Alfa 2.5 V6

dgt

Hi everyone

I need some advice and opinions. I have my eye on getting an Alfa 156 V6 in the near future. I need to know a few things:

• Are there any major problems with these engines?
• What gearboxes were available with them?
• How thirsty are they? (To compare with another 2.5 I have here, cost isn't an issue)
• I hear the speedo works through the abs sensors, is this correct?
• Is there a particular year to go for?

Thanks in advance

dgt

dgt wrote: »

.........How thirsty are they? ............

A lad that posted on a Rover forum I was on reckoned 20 to 22 ish mpg was what he got from it mixed driving, same as what I get from my auto ZT, his missus used to see high 20s from it. 32/34 mpg on a motorway run sticking to the limits.

dgt

RoverJames wrote: »

A lad that posted on a Rover forum I was on reckoned 20 to 22 ish mpg was what he got from it mixed driving, same as what I get from my auto ZT, his missus used to see high 20s from it. 32/34 mpg on a motorway run sticking to the limits.

Thats in or about the same as my E34 so The plan is to convert to lpg and use lpg around towns and slow driving, petrol for bigger roads

Was that in a 156 or 166?

'twas a 156, he loved the car, he got it after having an E39 528i and a Lexus LS400 before that.

Anan1

dgt wrote: »

Thats in or about the same as my E34 so The plan is to convert to lpg and use lpg around towns and slow driving, petrol for bigger roads

Whereabouts are you living? LPG has been all but unavailable for years here.

kyote00

I ran a 156 v6 for 11 years. Sold it last year with 133k miles on it.

Expect low to mid twenties for MPG on mixed driving. Once you hear the v6 it is very hard not to make music all the time.

The v6 engine is very reliable. Over 11 years, mine needed the following maintenance

- water pump at 60k
- clutch at 80k
- front disc rotors at 50 and 100k - lots heat created slowing down so the disks tned to warp over time cause utter at motorway speed.
- airbag ecu
- front wishbones x3 times
-rear window regular
-spark plugs at 60k and 120k
- hard on front tires also

The accelerator is an electronic one if thats what you mean.

The arnese v6 is the last great engine by Alfa - wish I had kept mine.

Tazio

OP... check for rust under the passenger and driver sills. Do not buy one without seeing the underneath of the car with very very good lighting conditions.

Incorrect jacking of 156's over the years had prematurely sent many to an early grave.

eljono

OP, you should register on AlfaOwner.com, there's a good Irish section with lots of knowledgeable folk on it.

Re: LPG, I looked into this a while back. You can find outlets here http://www.ilpga.ie/autogas-outlets.php

dgt

Anan1 wrote: »

Whereabouts are you living? LPG has been all but unavailable for years here.

Im in Meath, fortune motors on the kells road does lpg

kyote00 wrote: »

I ran a 156 v6 for 11 years. Sold it last year with 133k miles on it.

Expect low to mid twenties for MPG on mixed driving. Once you hear the v6 it is very hard not to make music all the time.

The v6 engine is very reliable. Over 11 years, mine needed the following maintenance

- water pump at 60k
- clutch at 80k
- front disc rotors at 50 and 100k - lots heat created slowing down so the disks tned to warp over time cause utter at motorway speed.
- airbag ecu
- front wishbones x3 times
-rear window regular
-spark plugs at 60k and 120k
- hard on front tires also

The accelerator is an electronic one if thats what you mean.

The arnese v6 is the last great engine by Alfa - wish I had kept mine.

Lovely stuff thats just the info I was looking for no major mechanical problems to worry about from what I can see. I read up on the water pumps using a plastic impellor but I'd say most have been replaced by now Some are electric throttle others are cable depending on how far back you go according to the forums, I guess all the ones we have here have that system.

What I meant was how does the speedo get its signal? A sensor in the box, direct cable (doubtful) or through the abs sensors?

Tazio wrote: »

OP... check for rust under the passenger and driver sills. Do not buy one without seeing the underneath of the car with very very good lighting conditions.

Incorrect jacking of 156's over the years had prematurely sent many to an early grave.

Ive seen many 145s, 146s and 156s with rotten floors caused by incorrect jacking. My current daily hack (Bravo van) had the same problem but I got it in time, I had to get bits welded in and waxoyled. If its not gone too far its fixable

eljono wrote: »

OP, you should register on AlfaOwner.com, there's a good Irish section with lots of knowledgeable folk on it.

Re: LPG, I looked into this a while back. You can find outlets here http://www.ilpga.ie/autogas-outlets.php

I'm a member, thanks for the reccomendation

Matt Simis

dgt wrote: »

Im in Meath, fortune motors on the kells road does lpg

Have you actually seen this with your own eyes or seen it on the ILPGA site? That site hasnt been updated in 5years, I rang every station on it near me and they no longer did LPG (stopped years ago, indicating site age). If they are doing it for real, what price?

Also whats with the use LPG around town bit? Its going to deliver over 80% of the MPG in every situation. While around town might be the most inefficient, it couldn't possibly be the highest per unit consumption of fuel purely due to time, speed and distance on motorways.

unkel

dgt wrote: »

[*]I hear the speedo works through the abs sensors, is this correct?

In many modern cars, if a wheel speed sensor fails, the speedo shows no speed (and probably the odo stops recording mileage) and the abs system won't work anymore (showing abs light on the dash)

dgt

Matt Simis wrote: »

Have you actually seen this with your own eyes or seen it on the ILPGA site? That site hasnt been updated in 5years, I rang every station on it near me and they no longer did LPG (stopped years ago, indicating site age). If they are doing it for real, what price?

Also whats with the use LPG around town bit? Its going to deliver over 80% of the MPG in every situation. While around town might be the most inefficient, it couldn't possibly be the highest per unit consumption of fuel purely due to time, speed and distance on motorways.

Untill recently we used a car converted to lpg. This is where we got filled up. Also as this particular car was used as a taxi hence using it round the town, it would be cheaper than petrol (1.04c vs 1.48). Savings are noticable

unkel wrote: »

In many modern cars, if a wheel speed sensor fails, the speedo shows no speed (and probably the odo stops recording mileage) and the abs system won't work anymore (showing abs light on the dash)

I was afraid of that, sensors for the E34 aint cheap these days and doing twice the job must drive the price up more!

Anan1

dgt wrote: »

Untill recently we used a car converted to lpg. This is where we got filled up. Also as this particular car was used as a taxi hence using it round the town, it would be cheaper than petrol (1.04c vs 1.48). Savings are noticable

Given that you'll get poorer mileage from LPG than from petrol, I don't see the savings as ever paying for the cost of the conversion.