the cover?
Those two pictures explain your words clearly enough once i know how to remove the cover without damaging anything.
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well you actually need to remove the whole centre console to get down as far as those photos in my links above show, not difficult per se, but takes some time for sure. Under the leather gaitor are 3 big rubber bellows....under these is the gearstick pinch bolt etc.
Fixed this. Removed the knob,seated it firmly and reattached the Allen and the aluminium ferel. All looked tight before but the rattle has now gone so it was something to do with the knob. Anyway fixed for free and much quieter to drive now.
Glad you got it sorted, problem is now you'll hear all those other "funny little noises" that are all part and parcel of owning an Alfa
I fetched my wife from work in it yesterday. The sun was shining and the roof was down. I took the back roads through the villages rather than the bypass and it rattled,shook and wandered down the roads. 60 mph felt like 90 and I could not stop smiling. Engine sounds great.
I have a 911 as a daily driver and it is too capable. Feels a bit flat at legal speeds and the Alfa is so much more involved. It is lovely to have the choice. Trouble is I have started casting my eyes over the classifieds for a Brera or a new spider with a Busso engine to replace the 911 as a daily driver........
I have a 911 as a daily driver and it is too capable. Feels a bit flat at legal speeds and the Alfa is so much more involved. It is lovely to have the choice. Trouble is I have started casting my eyes over the classifieds for a Brera or a new spider with a Busso engine to replace the 911 as a daily driver........
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I don't blame you for lusting after a busso V6, having a GTA myself, but for info (and I apologise if you know this already) but the 939 V6 Brera and spiders were fitted with the GM based V6. You need to look out for a 916 GTV or spider. Glad you are enjoying the spider! Yes, it is fun to drive!
Thanks for the info. I'm guessing that the very visual clue is the Alfa made Busso has the chromium inlet trumpets on show? So all the Brera and new spiders are a different engine? As a daily a 2005 gt would probably be the youngest car I could obtain then? Also the older engine is significantly less bhp?
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Yes, that's right, the chrome intake pipes are the visual identifiers. Yes the Brera and its spider cousin had a V6 based on a GM V6 with Alfa heads as the busso could not meet more stringent emissions.
Yes, the last car to have the Busso was the GT. There is not a lot of difference in power. The Busso in latest versions shoved out 250bhp against 260bhp, but the Busso engined cars are slightly faster to 62 as the Brera and spider are heavier.
Apologies to fellow classic owners for discussing more modern alfas in the classic forum! (Busso engined cars will soon be classics I guess!)
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