Conference terri::cars_uk

    My wife's visa (oh no not that again they all groan...) Was doing this,
    I checked the ignition, replaced the plugs, checked every connection
    was propeorly seated.
    I checked the carb, stripped it, rebuilyt it, stripped the petrol pump
    fitted a fuel filter.
    
    All to no avail. Then the other day the exhaust started knocking. It
    turned out, the manifold to downpipe joint is a 'ball & socket', held
    on by clamps with two through bolts. One of these bolts had broken ages
    back, eventually the extra weight sagging on the support further back
    down the pipe had caused the support to break, and the system stated
    knocking against the underside.
    
    Fixed the bracket, fitted new bolts to tighten the exhaulst joint, No
    more stalling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    It never sounded like it was blowing, but I bet everytime we put our
    foot down, the engine flexed, the joint opened up, and the manifold
    depresion went down (or is it up?, why DOES the engine need the back
    pressure?).
    
    Morale, check the ehaust manifold joint is gas tight!.
    
    Richard

    The carbs on the 33 have a tendency to block idle jets. Clean the 
    jets and check that the transient holes in bore are also free. You
    could also adjust the accelerator pump to inject slightly more fuel.
    
    If you want to solve the problem permanently, you should clean the 
    carbs completely and fit a fuel filter.
    
    Kind regards,
    Andre

    ref .2
    
    Thanks for your answer. The carbs were serviced once and the problem
    persists. I don't know whether they cleaned the jets or not or how
    complete the carbs were serviced. The service advisor showed me other
    33's and they also exhibit similar problems and he told me it's like
    that. However, I'm just not convinced. I feel that they could do more
    to rectify the problem.
    
    With this clue, I intend to go back and tell them to service the carb
    and check the jets.
    
    What do you think?
    
    Thanks and will let you guys know.
    	
    		TTH
    

    My car had the same problem and the carb clean job solved it. The 
    engine pulls like a tractor from about 1500 rpm, and never hesitates.
    
    I must admit that I have had another exhaust manifold fitted, though.
    The standard exhaust manifold doesn't have equal length primary pipes,
    leading to strange wave effects. With the new manifold (Ansa) the 
    engine runs more smoothly, pulls better at low revs, and also has
    a nicer sound (no crackling, etc).
    
    By the way, Alfa's are fitted with 3 different makes of carburettor,
    and it is quite possible that there are slight differences in the
    settings because of this. The carburettors supplied are Solex, Weber
    and Dell'orto. My car has the Dell'orto carburettors.
    
    Still, there must be something wrong with yours, because everybody
    I have spoken to about the 1.7 says that the tractibility and
    middle range grunt are the most salient features.
    
    Kind regards,
    Andre

    Ref .4
    
    Your answer is very encouraging! Last month I had the exhaust tried
    (Ansa with twin pipes)(because my exhaust has 'crackling' sound)
    and the rev was smoother. However, it was not
    the whole manifold section, only the muffler section (the rear
    section). There was no real significant increase in performance and
    therefore did not buy it. But I did change my air filter to K&N and
    that did give me real significant result. My service advisor told me to
    replace the whole extractor with Ansa (like what you did) and use
    Janspeed muffler in order to gain this performance boost. Well, how's
    your car performance with the Ansa manifold? What muffler you used? The
    price for Ansa manifold exhaust system is S$500.00. Is that expensive?
    
    As for the carburetter, mine has Dellorto too. But I just hate its near
    stall problem when at idle-low rev. I'll really go and get my carb
    cleaned and its fuel jets cleaned.
    
    Thanks for your feedback.
    
    
    		TTH

    PS 500 is rather expensive for the manifold from Ansa. In Holland (where 
    I live) I paid the equivalent of about PS 350. The manifold makes all
    the difference.
    
    Andre
    

    Another piece of commentary, was in a rush just now ...
    
    The K&N filter could very well be the problem. Although carburettors 
    should be able to compensate for pressure changes, in practice they
    don't completely. After fitting the K&N filter (I also fitted one!)
    I had to change the both idle and main jets. I am still not satisfied
    with the performance, so the car will have to be tuned on a rolling
    road.
    
    I once had a modified Mini tuned on the rolling road, and after the
    tuner was finished there was 20 more hp on the wheels. Money well
    spent, don't you think?
    
    Andre

    Actually it's Singapore dollars 500.00 or about 170 pounds. What's PS
    350? What currency is it? Did you actaully have the whole Ansa exhaust
    system or only the manifold section. What muffler did you use?
    
    My fuel consumption is pretty bad; about 9 km per liter. Do you think
    this is normal for a fairly new car (9 months) on unleaded/leaded? The
    fuel meter also is not accurate; when fuel is very full, it does not
    indicate to its very full position but slightly lower. Do you have the
    same problem? Anyway, this is quite minor.
    
    The car interior also tends to squeek and makes some noise, notably its
    rear piece where the speakers are mounted. It's just too flimsy.
    
    	TTH

�    fuel meter also is not accurate; when fuel is very full, it does not
�    indicate to its very full position but slightly lower. Do you have the
�    same problem? Anyway, this is quite minor.
    
    
    From experience with the only Italian car I have had, plus EVERY
    write-up that I have seen in [U.K.] magazines, this is normal !
    
    You have got an Italian car - it has 'character'   ;-)
    
    This is manifested as electrical problems, [possibly] odd driving
    position, poor quality control (somewhat better nowadays) and any
    other faults that you may find.
    
    Overall though, the 'real character' of the car should shine through.
    
�    The car interior also tends to squeek and makes some noise, notably its
�    rear piece where the speakers are mounted. It's just too flimsy.
    
    See above ...
    
    J.R.

    Ref .7,
    
    How do you know you get about 20 horse power gain? It's kind of difficult to
    quantify it. And how often should the K&N filter(I have the oiled oval
    type) be cleaned? It's been over 5 weeks and about 3000 km since I last 
    fitted it new and they show signs of dirty outside. The K&N filter makes 
    the engine noise louder and somewhat rough!
    
    I talked to my service advisor today about the carburreter
    cleaning and the jets/transient holes that need to be cleaned. Are you actually
    referring to the main fuel line tube that may get clogged or they are
    holes inside the carb? Looking at the fuel filter, I could see that the
    filter is full of petrol. I was actually looking for service manual to
    read so that I can understand thoroughly the car engine, but I can't
    find any of this here, not even the Haine series. Do you happen to know
    of any Alfa 33 1.7 QV car maintenance/engine manual in Europe?
    
    Do you think the car can actually do 0-100 km/h in 9.0 seconds as what
    the manufacturer claimed? I find that the traction from rest isn't very
    good; wheels spinning and gear change pretty "hard" and a bit sloppy.
    However, on the open road on expressways, it really shines; mid to high 
    speed performance is really very good; it just pulls and pulls and
    engine noise musical to the ears! Has anyone of you tried flat out? What's 
    the top speed? I've tried mine at 190 (~5500 rpm) and the pedal is still 
    not floored yet.
    
    Well, comments from you guys?
    
    	TTH

    PS is pounds sterling. This was for the whole system. I also get about
    9-10 km/l, but on the open road the consumption is as good as 13km/l.
    
    I don't have the problem with the fueld meter, so you could perhaps
    contact our dealer.
    
    I feeded complete set of speakers at the back (woofers, mids and
    tweeters). No problems with squeeking, but I strengthened the cover
    with a couple of layers of fibreglass and added a piece of multiplex
    in the centre where the speakers are fitted.
    
    My car has absolutely no squeeks and rattles. This was taken care of
    when practically new, because I found it irritating. All the large
    metal surfaces have tar damping plates glued to them, and I checked
    all the fittings for tightness.
    
    Anyway, I have bought myself a GTV6 now, which needs a bit of work.
    There is no substitute for rear wheel drive and more power!
    
    Kind regards,
    Andre

    re. 1423.10
    
    The transient holes are the small holes drilled in the bore of the
    carburettor which the throttle butterfly passes as it opens.
    
    As far as I know, K&N filters seldom need cleaning. Even if it looks
    dirty it still flows well. Once the top surface gets covered with
    dirt, it is worth the while to clean. The roughness is probably
    caused by the change in mixture.
    
    Wheelspin is a problem with all front wheel drive cars. The lack of
    directional stability when accelerating hard can be improved a lot
    by lowering the suspension. This will also allow higher cornering
    speeds, but the consequence is a harder ride. It also makes the car
    look really pretty though.
    
    There are no manuals except an addendum to the factory manual for the
    smaller models. Personally I don't think its worth the while to buy
    the manual if you have a relatively new car. The only important
    adjustment is the synchronisation of the carbs.
    
    Hope this info helps.
    
    Andre

	Speaking as someone who just cleaned his K&N last night, I
	disagree.  However, I think that it depends on how the air
	flows through your car.  My filter sits over my engine (on the
	left as you look ahead).  Air streaming through the bonnet has a
	straight path over the radiator into the front of the air 
	filter.  Cleaning the K&N last night certainly removed a lot
	of dirt and the car was healthier this morning for it.

	Dave

	PS I think K&N suggest cleaning once every 6 months; that seems
	about right to me.

    ref .13,
    
    My K&N is of the oval type. How do I celan it? What kind of cleaning
    agent should I use?
    
    A lot of people say that once a good K&N filter is fitted, it needs
    retuning to boost its performance. Is it true?
    
    	TTH

	How do you clean it?   First you take your wallet to a suitable
	emporium and purchase the K&N cleaning fluid and K&N oil.  The
	instructions are on the cleaner, but you you fill a tray (I use
	an old bread tin) to half the depth of one of the filter (say 1cm).
	You then tap the dirt off the filter before putting it edge on
	into the tin.  I usually swish it about a bit and give all the sides
	a dunk.  My K%N is oval too.  You leave it for a bit and then 
	rinse out the cleaner from the inside before leaving it to dry.
	Then you re-oil it, being careful not to put too much on.

	I've use my K&N for 4 years and I've use one bottle of cleaner and
	I'm still on my first bottle of oil.  They're a tad pricey, but
	they seem to work.

	As for re-tuning, I don't really know.  When I built the car, I
	got it running ok and then had it tuned proffessionally, so I don't
	know how it ran before the filter was added.

	Dave

    ref .12, Hi Andre!
    
    I talked to an experienced mechanic from the Alfa motor agent just now
    and had him sit inside my car to 'experience' the "jerk" or "jolt"
    problem I put up in this note. He reckoned that it is due to improper
    calibration of the twin carburetters. Andre, is that what you mean by
    synchronization in your .12 note? However, he also said that the problem 
    could also be that the fuel feed is too much causing flooding into the 
    chamber and flood the plugs because it sounds like "water bubbling" when 
    I put my right foot down initially from idle.
    
    He'd sked me to bring the car back to his attention and he'll personally 
    check and recalibrate.
    
    Well, does his explanation sound logical and make sense?
    
    
    	TTH

    I think that he is probably talking about the synchronisation of
    the carbs when he mentions calibration. The chances that the
    problem is caused by flooding are however in my opinion slim, 
    especially with the K&N filter fitted.
    
    At any rate, at least you have convinced them that there is a 
    problem that should be solved, at it has their attention.
    
    Good luck,
    Andre

    Hi,
    
    It's been sometime since I last posted notes on this. I lodged a
    complaint and had my car serviced just last week. The major complaint,
    well, as you'd probably read in the earlier notes, about the carbs.
    They took 3 days to do the job; stripped the carbs, cleaned the holes
    and jets and the car does not exhibit acute "jerks" but then power and
    torgue is sharply dropped. It's so significant that I could instantly
    feel it when I test drove it. I had to rev to higher but found the car 
    isn't moving any quicker. The car did 90 Km/h at 2800 rpm as compared
    to 100 km/h at 2800 rpm. When I asked them about all these, they
    admitted that it's less powerfull because they introduced less fuel now
    into the carbs.
    
    Not completely satisfied with the performance, I sent it back for them
    to retune. I strongly believed that there's something wrong with
    the carbs and asked for new replacement but they are quite reluctant to
    do that. They tried very hard to repair them. If they still exhibit old
    problems and lose power, should I resort to drastic measure to force
    them to change to a new set of carbs? The car is still under warranty
    and has about 1.5 months to ago before expiry of a year. 
    
    Well, what should I do to them? Write to Milan International Italy? Do
    you have the address and fax number?
    
    3 months ago, I changed my engine oil to synthetic Mobil 1 15W/50 and
    found that today I need to top up almost 1 litre to make the level stay
    at max, after 6000 km. I asked them why this is so and they replied
    that the engines burn oil because Mobil 1 is very thin. They told me
    every Alfa burns Mobil 1 oil. Is this true ? Before the change, there
    was no need to top up oil; I used Agip mineral.
    
    	TTH
    

>    isn't moving any quicker. The car did 90 Km/h at 2800 rpm as compared
>    to 100 km/h at 2800 rpm. When I asked them about all these, they
>    admitted that it's less powerfull because they introduced less fuel now
    
    Do you mean that in the same gear it used to do 100 Km/h at 2800 rpm,
    but now does 90 Km/h at 2800 rpm ? If so then either they changed the
    gearbox ratios or you have a slipping clutch. Nothing done to the
    carburettor should affect the gear ratios.
    
    Andrew

    Ref .19
    
    I agree with you. Such thing can only change with different gear ratio
    and I'm certain that nothing has changed with the gear. But the
    speedometer has been replaced with a new one OR may be reset because
    there were numerous complaints about the speedometer and finally they
    said they "changed" a new one. How true is it? I don't know... Is it
    possible that they "short-changed" and reset the speedo to zero? Can
    the reading be reset? Or may be the "new" speedo is not calibrated
    correctly?
    
    Well, I just collected my car. They told me that this time they stripped 
    off the carbs completely and replaced the gaskets and seals and should be
    better. But when I tested it, it exhibits old problems; "jerks" at low
    revs. But I'm yet to check the speedo reading at 100km/h.
    
    I'm so frustrated. This has cost me about a week's time. What should I do?
    
    	TTH

    Blow your top, complain about being given the run-around, insist on
    speaking to a director of the firm, go on and on and on endlessly, make
    other customers hear you, STOP BEING REASONABLE!
    
    Invovle motoring magazines or agencies.
    
    If all else fails demand they buy back the car.
    Richard

    
    I know that there has already been the "I've had this problem"
    note quite a few times but I, until recently, have had this problem.
    
    I have a 1983 Guilietta 2 Litre (116 series). It has the same running
    gear layout as the 75 and Alfetta GTV/Saloon etc.
    
    The engine is of twin cam design with twin Del'Lorto carbs. You may 
    find some older Alfas with twin Solex carbs but these are no longer
    manufactured. I have diagrams for all three carbs but simplicity
    of design for the same functionality lays with the Del'Lortos'. 
    There is too much to go wrong with the Webers.
    
    However my problem was trying to potter along at low revs which
    was impossible. The car would jerk and splutter and not fire on
    one or two cylinders.
    
    Before I go on please keep in mind that my carbs still need an
    overhaul even though I've solved the problem.
    
    My first problem was the spark plugs used in the Alfa engines.
    They are not conventional design but surface discharge type with
    four small electrodes placed at the sides of the central core.
    The plugs are made by Golden Lodge.
    
    There used to be two types of this plug. HL for normal speed and
    2HL for high speed. I have found that the 2HL plugs foul up at 
    low revs due to, it seems, a lower operating temp and are suited
    to higher revs where they are fine. I have been unable to obtain
    the HL plugs (even after attending ALFA days etc).
    
    One of the steps I took to cure this problem was to use BOSCH PLATINUM
    plugs (W7DP is the code for my engine). They are of single point
    electrode design. They work fine and platinum warms up quicker so
    the plug is more efficient at cleaning itself.
    
    It is ESSENTIAL that the carbs are in perfect balance for smooth
    running and idle not to mention timing and engine running temp etc.
    Mine is still not perfect as the adjustment was made without the use
    of a vacuum gauge unit.
    
    On my carbs there is a device that connects the carbs together and
    determines when the port butterflies open and close. Obviously they
    must open and close at the same time and in equal amounts. My set 
    up meant that one half of the engine was trying to idle at 1500 rpm
    and the other half at 950 rmp. Therefore you can imagine the problems
    with pulling away etc. The adjustment is simple to make and I can 
    demonstrate on my Car. 
    
    Failing that I understand that this is a new car. I don't know where
    you are taking the car but they sound like a bunch of muppets who haven't 
    a clue as to their business.
    
    ALFA are VERY concious of their image in this country so I would
    start throwing my weight around with some management people to get
    something done. ALFA HQ would like to know about bad service from a
    dealership. 
    
    Under the ALFA cover maybe you can have the car sorted out elsewhere.
    Where are you taking the car.??
    
    I have a load of ALFA gumpf at home so I can give you some useful
    phone numbers if you wish.
    
    Cheers, Jeff.

I've never had problems getting hold of the Lodge plugs in the UK.  I used to
run my Alfas there on the HL plugs with no problems.  In fact, they usually ran
for 30,000 miles before needing to be replaced.  In the US, Lodge are unheard
of, so I'm using the equivalent Bosch plugs in both the Alfa and the Audi.  They
work, are not as good as the Lodges, but they are better than Champions.

The recommended plug for the Spider in the US amnual is the Lodge HE - never 
heard of that one before.

FWIW, I found all my Alfas liked hot plugs.  Cold ones really do foul up fast.

Brian

    
    Getting hold of the HL Lodge plugs is no longer possible and
    I think I've exhausted most sources. 2HL is all thats available
    and they do tend to foul up at low revs.
    
    You are right though, the surface discharge type plugs are the
    best and an ALFA engine runs well on these. They do need to run
    hot though.
    
    I plan to rebuild the top half of my engine along with rebuilding
    the carbs. Its always good to renew the head gaskets on the ALFA
    engines anyway. When I've done this, or paid someone else to do it,
    I will revert back to the Lodge plugs.
    
    Jeff.

    
    >    I think I've exhausted most sources. 2HL is all thats available
    >    and they do tend to foul up at low revs.
    
    	Drive it at fast and hard...! Most Alfas scream out to be driven
    at high revs, try driving a 'sud at low revs, a most unrewarding
    experience...

    ref .22,
    
    Hello all,
    
    Here I'm again, after keeping myself quiet for a while!
    
    I've got the carbs stripped, cleaned and recalibrated by the agent and
    just last week took the car on a long trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;
    maker of Proton cars. On the fine expressway, put the car to the
    full-speed test but was disappointed to find that the top speed is now
    reduced drastically to hardly 185km/h at only ~ 5200 rpm, flat out. Before
    the carbs were serviced, I could achieve 190 km/h and could even do
    more! Why is this so I asked the agent mechanic? And they said the
    throttle could have been reduced in order to curb the "flat" spot
    problem; the "jerk" symptom which got this whole note started! In spite
    of the carbs service, the car still exhibits initial "jerk" especially
    at low rev (which I read with interest replies .23-.25). They had
    mentioned that that's inherent with the double barrel carbs.
    
    Not satisfied with its performance(it's below as what the manufacturer
    claimed), I had asked the agent to put it back to its factory-set
    condition.
    
    Here's an annoying problem; the car has squeeks and rattling noise about
    at the dash, center consoles and near door areas. I suspect that the
    fitting at the factory is already not so good. The rattling and
    squeeking sound is irritating. Should I ask the agent to dismantle the
    middle of this month). What should I do to cure this problem?
    
    	TTH