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moggie99 Profile
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Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


Cut and pasted from another forum.

Late April 2010:

All being well, I shall be collecting this next week. It's a 2000 model 166 3L 24V. 85,000 miles (approx) full service history and a lovely exhaust note.

Cambelt just done, gearbox replaced a couple of months back (and hence under warranty) and generally very appealing. It has a few bumps on the bumpers but of course no rust (we don't get salt on the roads around here).

I'll put up some more piccies when I collect it.

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Laatst gewijzigd door moggie99, 1/Dec/2010, 19:12


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Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

1/Dec/2010, 18:50 Link to this post Verzend Email aan moggie99   Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan moggie99
 
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Re: Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


17 May 2010:

I picked this up today and I'm smitten. It's perhaps a little less refined than a Sterling (a bit too much road noise) and certainly less civilised than an XJ40 but other than that it's magic.

The autobox is a real Jekyl and Hyde - in drive it's quite and civilised but still reasonably brisk but in Sport mode it is a beast. It gets to 120mph in no time at all on the airport approach road (or so I'm told........).

The seating position will take a bit of settling down as the wheel seems a bit remote (an Italian car trait, I gather) but is nice and comfortable. The integrated stereo/CD player/phone/climate control/GPS unit is neat too, although the GPS unit is useless here because the UAE maps are not available for this system (only european ones). The only bits that I can see that don't work properly are the cruise control and fuel gauge, but I'm sure I can sort those out, and the centre console lid hinges have snapped.

The brakes are huge and very effective and after the iffy brakes on the hire car I've been using it will take a little getting used to.

All in all I'm rather pleased with it.

Laatst gewijzigd door moggie99, 1/Dec/2010, 19:13


---
Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

1/Dec/2010, 18:52 Link to this post Verzend Email aan moggie99   Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan moggie99
 
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Re: Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


May 2010:

The low ground clearance can be a bit challenging on some of the speed humps here but otherwise it's amazing. Everyone who sees it thinks that it looks and sounds great, they all love the colour and seem to think that I got a bargain. My boss did say "Alfa Romeo - you're not bothered about reliability then, Rich" to which I replied that Alfa's unreliability was clearly a myth as I'd had it 3 days and it hadn't broke down yet.

In Sport mode it changes up at the red line - and doesn't go into top gear until about 120mph! Even in Drive it's quite happy to hold a gear for a while and it's certainly a rewarding car to drive. The wood rim steering wheel is nicer to look at than to use - 45C+ leads to sweaty palms which makes it a bit slippery but I'm not going to buy some driving gloves.

When pootling the trip computer shows 30mpg plus, with more spirited driving it's mid to low 20s (the UK price equivalent of over 100mpg!).

I've got the cruise control working - it turns out that the switch on the stalk is a bit iffy but it responds to a little patience. The fuel gauge is the next target - I've not found any advice on the net yet and the CD-ROM workshop manual I ordered from the UK has yet to arrive. My money is on the sender unit.

The mpg on the trip computer is spot on. I assume that like most cars it takes its data from the injector opening period, rather than tank contents. The dodgy gauge sender obviously makes the "range" function useless.

I'll have a run up to Abu Dhabi or Dubai sometime soon and see what I get then.

I got 22mpg from the last tankful - on a 3 litre auto, aircon on all the time and in almost exclusively urban driving I reckon that's pretty good. Price wise I'm getting the equivalent of 98mpg at UK prices!

One useful find is that I can get touch up paints in the UK at a sensible price - unobtainable here as this car is so rare. I'll be back home for a week at the end of June so will pick some up then.



Laatst gewijzigd door moggie99, 1/Dec/2010, 19:13


---
Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

1/Dec/2010, 18:54 Link to this post Verzend Email aan moggie99   Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan moggie99
 
Paco166 Profile
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Re: Alfa omeo 166 3L 24V


See you found the way Richard emoticon

emoticon. I think our first Arab 166.

Please feel free to post any emoticons on your car or parts you need.



hmmm, funny that english words get replaced by emoticons automatically emoticon

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Alfa Romeo 166 2.4JTD mei ‘02 - Blu Odissea
Alfa Romeo Spider S2 mei '79 - Nero
1/Dec/2010, 18:55 Link to this post Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan Paco166
 
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Re: Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


I've got a bit of a clonk from the front left suspension so I had the car up int he air yesterday to check it out. No sign of any wear in the balljoints, the spring and damper look OK so it's quite possibly just wear in the suspension bushes. The temperature out here is quite hard on them and at 10 years old it would be no surprise if it was the bushes going hard and then deteriorating. As the balljoints and track rod end look OK I'm not too worried for now.

I did find a little link that was detached from the wishbone and at first I couldn't work out what it was, Then I remembered something that a friend had said about his Omega and I realised that it was for the ride height sensor that adjusts the HID headlights. I clipped it back on and now have the headlights shining in the right place). Thanks for the tip Rich.

I've ordered a touch up paint from www.paints4u.com who have been recommended as being reliable suppliers. A 100ml pot of pearlescent "Aurora", a 30ml pot of plastic primer (for the bumper) and postage to my UK address came out at just over £15 which seems good value. They even included a little brush and delivered within 36 hours of the order being placed. I won't know how good the colour match is for a couple of weeks as I'll be picking it up next week when I come home for a week or so. Tidying up the scratches should make it look much nicer. (Unfortunately, it turned out to be a poor colour match).

I also treated it to a set of mats which set me back £4.50 from my local Carrefour. They're much better than the old ones which had a pattern that looked like offcuts of an old lady's living room carpet. The new ones are a better fit and better colour match - money well spent.

---
Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

1/Dec/2010, 18:57 Link to this post Verzend Email aan moggie99   Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan moggie99
 
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Re: Alfa omeo 166 3L 24V


We also have an english translation of our club website:

Dutch 166 Club website

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Alfa Romeo 166 2.4JTD mei ‘02 - Blu Odissea
Alfa Romeo Spider S2 mei '79 - Nero
1/Dec/2010, 18:57 Link to this post Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan Paco166
 
moggie99 Profile
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Re: Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


July 2010:

The more I drive this car the more I realise that it's a great engine wrapped up in a mediocre shell. The honeymoon period is over and the deficiencies of the car are becoming ever more evident.

Every time I drive it I get really pissed off by the absolutely enormous blind spot created by the front pillar - a blind spot so huge that it creates a genuine hazard at roundabouts and T junctions. Much of the blind spot is caused by the steep rake of the pillar and the way it curves over the door and unfortunately the seat does not go low enough to allow me to look under it. The angle of the B pillar also obscures most of my "over shoulder" view, meaning that I'm forced to rely upon my mirrors and they don't give enough coverage on any car.

I had said on another forum that "it's no Jaguar" - well the facts of life are that not only is it not a match for a Jag, it's not even a match for a Rover 800. The handling is really rather poor with terrible understeer, the Tomy/Fisher Price standard switchgear is shameful and aircon is feeble compared to that on an 800 (or for that matter, our old Rover 414).

The overall trim and build quality is miles behind an 800 and the only real saving grace in the interior is the seats. Dynamically, the only thing that it does better than an 800 is straightline acceleration and stopping - it's no faster than a Vitesse and it certainly doesn't appear to handle as well as a Vitesse either.

All in all, I'm actually pretty disappointed - I shall be selling it on at the first available opportunity.

20 Aug 2010:

I had a partial brake failure in the Alfa on the way home from Dubai tonight (we'd been shopping in the "local" IKEA).

It looks like the RH front brake caliper has been sticking and causing the pad/caliper/disc and wheel to heat up to the point where the fluid started to boil up and cause the pedal to go soft. After slowing down for a while the feel returned but it was a bit disconcerting.

Tomorrow I shall clean up the caliper and lubricate the pistons. It does need new pads anyway so I'll have to see if I can locate some somewhere.



---
Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

1/Dec/2010, 19:01 Link to this post Verzend Email aan moggie99   Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan moggie99
 
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Re: Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


25 Aug 2010:

Cleaning up the caliper stopped them sticking but it was clear that the pads were past their best (1-2mm of friction material is not enough!). No-one locally could supply pads or could be bothered to find out if they could so I had to turn to the Alfa dealer in Dubai. It cost £80 including the courier fees but it needed to be done, and they arrived yesterday.

I fitted them today and all seems well - not only are they not sticking (so far) but they seem to be a lot more effective. The old ones were badly glazed and obviously weren't capable of absorbing much heat. Normal service has been resumed.

Unfortunately, it looks like the discs will need replacing in the next few months - but I shall hunt around for a cheaper alternative than the dealer.

---
Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

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Re: Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


I had one of those rare, very satisfying, fault fixing afternoons and cleared up several problems for just a few pennies.

For background, my car has been suffering from poor starting - often taking 3 or 4 attempts to get it running - plus a lumpy idle once it does start. It has also been down on power and occasional hesitation for some time and these problems made me think that the MAF sensor was playing up.

In addition, it appeared to have fuel starvation problems when below 1/2 tank and I suspected a partially blocked fuel filter on the pump. My fuel gauge has also been erratic ever since I bought the car (and before according to the previous owner) but the £300 price of a new pump/sender unit was a bit of a turn off.

So today I decided to clean the fuel pump filter and see if that improved matters - after all, it would be a free "fix".

Access via the boot is easy enough - lift out the boot carpet and undo 4 bolt-head screws holding down the access cover. The electrical plug and fuel line come away easily enough and both are just push fit. Getting the pump out was a bit more tricky as it's held down by a big plastic screw ring that did not want to budge and then broke when I tapped it. Luckily I was able to repair the ring by using super glue to join the edges and make up a giant jubilee clip from three smaller ones to wrap around it (sorry, I forgot to take photos).

The pump is spring loaded and pops up and then has to be rotated 90 degrees to pull it out but be careful - it is full of petrol when it comes out! Once it was out I could see the problem immediately - the piece of rubber fuel hose between the main body of the pump and the outlet above it had de-laminated and split. This split would allow a good proportion of the pressurised fuel top escape back into the tank, rather than heading towards the engine. At that point I realised that this could well explain the poor starting and loss of power - the picture below shows the hose (yellow arrow). The hose is just held in with two jubilee clips and to get to the bottom one you have to release the fuel level sender (blue arrows) and three clips holding pump bottom into plastic swirl pot in which it sits.

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This picture (sorry - out of focus) shows the split in the hose and you can also see that most of the outer layer of the hose has come away and was sitting in the swirl pot.

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The contacts on the sender were corroded and pitted so after removing the float (it just unclips and slides off) and pushing out the pivot pin I cleaned them up with a soft wire brush. As the Haynes manuals say, "reassembly was reverse of the disassembly process".

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The perished hose was replaced by a piece supplied by my local car spares shop for the equivalent of £2.50 including the new jubilee clips. The outer diameter of the hose is greater but the inner is the same and there is plenty of space to accommodate the extra bulk. These pictures show it all back together.

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Refitting was straightforward and only took a couple of minutes. The end result is that the car now starts on the first turn of the key, the fuel gauge appears to read correctly and I've got the power back! It is certainly smoother and quicker to drive which is no surprise given the fact that it will have been starved of fuel even at the best of times. I'll need to monitor the fuel gauge for a while but the current reading matches what I expect to see. Instead of paying £250-300 for a pump, £100+ for MAF sensor and the ridiculous cost of shipping them out here I have got away with £2.50 and a couple of hours of my (free) labour. I also have the great satisfaction of having done it myself.

Next job - coil springs and that is unlikely to be so cheap.

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Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

1/Dec/2010, 19:03 Link to this post Verzend Email aan moggie99   Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan moggie99
 
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Re: Alfa Romeo 166 3L 24V


Since repairing the fuel pump in October I have done very little on the 166 because I have been recovering from open heart surgery at the start of November. Thankfully my surgeons were incredibly skilled and have done a wonderful job of replacing my aortic valve and repairing my arteries. I should be fully fit in another 3 weeks or so.

Just before being taken ill (and very nearly dying!), I ordered some spring assisters Amazon.com but obviously they have yet to be fitted thanks to my little cardiac problem. Because the order was over a certain value I got free shipping from Amazon to the courier's office in New York and then only 189 UAE Dirhams to get the box here - about £30 to get a 6lb from from the USA to the UAE in less than a week which seems OK to me.

I hope to fit them in about 3 weeks time and will report back then.

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Richard Moss: BMC/BL/ARG/Rover addict and Captain Mainwaring impersonator.
1969 MGC GT. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 1996 Jeep Cherokee 4L.

1/Dec/2010, 19:09 Link to this post Verzend Email aan moggie99   Verzend persoonlijk bericht aan moggie99
 


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