[m0t]

Had my V6 for over 3 years now and it has all started to go a bit pear shaped recently.

The rear suspension is creaking like a pram, the rear springs need replacing, the clutch is close to the end of its life, somethings gone wrong because the fuel consumption is horrendous (one fault caused by a knock sensors but not faulty at the time I took the reading), it needs a respray and the seats have split.

It is still a great car to drive but I can't afford to do the work that needs doing and my girlfriend wants rid, although I am not sure what her plan is after that because we can't afford to buy anything else.

 

[PaulR]

Had my V6 for over 3 years now and it has all started to go a bit pear shaped recently.

The rear suspension is creaking like a pram, the rear springs need replacing, the clutch is close to the end of its life, somethings gone wrong because the fuel consumption is horrendous (one fault caused by a knock sensors but not faulty at the time I took the reading), it needs a respray and the seats have split.

It is still a great car to drive but I can't afford to do the work that needs doing and my girlfriend wants rid, although I am not sure what her plan is after that because we can't afford to buy anything else.

Oh dear.

Polybush rear end plus springs - £1000 or so.



Clutch - replace with standard dm flywheel -about £600.

Fuel consumption - drive like a nun on motorways and you will get about 28 mpg. In town on short journeys 18-22mpg.

If money really is tight then perhaps sell and buy something really cheap until things pick up?

I'm afraid the bottom line is that you cannot run a V6 on a shoestring budget - it's demands will overtake you.

 

[CGTVs]

Oh dear.

Polybush rear end plus springs - £1000 or so.

I'm afraid the bottom line is that you cannot run a V6 on a shoestring budget - it's demands will overtake you.

Where do you get your work done....Harrods!?:lol:

Must be gold plated for that price...try around £350 for polybushes & rear springs.

Let's not scare too many people away from owning these cars.

Clive

 

[m0t]

Its not my driving style that's causing the fuel consumption, something's broken. All my driving is around town and for the last 3 years I have got around 220 miles from a tank. Last tank did 130.

I would usually have enough money to sort these things out but we are buying a house (and everything's popped up at once).

 

[alexx230]

Sorry to hear that mate...I have been in your shoes and what i tried was.. LPG installation and a donors car...if you really love it and think you have time to do some things on your own..at least that's what i did (sort of).
Then you can try and swap suspension parts, engine parts and even seats if you are lucky and find the donor car matching your bella...
you have soooo many donor cars ou there, don't give up!!!

 

[PaulR]

Where do you get your work done....Harrods!?:lol:

Must be gold plated for that price...try around £350 for polybushes & rear springs.

Let's not scare too many people away from owning these cars.

Clive

I am willing to admit I am wrong if proven.

So - if I came to you, are you really saying that you would replace all 14 bushes and the springs for £350 including labour and VAT?

If labour and VAT are not included in your £350 what would your total charge be?

 

[swallow]

I am trying to do a rear end overhaul on my v6 on a semi shoestring but am also trying to do the full Monty as it were at the same time.
This has involved buying a full set of used parts to recondition
Cost of old spring pans, wishbones, transverse arms and arb was about £150
Cost to de-rust, shot blast and powder coat was £70
Cost of power flex and Lemforder bushings £140 & £80
New springs £60
New shocks £70
New ball joints £40
Still to buy/source drop links, adjustable tie rods, new nuts and bolts for the whole switchover and whatever else I have forgotten. And of course pay to have it all fitted. It soon all adds up, doing it this way.

I'm sure that a dodgy rear end can have some bushes fitted here and there to keep it on the road for a fraction of the cost. I'm viewing that as false economy though and hoping by doing the full Monty, I'll have no further issues for a long time..... Hoping to claw some cash back by selling off the old parts for someone else to have fun with too.


DSCF4982 by vespaloco, on Flickr

Best of luck with it, hope it all works out

 

[superjimbo]

If the car's still great to drive then do it bit by bit and put up with the creaking for a while. I'd be looking at what's wrong with the engine and go from there. If that job's too expensive then that's the decision made for you.

 

[m0t]

Is there anything I could spray on the bushes to work out which is causing the creaking (some kind of lubricant)?

 

[MikeGTV01]

Hi,
Mine was performing the same creaking sounds a while ago. Had a guess that it was worn spring pan bushes that were the source of the noise which tended to be worse at low speeds, a good application of white spray grease worked a treat but not instantly. I'll still need to replace the worn bits soon though.

 

[m0t]

Haven't really driven the car much since I borrowed the GFs dads merc but have just ordered:

• Complete Powerflex rear bush kit
• Set of KYB Gas adjust shocks (used from Autolusso)
• Set or rear Suplex springs
• 2 x rear wishbone ball joints
• 2 x rear drop links

Roll on next weekend...

 

[alexGS]

Excellent news update there sounds hours of fun and a satisfying result when you've finished, I'm glad you got 'approval' to fix it. I think the way forward is to fix it when you have the time and funds, and to buy something else to get you around in the meantime. Just my opinion of course.

I have my Spider as an 'occasional' car, supported by something much cheaper for the daily grind. I think the higher values of the Spider over here help to maintain that situation - when it costs about £9000, there are lots of cheaper options for daily transport. As was said before, I think it would be difficult to run one everyday on a tight budget.

For the fuel consumption problem, I'm confused by whether the oxygen sensors are faulty or not? Using MultiECUScan, you can get a nice chart plot showing the voltage from the sensor swinging up and down. Is yours doing this, or is the sensor output stuck? It can be tricky to know whether it's a faulty sensor OR a symptom of something else, but swapping the sensors around might help to find if one is faulty.

-Alex

 

[jurdy1]

I am willing to admit I am wrong if proven.

So - if I came to you, are you really saying that you would replace all 14 bushes and the springs for £350 including labour and VAT?

If labour and VAT are not included in your £350 what would your total charge be?

I had all the rear of my twinnie poly bushes for £400 about three months ago. Springs would probably add another £120 on if they needed doing.

OP, you probably need to find a good Alfa Idie, where in Kent are you?

 

[m0t]

Mine was showing a nice swing. I am hoping that dodgy rear suspension was affecting it, perhaps the wheels aren't straight?

 

[jurdy1]

I am willing to admit I am wrong if proven.

So - if I came to you, are you really saying that you would replace all 14 bushes and the springs for £350 including labour and VAT?

If labour and VAT are not included in your £350 what would your total charge be?

I had all the rear of my twinnie poly bushes for £400 about three months ago. Springs would probably add another £120 on if they needed doing.

OP, you probably need to find a good Alfa Idie, where in Kent are you?

 

[alexGS]

Mine was showing a nice swing. I am hoping that dodgy rear suspension was affecting it, perhaps the wheels aren't straight?

That's good the exhaust sensors are working - one thing to cross off.

Wheel misalignment causing high fuel consumption - maybe, but wouldn't the tyres be chewed-out? I guess you could check for binding brakes too.

I'd wonder about engine running temperature next, whether the thermostat has stuck open (both mine have been), whether the coolant temp sensor is faulty.

Anyway, one problem at a time and you will get there.

-Alex

 

[Ian Lusso]

Thermostat is a good guess. They tend to stick open and cause low running temp.

 

[m0t]

Don't think it is the thermostat - engine gets up to temperature quickly and maintains between 80-90.

 

[bradpit999]

Haven't really driven the car much since I borrowed the GFs dads merc but have just ordered:

• Complete Powerflex rear bush kit
• Set of KYB Gas adjust shocks (used from Autolusso)
• Set or rear Suplex springs
• 2 x rear wishbone ball joints
• 2 x rear drop links

Roll on next weekend...

and ordered the 10 tonne press in order to remove and insert all the new bushes ??

 

[bradpit999]

remember to factor in 4 wheel alignment when you finished replacing the suspension as its geometry will all be wrong