wuvvum Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I'm currently bidding on an Alfa 166 with a 2.5-litre V6 engine. It's ridiculously cheap at the minute, but I'm hesitating to go any higher than my current bid because according to the seller it's been 61,000 miles since its cambelt was changed. Does anyone have any experience of doing cambelts on these engines? Are they a realistic DIY proposition or are they a dealer-only job, and if the latter how much would a dealer charge? I know the 5-pot engines in the Mareas are a bastard to do the belts on, but I don't have any experience of Alfa V6s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandamonium Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Don't know anything about this , but I do know I'd love one of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksy Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Never did one whilst at Fiat, but some help and pics here...http://alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-164-and ... -2-5l.htmlyes 5 pot Mareas and Coupes are a right one to do..I still want a 5 pot Diesel Marea though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRegieRitmo Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Are you going to keep both 166s, or is your first one going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead_E23 Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 I would expect it to be DIY-able but very awkward indeed, (i) because nearly everything I've done on my 156 (and also swmbo's Fiat) has been remarkably fiddly and (ii) because Alfa Workshop want £400 to do a V6 - that's £100 more than they want to do the job on a 2.0 TS, which doesn't exactly look straightforward either.That apart, if you win the auction I'd be interested to read your opinions of the 166; I've been toying with the idea of getting one since I realised that with my Scrooge-like approach to spending money it's the closest thing to a Maserati Quattroporte that I'm remotely likely to cough up for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted December 8, 2007 Author Share Posted December 8, 2007 That apart, if you win the auction I'd be interested to read your opinions of the 166; I've been toying with the idea of getting one since I realised that with my Scrooge-like approach to spending money it's the closest thing to a Maserati Quattroporte that I'm remotely likely to cough up for Don't buy a Maserati. Even a new one. They're like Alfas but a lto more complex and a lot more expensive when (not if) they go wrong.I've had a 166 for a few months now, but mine's a bog basic 2.0 TS. It's a pleasant thing to drive, handles very well for such a large car (at the expense of a slightly jiggly ride over bumpy roads) and goes well enough for a 2-litre, although it is rather low geared. Very comfortable seats and the cabin is quite stylish, with the Alfa logo embossed into the seats and other little touches which set it apart from more run-of-the-mill cars. The main bugbear is electrics - the only things that are currently amiss on mine are that the airbag lights stay on and the heater fan doesn't work (the latter a pain in the arse at this time of year) but they are such a complex car that you're bound to get some electrical gremlins sooner or later. And they're not particularly easy to fix. When the climate control went wrong on my Daewoo it took me three minutes to find the problem; with the Alfa I spent a whole afternoon and still didn't find out what was causing the malfunction. Mechanically though they're pretty robust as long as you keep on top of oil level and cambelts - same as any other Alfa - and they're so cheap to buy compared to an equivalent Beemer or Merc that you should have plenty left in reserve to pay for any electrical issues to be sorted. And you probably will have to pay unless you hold a degree in electronic engineering - they are not a DIY-friendly vehicle. Oddly enough, it looks like I'm shortly going to be purchasing a (hopefully not dead) E23, so I might be asking for your advice on that if and when it arrives... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted December 8, 2007 Author Share Posted December 8, 2007 Are you going to keep both 166s, or is your first one going?If I win this one the TS is definitely going to have to go. Even if I don't it's probably going to go in the New Year - I haven't been using it enough to justify paying to keep it all shipshape. I might sell it and buy a cheaper modern car (although I already have the Daewoo which is fairly modern and also has nearly a year's ticket on it) and a classic, or I may just splurge the whole lot on something completely stupid like another Maserati or a barely roadworthy DS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted December 8, 2007 Author Share Posted December 8, 2007 Never did one whilst at Fiat, but some help and pics here...http://alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-164-and ... -2-5l.htmlCheers for the link - that site will probably turn out to be very useful as I attempt to sort all the issues on the TS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead_E23 Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Oddly enough, it looks like I'm shortly going to be purchasing a (hopefully not dead) E23, so I might be asking for your advice on that if and when it arrives...A white 728i manual, by any chance? If so, looks like you've bought a nice one. Hopefully you won't need to do much work on it - the mechanical bits are shoehorned in surprisingly tightly, which makes them a bit awkward to work on. Hence why mine is still dead (well, that and it being stored 70 miles away...). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRegieRitmo Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 That apart, if you win the auction I'd be interested to read your opinions of the 166; I've been toying with the idea of getting one since I realised that with my Scrooge-like approach to spending money it's the closest thing to a Maserati Quattroporte that I'm remotely likely to cough up for Funny these two should crop up in the same sentence. I've recently spotted both (neither exactly common) at Chichester marina amongst a whole host of other things which I will post in the near future (as soon as I've transferred everything I've filled up my camera phone with). There's an eclectic mix of eccentric shite mobiles rubbing shoulders with millionaire's chariots! I'm talking Reliant Robin at one end of the scale & things like Ferrari F430 at the other! Mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asn Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 That apart, if you win the auction I'd be interested to read your opinions of the 166; I've been toying with the idea of getting one since I realised that with my Scrooge-like approach to spending money it's the closest thing to a Maserati Quattroporte that I'm remotely likely to cough up for Don't buy a Maserati. Even a new one. They're like Alfas but a lto more complex and a lot more expensive when (not if) they go wrong.I've had a 166 for a few months now, but mine's a bog basic 2.0 TS. It's a pleasant thing to drive, handles very well for such a large car (at the expense of a slightly jiggly ride over bumpy roads) and goes well enough for a 2-litre, although it is rather low geared. Very comfortable seats and the cabin is quite stylish, with the Alfa logo embossed into the seats and other little touches which set it apart from more run-of-the-mill cars. The main bugbear is electrics - the only things that are currently amiss on mine are that the airbag lights stay on and the heater fan doesn't work (the latter a pain in the arse at this time of year) but they are such a complex car that you're bound to get some electrical gremlins sooner or later. And they're not particularly easy to fix. When the climate control went wrong on my Daewoo it took me three minutes to find the problem; with the Alfa I spent a whole afternoon and still didn't find out what was causing the malfunction. Mechanically though they're pretty robust as long as you keep on top of oil level and cambelts - same as any other Alfa - and they're so cheap to buy compared to an equivalent Beemer or Merc that you should have plenty left in reserve to pay for any electrical issues to be sorted. And you probably will have to pay unless you hold a degree in electronic engineering - they are not a DIY-friendly vehicle. Oddly enough, it looks like I'm shortly going to be purchasing a (hopefully not dead) E23, so I might be asking for your advice on that if and when it arrives...the maser is far easier to work on (engine in the right direction) compared to the alfa, the QP is sharing a lot of component with the early 90s biturbos and ghiblis and are mecanicley weary strong, i have had four maser´s, and no one has failed me. parts are not that expensive and everything is logically built. The alfa TS engine are relay fragile (belts snaps and blocks cracks) compered to the V6 who has its roots back in the early 80s. sound like a god and gives the car the soul it deserves. both the QP and the 166 are really a lot of exotica for the £££ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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