Still Running Strong

Gasoline Direct Injection Engines Explained

Still Running Strong — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 10:22:34 +0000

This article is about gasoline direct injection (GDI) and everything you need to know about GDI engines.

You will learn:

How GDI works and how it differs from indirect injection (port injection)
GDI emissions – the elephant in the room
Advantages and disadvantages of gasoline direct injection
The problem of carbon build-up in direct injection engines
Practical things that you can do to prevent carbon build-up in your car
What walnuts have to do with GDI engines

But first, here’s a short history lesson.

Direct fuel injection is a very old idea

Until the early 2000s, direct injection was mainly associated with diesel engines. However, gasoline direct injection isn’t a new idea.

The first engine to use direct injection was a V8 aircraft engine created by Leon Levavasseur in 1902 – a hundred years before GDI became widely used in passenger cars.

Going forward, the first mass-produced gasoline direct injection engine was the DB 601 A. Its origins are unfortunate as it was developed by Daimler-Benz just before World War II and fitted to various Messerschmitt aircraft, later used to bomb half of Europe.

Daimler-Benz remained the pioneer of direct injection engines and released the world’s first production car with a four-stroke, gasoline direct injection engine in 1954. It was the famous Mercedes-Benz 300 SL with its three-litre, straight six engine developing 243 PS (179 kW).

The direct-injected Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was the fastest production car in 1954

All the engines mentioned above used mechanical direct injection, which never became popular in mass-produced cars because of its complexity and problems with engine oil getting diluted with unburnt fuel. Without precise electronic fuel metering systems that we have today, it was very difficult to tune DI engines and keep them running reliably.

Daimler benz shyed away from direct injection in favour of manifold fuel injection, which was less sensitive to fuel injection timing and more reliable. And so, indirect fuel injection and carburettors remained the standard solutions for the next 50 years.

The first indirect fuel injection systems were mostly mechanical and eventually evolved into electronic fuel injection (EFI) that we know today.

In 1996, gasoline direct injection made a comeback with the appearance of Mitsubishi’s GDI engines. Other manufacturers soon followed the emerging trend. Fast forward to today, the majority of all new gasoline engines use direct injection.

The old problems of controlling injection pump timing are gone thanks to the lightning-fast, electrically-controlled fuel injectors and powerful electronic control units (ECU). The history of the gasoline engine started with direct fuel injection, and it will potentially end with direct fuel injection (if electric cars ever take over).

Comparison of fuel injection systems

Before I start explaining how direct injection works and its modes of operation, let’s compare these three injection systems:

Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI)
Port Fuel Injection (PFI)
Common Rail (CR)

The reason why common rail (diesel cars) is on this list is because it’s very similar to the injection system used in GDI engines.

Gasoline Direct Injection vs Common Rail

Here’s how these two injection systems are similar:

There are two fuel pumps. A low-pressure pump is located in or near the fuel tank. It feeds the fuel to the high-pressure pump located in the engine bay. The high-pressure pump is driven mechanically by the engine, while the low-pressure pump is electric.

From the high-pressure pump, the fuel is fed to the fuel rail, aka the “common rail”, at high pressure.

The fuel rail is connected to the fuel injectors that spray fuel directly into the combustion chamber. The fuel injectors are electrically controlled (solenoid or piezoelectric injectors) and can fire at any time – the injection timing is determined by a set of electronic sensors.

The injectors can fire multiple times per combustion cycle, and engine operation at lean air-fuel ratios is possible.

The above description fits both GDI and common rail diesel engines.

They aren’t identical though, and here’s what the main differences between them are:

First, the injection pressures are much lower in direct injection gasoline cars. Modern diesel injectors operate at 2,500 bar (36,000 psi), while gasoline direct injection runs at around 200 bar (2,900 psi).

For those of you that don’t know what one “bar” is – it is roughly the same as the atmospheric pressure, so 2,500 bar is 2,500 times higher than the atmospheric pressure, which is a lot of pressure.

Gasoline is a far worse lubricant than diesel fuel, so the injection pressures have to be lower. Still, even 200 bar (2,900 psi) already requires some good engineering to make the system run reliably without wearing out the injectors from pumping a solvent (gasoline).

The second difference between common rail and GDI is that a high-pressure diesel pump is driven by the timing belt or the timing chain, while a high-pressure gasoline pump is driven directly off the camshaft by an extra cam.

Both systems use piston pumps, and the difference between them is that the common rail pump has its own internal camshaft (with usually a single cam lobe). The end result is the same for both systems – a cam moves the pump pistons (called high-pressure elements) to generate the required pressure.

The GDI pump does not require as much power (lower pressure & a single high-pressure element) as a common rail pump, so it’s possible to eliminate the extra camshaft inside the pump and just add an extra cam to the engine’s camshaft.

To grossly oversimplify things: GDI is Common Rail technology for gasoline engines.

Makes sense so far?

We are now done with diesel engines and let’s focus on gasoline engines, which is what this article is about after all. If you’d like to learn more about the good and bad things about Common Rail diesel cars – please follow this link.

Gasoline Direct Injection vs Port Injection

The key difference between these two systems is the location of the fuel injectors (duh!).

In port-injected engines, the fuel is delivered into the intake manifold, very close to the intake port and the valves. The injected fuel mist washes over the intake valves as it enters the combustion chamber. The injectors fire only once per combustion cycle.

In GDI engines, the injectors deliver fuel directly into the combustion chamber. This allows for new lean burn injection strategies, which I will explain in a moment.

Here’s a summary of other important differences between GDI and PFI engines:

GDI engines have two fuel pumps and injection pressure up to 200 bar (2,900 psi). PFI engines need only around 4 bar (70 psi). That’s why a single electric fuel pump is enough.
The air-fuel mixture is prepared mostly outside of the cylinders in PFI engines. In GDI engines, the air-fuel mixture is prepared fully inside the cylinders.
The fuel droplets in the injected fuel spray need to 5-10 times smaller in GDI engines in order for the fuel to mix with the air in a much shorter period of time.
GDI engines require much finer injection control (fast injectors, more powerful ECU, correct spray pattern) due to a significantly tighter time window to deliver fuel and more sophisticated injection strategies.
PFI engines operate at close to stoichiometric air/fuel ratios (14.7:1), while GDI engines can run on a very lean A/F mixture (up to 50:1) in some modes of operation.
GDI injectors are exposed to the combustion process. It is a new engineering problem to solve. Otherwise, the injector lifespan will suffer. At high pressures that GDI engines operate at, low fuel lubricity is also an issue.
Moving the injector to the combustion chamber means that the intake valve cleaning effect has been lost, which makes GDI engines susceptible to carbon build-up on the intake valves.

How gasoline direct injection engines work

Before I explain how direct injection engines work, the main thing to remember about them is that a portion of the injected fuel spray must be directed towards the spark plug.

This enables new injection strategies that were not possible in port-injected engines, which is what all the fuss with GDI engines is about.

There are three ways of guiding the fuel inside the engine cylinders:

Wall-guided injection – using the geometry of the piston crown to direct the fuel spray towards the spark plug (requires a specially shaped piston crown) – see image below
Spray-guided injection – spraying a cone of fuel from the top of the cylinder towards the piston (requires the spark plug to be in the injector spray pattern and usually a cavity in the piston crown)
Air-guided injection – relying on the airflow to move the fuel spray near the spark plug (requires specially shaped intake ports)

Wall-guided injection: the spray of fuel is deflected up by the piston crown towards the spark plug

GDI modes of operation

Okay, we can finally get the key advantage of GDI engines, which is its ability to operate at lean air-fuel ratios.

There are 3 basic modes of GDI engine operation. The car’s ECU switches between them depending on the engine RPM and engine load.

1. Homogeneous Charge – high RPM or high engine load

In this mode, the cylinder “charge” is a uniform mixture of air and fuel at ratios close to stoichiometric (14.7:1). At full engine load, the mixture becomes slightly rich to generate the most power – just like in port-injected engines.

The “Homogeneous Charge” (uniform air-fuel mixture) is obtained by injecting fuel at the beginning of the intake phase. This single early injection provides all the fuel required for combustion. Because the injection happens early, there is plenty of time for the air to mix with the fuel inside the cylinders to create a homogeneous mixture.

GDI engines typically run in Homogeneous Charge mode in the upper part of the rev range and at full throttle. What’s important here is that GDI engines are only slightly more efficient than port-injected engines at full throttle.

The full benefit of direct injection is not achieved in Homogeneous Charge mode, and the slightly higher efficiency comes from higher compression and a more precise fuel injection system.

GDI engines can have higher compression ratios, which directly improves efficiency, due to the charge cooling effect of the injected fuel evaporating inside the cylinders. Let me explain this a bit better.

According to the laws of physics, an evaporating liquid cools the object that it comes in contact with. That’s why you feel colder when you’re wet – the evaporating water takes the heat away from your body.

This cooling effect inside the cylinders provides better resistance to knocking, which means that GDI engines can have higher compression ratios.

Port injected engines don’t benefit from the charge cooling effect as much because the fuel already starts evaporating inside the manifold (cooling the manifold is nice but not as good as cooling inside the cylinders).

Due to better fuel atomization, precise fuel delivery and higher compression, a typical GDI engine can be roughly 5% more efficient than a comparable PFI engine when operating in Homogeneous Charge mode. In other words, you can still enjoy a 5% improvement in fuel economy when you drive with the pedal to the metal.

2. Homogeneous Stratified Charge – low/medium RPM and medium engine load

This mode of operation is a transition phase between Stratified Charge operation and Homogeneous Charge operation.

In this mode, the fuel injectors fire twice before each combustion event. The first dose of fuel is delivered early during the intake stroke – just like in Homogeneous Charge mode. The difference here is that this first shot of fuel is smaller and it creates a lean air-fuel mixture inside the cylinder.

The second shot of fuel is delivered just before combustion, which creates a pocket of richer air-fuel mixture around the spark plug. The spark plug can easily ignite the richer mixture, which initiates the combustion of the entire cylinder charge. This is why I emphasized earlier that a portion of the injected fuel must be directed at the spark plug.

The term “Homogeneous Stratified Charge” is related to the cylinder charge (air/ fuel mixture). A lean, homogeneous air-fuel mixture is created inside the cylinder, then the fuel injector “stratifies” the charge by creating regions with different air-fuel ratios.

Homogeneous Stratified Charge mode enables the engine to run on a lean air/fuel mixture.

3. Stratified Charge – low/medium RPM and low engine load

Stratified Charge mode enables the engine to run on a very lean air/fuel mixture (even 50:1). In this mode, the early fuel injection is skipped entirely. Instead, the fuel injector fires just before combustion. There is very little fuel injected, so it must be directed at the spark plug to ensure stable ignition.

This is where the magic happens. A GDI engine running in Stratified Charge mode can be up to 20% more efficient than a comparable PFI engine. As you can see, there’s more to GDI than just moving the injectors from the manifold to the cylinders.

Stratified Charge mode has a certain resemblance to how diesel engines operate – a very lean mixture that combusts soon after the fuel is injected and a fully open throttle plate (this is important – I’ll explain in a moment).

Unfortunately, Stratified Charge operation is only possible at low engine loads in most engines today. The key for car manufacturers is now to increase the amount of time engines spend in lean burning modes.

As a driver, you can improve your fuel by driving gently. At low engine loads, GDI engines switch to Stratified Charge mode and run more efficiently, for example, during cruising at low/medium speeds.

Based on this logic, larger engines will stay in Stratified Charge mode more often because they are less stressed.

Therefore, bigger engines burn less fuel!

Wait… Is that right?

Throttling losses in GDI engines

The modes of operation described above aren’t the only ones. At the time this article was written, Bosch injection systems could operate in six modes. However, all other modes of operation derive from the three I described above. If you understand the ones I outlined, we can continue.

So, I’ve explained the strategies GDI engines use to achieve higher efficiency, but I haven’t explained why lean air/fuel mixture is good for engine efficiency. Why not simply close the throttle plate to reduce the amount of air entering the engine so less fuel is needed to maintain a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio?

Indeed, this is how port-injected engines operate. The problem with a partially closed throttle plate is that it restricts airflow. This creates a vacuum in the intake manifold because the engine is trying to suck in more air than it is allowed to, which wastes energy. Imagine trying to breathe through a straw.

A partially closed throttle plate reduces efficiency due to increased pumping loses. These losses are called throttling losses.

Unthrottled operation in gasoline engines (fully open throttle plate) has been engine designers’ wet dream for quite a while. GDI finally made it possible. When running in Stratified Charge mode, the throttle plate can remain open.

Out of all the factors that improve GDI engine efficiency, reducing throttling loses is the largest contributor – more important than the higher compression ratio or more precise fuel delivery. This is what GDI is all about – running the engine lean to keep the throttle plate open.

Depending on how you drive, you can expect a 7-15% real-world improvement in fuel economy from a GDI engine as compared to a similar PFI engine. I’m sure this number will still improve slightly as engineers find ways to make GDI engines spend more time in lean-burning modes.

By the way, diesel engines don’t need throttle bodies at all (although many have them as they can be used to improve emissions).

The elephant in the room – GDI engine emissions

We will now look at GDI emissions – specifically the CO2, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.

The level of CO2 emissions is directly linked to the amount of fuel consumed by the engine. GDI engines are more efficient, therefore, they emit less CO2, which is great. When it comes to CO2, GDI engines are definitely better than PFI engines.

When operating at air-fuel ratios close to stoichiometric, the emissions in GDI engines are similar to those in PFI engines. However, when operating in lean-burning modes, the emissions change and become more diesel-like.

When operating in Stratified Charge mode, the combustion takes place soon after the fuel is injected. Therefore, the fuel doesn’t have much time to mix with the air, which results in areas of high fuel concentration that don’t burn cleanly and are a source of particulate matter.

Wall-guided GDI engines emit the most particles due to some of the fuel remaining on the piston crown rather than mixing with the air charge (fuel impingement).

Therefore, GDI engine emissions contain a lot more particulate matter as compared to PFI engines. You thought you can have your cake and eat it too?

Along with the increase in particle emissions, GDI engines also used to emit more nitrogen oxides (NO_x). However, NO_xemissions is not an issue at the moment as there are effective strategies that manufacturers have successfully employed. The latest GDI engines have NO_x emissions that are comparable to those from PFI engines.

On the other hand, higher particulate emission is a real problem with GDI engines. Particulate matter is what got older diesel cars banned from city centres all over the world. Particulate matter is one of the main ingredients of smog and ultrafine particles can give you lung disease and cancer.

Can you see the plot twist coming?

Gasoline engines used to have very low emissions of particulate matter due to burning a uniform and stoichiometric air/fuel mixture resulting in clean combustion. In a GDI engine, you can have a rich and lean condition at the same time (not uniform and not stoichiometric).

While the legislators were focused on “dirty” diesel engines and their impact on the environment, there were no emission standards for particulate matter (PM) for gasoline engines until Euro 5 in 2009 and no limit for ultrafine particles (PN) until Euro 6b in 2014.

What does it mean?

It means that pre-2009 GDI engines were designed primarily to lower CO2 emissions, with little regard to particle emissions. It took a decade to bring particulate emissions of cars with GDI engines down to the same level as…

…diesel cars.

Surprised? Let me explain then.

Below is a summary of what happened regarding particulate matter emissions in GDI engines based on European emission standards (which are similar for the rest of the world).

Before 2009: “Free-for-all”

No regulations for particulate matter mass (PM) or particle count (PN) meant that GDI engines from those years emit more particulate matter than diesel engines equipped with particulate filters.

Basically, the first generation of GDI engines was in the same league as diesel engines when it comes to particulate emissions.

This shouldn’t be surprising. Why would car manufacturers care about something that’s not measured or regulated?

2009-2014: “Keep calm and diesel on”

Between 2009 and 2014, the particulate matter emission limit (PM) for GDI engines was set at the same level as for diesel cars when Euro 5 came into force.

Still, there was no limit on the number of particles (PN) for cars with GDI engines in those years. The PN emission standard controls the number of ultrafine particles that are harmful to humans.

Since all diesel cars had to be fitted with particulate filters after 2009, GDI engines continued to emit a lot more ultrafine particles, which still weren’t regulated.

2014-2017: “Close, but no cigar”

Euro 6b finally established a limit on the number of particles (PN) for cars with GDI engines in 2014.

Still, that limit was 10 times higher than the limit diesel engines had to adhere to since Euro 5b. There goes nearly a decade of diesel engines still being cleaner than GDI engines when it comes to PN emissions. Funny, isn’t it?

After 2017: “Make gasoline engines clean again”

With the Euro 6c in 2017, the particulate emissions (both PM & PN) of GDI cars have finally been brought in line with diesel cars, which marks the beginning of GDI cars with gasoline particulate filters (not all cars though).

This latest generation of GDI engines is finally comparable to PFI engines when it comes to particulate matter emissions (still 25-100% more PM emissions when not equipped with a GPF).

Gasoline Particulate Filters (GPF)

I focused on high particulate matter emissions in the previous paragraph, but please remember that engineering is the art of compromise. While GDI engines struggled to meet PM and PN limits, they are quite good when it comes to CO2 emissions and they offer better fuel economy.

So, as of 2017 many gasoline engines have been fitted with gasoline particulate filters (GPF), which are based on the same principle as diesel particulate filters (DPF). Follow this link to read more about particulate filters and diesel cars in general.

For those of you who had bad experiences with diesel particulate filters, gasoline particulate filters should be less of a nuisance because they operate at higher temperatures and they have to filter less soot. This means that these filters may be able to regenerate passively without the need for active regeneration cycles (or at least less frequently).

China and Australia followed a similar pattern of regulations and their latest emission standards are based on European regulations.

The USA and Canada, on the other hand, do not regulate particulate matter emissions based on particle number (PN), so American and Canadian cars are unlikely to need gasoline particulate filters for now.

You can read more about worldwide emission standards here, you masochist.

As far as PFI engines are concerned – it’s unlikely that they will ever need particulate filters. The PM and PN emission limits mentioned above apply only to GDI engines. For now, cars with PFI engines will remain on the market and be used in smaller cars (where it’s easier to pass CO2 emission tests).

Carbon build-up on the intake valves

Carbon build-up is a common problem that affected early GDI engines as the fuel is no longer injected into the intake manifold where it has a chance to wash away any carbon build-up from the intake valves.

The carbon deposits come from the Crankcase Ventilation System (CVS), which is connected to the intake. In any piston engine, a small portion of the gases from the combustion chamber is blown past the piston rings into the crankcase.

From the crankcase, they are fed back into the engine cylinders through the intake manifold. These gases contain oil vapour (hydrocarbons) and combustion by-products (more carbon).

The second source of intake valve deposits is the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system that redirects a portion of exhaust gases back into the engine intake (even more carbon).

Car manufacturers have been aware of this problem for quite some time and they’ve done a reasonably good job preventing carbon build-up in recent cars by optimizing the EGR and PCV systems. Engine oil formulas have also been improved and some cars even use dual-injection.

Sooner or later though, all GDI engines will have some carbon build-up on the intake valves. It is inevitable, Mr Anderson.

All the engineering workarounds only reduce the speed of deposit accumulation. The question is when or if it becomes a problem. Some engines will require the carbon to be cleaned up for the first time at 50,000 miles, which was not uncommon for the first generation of GDI engines, while others will need it at 200,000 miles.

Carbon build-up before and after cleaning

While the latest GDI engines have been optimized to reduce the likelihood of carbon build-up being a problem, carbon build-up is something to consider when buying an older car with a GDI engine or a high-mileage one.

The symptoms of carbon build-up on the intake valves are as follows:

Reduced power and reduced fuel economy
Misfires
Rough idle (more common when cold)
Engine starting problems
Illuminated “Check Engine” light

The first symptom is usually loss of power, which often goes unnoticed because it’s a slow process. As the carbon builds up on the intake valves, the airways narrow and reduces the amount of air entering the engine (kind of like asthma).

There have been cases of cars losing 10% of power before other symptoms appeared or a fault was picked up by the engine management system. As intake valves get clogged up further, the car may start misfiring or running roughly when cold.

Dual injection systems

The only solution that completely eliminates carbon build-up is a dual fuel injection system.

Dual injection is a combination of GDI and PFI. This means that there are two injectors per cylinder – one in the combustion chamber (direct injection) and one in the intake manifold (port injection).

Some manufacturers (Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford) opted to go this route instead of trying to reduce the occurrence of carbon build-up with GDI alone.

Dual injection also has another benefit. Direct injection isn’t always better than port injection. For example, port injection is better than GDI in high load situations at low engine RPM.

At high loads and low RPM, there is a large demand for fuel but the low RPM means that the flow of air into the engine has a low velocity, therefore, it doesn’t mix with the fuel as well as at higher engine revs. With PFI, the air-fuel mixture starts being prepared already in the intake manifold (more time to create a uniform air-fuel mixture = better emissions).

Being able to use both GDI and PFI can improve emissions and engine efficiency:

At high RPM and high loads, the charge cooling effect of GDI is very useful to prevent knocking
At low RPM and high loads, PFI gives more time to prepare a homogeneous mixture, which is good for emissions and efficiency

The direct injectors are never completely disabled. They need to keep delivering some fuel to stay cool.

The only problem with dual injection is that it increases the cost and adds even more complexity to the car. What happened to the KISS Principle?

Carbon cleaning (and walnuts)

In response to the increasing number of direct injection cars and the increased number of cars with excessive carbon build-up, companies started offering carbon cleaning services.

There are 3 ways of cleaning the intake valves in a GDI engine and 2 of them work.

1. Manual valve cleaning

The intake manifold is removed, and the valves are cleaned one by one using some solvent and a metal brush. The valves need to be in a closed position to keep all the dirt from getting into the cylinders.

The sludge is then cleaned up, and the intake manifold is reattached. The cost of this procedure depends on the number of valves to clean and the labour required to remove and reinstall the intake manifold. It is quite labour intensive.

2. Walnut shell blasting

It’s a more sophisticated method of cleaning the intake valves. It’s like sandblasting, but gentler. Apparently, crushed walnut shells are an excellent media to blast at the engine valves without damaging them.

Like with manual valve cleaning, the intake manifold needs to be removed, but the cleaning procedure itself is quick and effective. The walnut shell media is blasted into the intake ports while simultaneously vacuuming the shells and the removed carbon.

3. HHO carbon cleaning

It’s cheap, quick, effortless and most likely won’t do much to clean coked-up valves. At least it wouldn’t for me – placebo works only when you believe in it.

The idea behind HHO carbon cleaning is that feeding a small amount of hydrogen and oxygen into the engine through the intake manifold increases the combustion temperature and burns away carbon deposits. The problem is that the intake valves are before the combustion chamber (low temperature, no combustion, no chemical reactions).

Good for your health and your car’s engine!

How to prevent carbon build-up on the intake valves

Detergent fuel additives don’t work in the GDI engines as the injected fuel doesn’t go over the intake valves like in manifold fuel injection systems. Therefore, it doesn’t have a chance to wash away the carbon deposits. So, don’t waste your money on fuel additives.

Here are 5 things you can do to help prevent excessive carbon build-up in your car:

1. Use engine oils that have low Noack volatility

The Noack volatility rating determines how quickly the oil evaporates at high temperatures. Lower evaporation means that less engine oil will travel to the intake valves through the positive crankcase ventilation system (PCV).

Use engine oils that have a Noack volatility below 10%. The lower the number, the better. However, not all manufacturers provide this information in their product information sheets.

So, if you don’t want to trawl through technical data, simply choose a high-quality, full synthetic oil that was designed with GDI in mind. Also, avoid the thinnest grades – the thicker the oil, the lower the Noack volatility.

If you want the best, these engine oils have some of the best Noack volatility ratings:

Red Line High-Performance
Amsoil Signature Series

There’s also another good reason to use good quality engines oils in your GDI car and that’s oil dilution. GDI engines tend to have a higher level of oil dilution as some of the fuel that’s sprayed inside the cylinders gets on the cylinder walls and mixes with the engine oil.

One of the reasons why the internal parts of a diesel engine last longer is because diesel fuel is a better lubricant that doesn’t interfere with the oil film as much as gasoline. Gasoline, on the other hand, is a better solvent.

Gasoline engines have always been at a disadvantage and the switch from PFI to GDI will only make this effect more pronounced.

2. Install an oil separator

Installing an oil separator, commonly called a catch can, removes the oil vapours from the gases that travel from the crankcase into the intake manifold through the PCV system.

An oil separator needs to be emptied once in a while (typically every 3,000 or 5,000 miles) so it’s not an option that car manufacturers ever consider. However, it is an effective solution for engines that breathe in a lot of oil due to poorly designed PCV systems or have a lot of blow-by.

The more oil the engines consumes, the more effective the catch can will be.

3. Use a product designed to clean carbon build-up

CRC makes a product specifically for this purpose. You can get it here. Use it once a year as part of preventative maintenance.

Keep in mind that this is not for cars that already have a bad case of carbon build-up. A small can of solvent is unlikely to make a dent in years worth of carbon deposits. And if it does, that’s not good either, because any larger pieces of carbon that come off the intake valves will end up in the catalytic converter.

Manual valve cleaning is the correct solution for cars that are already running poorly due to carbon build-up.

4. Don’t drive like a granny

At high engine revs, the increased airflow and the rotation of the valves reduces the rate of deposit accumulation. In case you didn’t know, valves start rotating at higher engine revs, which keeps the valve seats clear from deposits and the valves from sticking.

So, let the engine rev above 3500 RPM regularly. This isn’t going to remove the accumulated carbon, but it will ensure that the valves are free and that they seal well.

5. Reduce engine oil consumption

Make sure that the valve stem seals and turbocharger seals in your engine are in good condition. Worn-out valve stem seals and a failing turbocharger compressor seal will contribute to carbon build-up by delivering more oil to the intake valves.

In other words, fixing the oil consumption will slow down the accumulation of carbon build-up on the intake valves.

Excessive blow-by that overpowers the filtering capabilities of the PCV system can also contribute to carbon build-up on the intake valves. However, if you have excessive blow-by, you have bigger concerns than carbon build-up…

Advantages of GDI engines

Here’s a summary of advantages that gasoline direct injection engines have over port-injected engines:

Higher efficiency – typically, 7-15% higher than PFI engines in the real world with the biggest difference at low engine loads
Higher specific power – more power and torque from the same engine displacement
Lower CO2 emissions

Disadvantages of GDI engines

Here’s a summary of disadvantages of gasoline direct injection engines when compared to port-injected engines:

Higher cost and complexity – GDI requires an extra fuel pump, sophisticated injectors and a more powerful ECU (multiple modes of operation)
Shorter lifespan of injection system components – a combination of high pressure, poor gasoline lubricity and injector deposits (carbon build-up)
Susceptibility to carbon build-up on the intake valves – lack of fuel flow over the intake valves in cars without dual injection
Higher emissions of particulate matter – as of 2017, some GDI engines require gasoline particulate filters (GPF) to meet emission standards
Accelerated engine oil degradation due to oil dilution – some of the fuel sprayed inside the cylinder gets on the cylinder walls and mixes with the oil
Converting a GDI engine to run on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is more expensive than converting a PFI engine

Summary

Now you know how direct injection works and what its benefits and drawbacks are.

Personally, I’d pick a PFI engine over a GDI engine while I’m waiting for electric car batteries to become cheaper and better. I like simplicity and the cars I drive tend to be on the older side.

As far as the problem of carbon build-up is concerned, I wouldn’t worry about it as GDI engines have improved in that regard over the past few years. In the worst case, you may need to have the intake valves in your car cleaned. It may not be cheap, but it’s a one-off procedure that restores the performance of the car for a few years.

Before you leave, consider this:

One of the main drivers behind the increasing complexity of modern cars is emission standards. A lot of the problems car owners have (carbon build-up, clogged EGR valves and particulate filters, swirl flaps getting ingested by engines etc.) are directly linked to the car manufacturers’ struggle to meet emission limits.

With electric cars, the manufacturers don’t have to worry about emissions because there aren’t any. Let the power plants and energy supplier worry about emissions, and let car makers design cars that aren’t constrained by emission regulations. How’s that for a campaign slogan?

Stay tuned for an article explaining electric cars.

If you liked this article, please share it with your friends!

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Ford Fiesta (Mk5: 2002-2008)

Still Running Strong — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 23:08:07 +0000

The Fiesta received a facelift in 2005 – a post-facelift model shown above (Fiesta ST).

Fiesta Mk6 or Mk5?

This generation of the Ford Fiesta (Mk5) is often referred to as Mk6. This is because the previous model, the Mk4 Fiesta, was often called the Mk5 after it received a facelift in 1999.

In other words, the 2002-2008 Fiesta is the 5th generation model, and what is often referred to as Mk5 is just a facelift model of the Mk4 – different looking front but still the same car. Call it the Mk4.5 if you wish.

Reliability & common problems

This section covers the potential reliability issues that you might have with the Ford Fiesta Mk5. Click on the buttons below to read more about the typical problems that fall outside the scope of routine maintenance.

Durashift EST transmission failure

The Durashift EST (Electronic Shift Transmission) is an automated manual transmission used with the 1.4 Duratec and 1.4 TDCi engines in the Ford Fiesta. While I’m not a fan of this technology, the Durashift EST is one of the better automated gearboxes used in mass-produced cars.

The gears and the clutch are operated by three electric motors. There are no hydraulics (apart from the master & slave clutch cylinders), which makes this transmission simpler and more reliable than Fiat’s Dualogic/Selespeed automated gearboxes.

The Durashift EST is pretty much the same thing as the Easytronic transmission used in Opel/Vauxhall cars, for example, the Corsa D or the Astra H. Both gearboxes have nearly identical clutch actuators and gear selector motors (just in a slightly different arrangement to accommodate different manual gearboxes).

While the Durashift is a light-weight and efficient gearbox, do not expect it to be as smooth as a conventional automatic transmission because it doesn’t have a torque converter to cushion the gear changes. It is, after all, a manual gearbox with actuators attached to it.

When buying and test driving a car with the Durashift EST gearbox, look out for the symptoms of Durashift EST malfunction:

Clunking noises when changing gears
Excessively hard gear changes
A sensation that the clutch is slipping (worn clutch)
Car dropping out of gear while driving
Juddering when taking off from a standstill
Car refusing to engage gear when trying to take off from a standstill
Transmission warning messages displayed on the dashboard
Car refusing to start

While the Durashift EST is reasonably reliable, below are the three things that you should know before buying a used Ford Fiesta with this transmission.

I. If the transmission fails, you will have a problem (unless you can fix stuff yourself).

The Durashift EST uses brushed electric motors to operate the gearbox.

The brushes in these motors will eventually wear out, and the transmission will stop working – it’s one of the most common reasons for Durashift EST failures. Replacing the brushes is fairly easy and inexpensive if you can do it yourself, or when you find someone experienced with these transmissions. They aren’t common though, so it may not be that easy.

If you go to the dealership instead, they will most likely offer to replace one of the actuators for something like £1000. If they don’t replace the right component the first time, there goes another £1000.

Trying to fix a faulty Durashift EST box is often expensive, which is the norm for automated and dual-clutch transmissions. This is unless you can diagnose problems yourself or know a garage that’s experienced with these transmissions and can fix the actual problem (as opposed to replacing half of the transmission). They are actually fairly simple once you understand how they work.

II. The Durashift EST has a standard dry clutch, which is a consumable item, just like in any manual transmission.

The Durashift EST cannot creep like a traditional automatic transmission because it doesn’t have a torque converter. Taking off and crawling at very low speeds is achieved by partial clutch engagement (slipping), which makes it wear.

Don’t treat it like a regular automatic gearbox because it’s not. You should always let the clutch engage fully in 1st gear when you are crawling in traffic. Also, don’t use the gas pedal to stop the car from rolling backwards on an incline.

III. A typical problem with these transmissions is a sticking actuator rod, which prevents one of the gear selector motors from operating correctly.

As I mentioned before, going to the dealership (or getting towed) with a problem like this would likely result in a large bill. However, it’s a fairly simple fix when you know what to do.

Here’s what’s involved:

The bottom line is this:

If you’re mechanically inclined, you can get a used Ford Fiesta with the Durashift EST. If you’re not, this transmission defeats the purpose of the car, which is to be affordable and simple.

The only Ford Fiesta model that had a conventional automatic gearbox was the 1.6 Duratec, and I recommend getting that one instead.

Summary or problems & additional information

The Fiesta ST, which is the performance model, was sold as the Fiesta XR4 in Australia.
The petrol engines in the Fiesta are simple and cheap to fix, which is exactly what you’d want from a small and affordable car. Actually, Ford did a pretty good job overall as there aren’t many issues with the little Fiesta. I have nothing to write about…
The 2.0 Duratec-HE engine from the Fiesta ST was designed by Mazda. In Mazda vehicles, it is known as the L series engine. You’ll also find it in some Volvo cars. It is reliable apart from a serious problem with the intake tumble flaps in pre-2003 cars, such as the Ford Mondeo Mk3. Fortunately, that has been fixed in the Fiesta ST.
Apart from the 1.3 Rocam and 2.0 Duratec-HE engines, which have timing chains, all the other engines in the Fiesta Mk5 have timing belts.
If you’re looking to buy a used Ford Fiesta Mk5 with an automatic transmission, I think you should stay away from the Durashift EST, which is an automated manual transmission mated to the 1.4 Duratec and the 1.4 TDCi. The 1.6 Duratec with a conventional automatic transmission is a safer choice. The Durashift EST is not bad, but it isn’t common, so fixing it may be a problem when it fails.
The TDCi are decent engines with no major problems. The things that could go wrong with them are the same as for all other modern diesel engines. By the way, these engines were developed as part of the Ford and PSA Group partnership. In French cars, they are known as the HDi. You’ll also find them in Mazda and Volvo cars.
None of the TDCi Fiesta cars needed a diesel particulate filter to meet Euro 4 emissions limits.
Also, all 1.6 TDCi and some of the 1.4 TDCi engines do not have dual-mass flywheels (DMF), which I consider to be a good thing – one expensive component less to go wrong and virtually no difference in driving.
I don’t know what Ford engineers were smoking, but the dual-mass flywheels were installed seemingly randomly in the 1.4 TDCi cars. I believe it was country related, for example, German cars are likely to have a DMF, but French or Italian aren’t. I don’t have enough data to tell you exactly, so you need to decode the vehicle identification number (VIN) of your car to be sure.

Ford Fiesta Mk5 specifications

This section contains Ford Fiesta Mk5 specifications. You will also find technical information regarding the engines used in these cars. Press the buttons below to display the specs and engine technical details.

Petrol engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1.25	1242 cm³ / 75.8 cu in	75 PS / 55 kW	110 Nm / 81 lbf⋅ft	2002-2008, Duratec (Sigma) engine
1.3	1299 cm³ / 79.3 cu in	60 PS / 44 kW	99 Nm / 73 lbf⋅ft	2002-2008, Duratec 8v (Zetec Rocam) engine
1.3	1299 cm³ / 79.3 cu in	70 PS / 51 kW	106 Nm / 78 lbf⋅ft	2002-2008, Duratec 8v (Zetec Rocam) engine
1.4	1388 cm³ / 84.7 cu in	80 PS / 59 kW	124 Nm / 91 lbf⋅ft	2002-2008, Duratec (Sigma) engine
1.6	1596 cm³ / 97.4 cu in	100 PS / 74 kW	146 Nm / 108 lbf⋅ft	2002-2008, Duratec (Sigma) engine
Fiesta ST (2.0)	1999 cm³ / 122.0 cu in	145 PS / 107 kW	190 Nm / 140 lbf⋅ft	2004-2008, Duratec-HE (Mazda L) engine

Diesel engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1.4 TDCi	1398 cm³ / 85.3 cu in	68 PS / 50 kW	160 Nm / 118 lbf⋅ft	2002-2008, Ford/PSA DLD-414 engine
1.6 TDCi	1560 cm³ / 95.2 cu in	90 PS / 66 kW	204 Nm / 150 lbf⋅ft	2002-2008, Ford/PSA DLD-416 engine

Petrol engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Fuel delivery	DMF	Inlet flaps
1.3 Duratec 8v (Zetec Rocam)	Inline-4, 8 valves	No	Timing chain, SOHC	Port injection (EFI)	No	No
1.25, 1.4 & 1.6 Duratec (Sigma)	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing belt, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	No	No
2.0 Duratec-HE (Mazda L)	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	No	Yes
Legend:	SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft EFI - Electronic Fuel Injection DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Diesel engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Injection system	DMF	DPF	Swirl flaps
1.4 TDCi (PSA/Ford DLD-414)	Inline-4, 8 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, SOHC	Common Rail	Some engines	No	No
1.6 TDCi (PSA/Ford DLD-416)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	No	No	No
Legend:	SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Ford Fiesta Mk5 wheel sizes

Press the button below to see the original equipment manufactuer (OEM) rim & tyres sizes for the Ford Fiesta Mk5. These are the original wheel sizes that were fitted by the manufacturer.

Tyres	Rims	Centre Bore	Bolt Pattern	Comments
175/65 R14	5.5Jx14 ET47.5	63.3mm	4x108
195/50 R15	6Jx15 ET52.5	63.3mm	4x108
195/45 R16	6.5Jx16 ET52.5	63.3mm	4x108
205/40 R17	7Jx17 ET52.5	63.3mm	4x108	Fiesta ST

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Ford Mondeo (Mk3: 2000-2007)

Still Running Strong — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 10:00:32 +0000

The Ford Mondeo Mk3 received two facelifts – in 2003 and in 2005. Mondeo ST220 shown above.

Reliability & common problems

This section covers the potential reliability issues that you might have with the Ford Mondeo Mk3. Click on the buttons below to read more about the typical problems that fall outside the scope of routine maintenance.

1.8 & 2.0 Duratec-HE – tumble flap failure

The Duratec-HE engine is fitted with tumble flaps in the intake manifold. These little plastic flaps introduce turbulence in the air going into the engine. Turbulent air mixes better with the fuel, thus improving emissions and low RPM torque.

The flaps are made of plastic, but the rod they are attached to is metal. Early Duratec-HE engines were prone to wearing out the rod holding the flaps. There have been cases of the rod breaking into pieces and getting ingested by the engine along with an unlucky tumble flap.

The result?

You’d likely need a new engine.

An ingested flap can take out valves, a piston, and damage the cylinder walls.

A typical symptom of a problem with the tumble flaps is a rattling noise coming from the engine. You’ll hear it at idle, and it’s the sound of the loose flaps rattling around. If left unchecked the rod that holds the flaps will eventually break.

Here’s what the tumble flap rattle sounds like:

As shown in the video above, the rattle usually disappears when you remove the vacuum hose that controls the flaps.

The flap mechanism has been updated in the second half of 2002 and the updated intake manifolds last a lot longer. While the flaps can still wear over time, they are a lot less likely to detach and become ingested by the engine. Still, if you hear a rattle coming from your engine, get the flaps checked.

If you’re looking to buy a used Ford Mondeo Mk3 with the Duratec-HE engine, get a post-facelift (2003) model as it will have the updated intake manifold.

I’d also like to clarify something – the Duratec-HE has tumble flaps, not swirl flaps as many people call them. There’s a small difference between the two.

Swirl flaps rotate the air around the cylinder axis, and cars with swirl flaps have two intake ports per cylinder. One of the ports has a swirl flap that closes that port off at low RPM. In other words, imagine a tiny skateboarder entering the cylinder through the intake port and doing a 360° spin.

Tumble flaps rotate the air in a direction perpendicular to the cylinder axis. Imagine a tiny skateboarder entering the cylinder through the intake port and doing a front flip.

Makes sense?

Swirl flaps are typically used in diesel-powered cars, while tumble flaps are used in petrol cars.

Early TDCi engines – injection system issues

The early 2.0 TDCi engines had injection pumps that were susceptible to generating metallic particles as a result of wear, which would then cause issues with the fuel injectors (no wonder).

Ford revised the injection pumps in mid-2002, therefore, you should look for a post-facelift model. Also, post-facelift cars have updated power-train control modules (PCM), which is another good reason to get a newer model.

These are the typical symptoms of problems with the TDCi injectors:

difficulty starting the car and rough idle when cold
white smoke (unburnt fuel) after a cold start
engine cutting out under acceleration
flashing glow plug light while driving (it indicates a fault with the engine management system – not necessarily injectors)

The symptoms listed above are also typical for worn-out injectors. Pay attention to how the engine runs after a cold start before buying a used Ford Mondeo Mk3, regardless of when it was produced.

Summary or problems & additional information

The corrosion protection in the Ford Mondeo Mk3 is not very good (but not as bad as some earlier Ford cars). Before buying one, inspect it for rust and remember to check under the doors. It’s a typical spot for corrosion in these cars. The post-facelift (2003) cars are less susceptible to door corrosion as early ones had problems with the sealant applied to the doors.
The Duratec-HE (1.8L & 2.0L) was designed by Mazda, where it is known as the L series engine. You’ll also find it in some Volvo cars. It is reliable apart from a poor tumble flap design in pre-2003 cars. Those flaps may break off and wreck your engine. It’s best to stay away from pre-facelift cars with the Duratec-HE unless the flaps have already been sorted out by the previous owners or you are going to do it yourself.
The diesel engines in the Ford Mondeo Mk3 are Ford’s own designs (unlike the TDCi in the Focus Mk2). The TDDi and the TDCi are pretty much the same engine, except for different injection systems and turbochargers.
The TDCi is a Common Rail engine, and the things that could go wrong with it are the same as for all other modern diesel engines. Just skip the pre-facelift (2003) cars due to problems with the early injection pumps.
The TDDi is a direct-injection engine with a distributor pump and spring-loaded fuel injectors. If you like old-school diesel engines, it’s the one for you. Keep in mind that the simpler, mechanical injection system is louder than the TDCi, and there’s also a difference in fuel economy.
All engines in the Ford Mondeo Mk3 have timing chains and they are usually reliable.
The 4-speed automatic transmission (CD4E) used with the 2.0 Duratec-HE has a bad reputation for overheating and breaking itself apart due to excessive line pressure. Most of the bad rep comes from the earlier Ford and Mazda models. The CD4E used in the Mondeo Mk3 went through multiple updates since the previous failures, which should make it more reliable. To be safe, avoid high-mileage cars and don’t neglect the transmission oil changes.
Before buying a used Ford Mondeo Mk3 with the CD4E transmission (2.0 Duratec-HE), make sure that the gear changes are smooth (harsh gear changes are a typical problem with the CD4E) and that the ATF doesn’t look burnt.
To finish on a more positive note, the 5-speed automatic transmission (Jatco JF506E) used with the Duratec V6 and the TDCi engines is definitely more trustworthy than the 4-speed CD4E.

Ford Mondeo Mk3 specifications

This section contains Ford Mondeo Mk3 specifications. You will also find technical information regarding the engines used in these cars. Press the buttons below to display the specs and engine technical details.

Petrol engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1.8	1798 cm³ / 109.7 cu in	110 PS / 81 kW	165 Nm / 122 lbf⋅ft	2000-2007, Duratec-HE (Mazda L) engine
1.8	1798 cm³ / 109.7 cu in	125 PS / 92 kW	169 Nm / 125 lbf⋅ft	2000-2007, Duratec-HE (Mazda L) engine
1.8 SCi	1798 cm³ / 109.7 cu in	130 PS / 96 kW	175 Nm / 129 lbf⋅ft	2003-2007, Duratec-HE (Mazda L) engine with direct injection
2.0	1999 cm³ / 122.0 cu in	145 PS / 107 kW	190 Nm / 140 lbf⋅ft	2003-2007, Duratec-HE (Mazda L) engine
2.5 V6	2495 cm³ / 152.3 cu in	170 PS / 125 kW	220 Nm / 162 lbf⋅ft	2000-2007, Duratec V6 engine
3.0 V6	2967 cm³ / 181.1 cu in	204 PS / 150 kW	263 Nm / 194 lbf⋅ft	2004-2007, Duratec V6 engine
Mondeo ST220 (3.0 V6)	2967 cm³ / 181.1 cu in	226 PS / 166 kW	280 Nm / 206 lbf⋅ft	2002-2007, Duratec V6 engine

Diesel engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
2.0 TDDI (90)	1998 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	90 PS / 66 kW	245 Nm / 191 lbf⋅ft	2000-2005, ZSD-420 engine (VP30 distributor pump)
2.0 TDCI (90)	1998 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	90 PS / 66 kW	245 Nm / 191 lbf⋅ft	2005-2007, ZSD-420 engine (Common Rail)
2.0 TDDI (115)	1998 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	115 PS / 85 kW	280 Nm / 206 lbf⋅ft	2000-2002, ZSD-420 engine (VP44 distributor pump)
2.0 TDCI (115)	1998 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	115 PS / 85 kW	280 Nm / 206 lbf⋅ft	2002-2007, ZSD-420 engine (Common Rail)
2.0 TDCi (130)	1998 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	130 PS / 96 kW	330 Nm / 243 lbf⋅ft	2001-2007, ZSD-420 engine (Common Rail)
2.2 TDCi (155)	2198 cm³ / 134.1 cu in	155 PS / 114 kW	360 Nm / 265 lbf⋅ft	2004-2007, ZSD-422 engine (Common Rail)

Petrol engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Fuel delivery	DMF	Inlet flaps
1.8 SCi Duratec-HE (Mazda L)	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC	Direct Injection (SCi)	Yes	Yes
1.8 & 2.0 Duratec-HE (Mazda L)	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	Yes
2.5 & 3.0 Duratec V6	V6, 24 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	No
Legend:	DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft SCi - "Smart Charge Injection" EFI - Electronic Fuel Injection DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Diesel engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Injection system	DMF	DPF	Swirl flaps
2.0 TDDi (ZSD-420)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing chain, DOHC	Direct injection, distributor pump	Yes	No	No
2.0 TDCi (ZSD-420)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing chain, DOHC	Common Rail (TDCI)	Yes	Optional after 2005	No
2.2 TDCi (ZSD-420)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing chain, DOHC	Common Rail (TDCI)	Yes	Optional after 2005	No
Legend:	DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft TDDI - "Turbo Diesel Direct Injection" TDCI - "Turbo Diesel Common Rail Injection" DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Ford Mondeo Mk3 wheel sizes

Press the button below to see the original equipment manufactuer (OEM) rim & tyres sizes for the Ford Mondeo Mk3. These are the original wheel sizes that were fitted by the manufacturer.

Tyres	Rims	Centre Bore	Bolt Pattern	Comments
205/55 R16	6.5Jx16 ET52.5	63.3mm	5x108
205/50 R17	6.5Jx17 ET52.5	63.3mm	5x108
225/40 R18	7.5Jx18 ET52.5	63.3mm	5x108	Standard on ST220 & ST TDCi

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Ford Focus (Mk2: 2004-2010)

Still Running Strong — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 09:32:16 +0000

The Ford Focus Mk2 received a facelift in 2008 – a post-facelift model (Focus ST) shown above.

The Focus ST, which is the performance model, was sold as the Focus XR5 in Australia.

Reliability & common problems

This section covers the potential reliability issues that you might have with the Ford Focus Mk2. Click on the buttons below to read more about the typical problems that fall outside the scope of routine maintenance.

Powershift transmission failure

Powershift is Ford’s brand name for their dual-clutch transmissions, designed for Ford by Getrag.

A dual-clutch transmission is like an automated manual transmission. It has two clutches – one drives odd-numbered gears, and the other drives even-numbered gears.

The trick to achieving quick gear changes, that dual-clutch transmissions are known for, lies in pre-selecting gears and predicting driver’s behaviour.

Dual-clutch gearboxes are also very efficient because they don’t have torque converters like traditional automatic transmissions.

You might have heard about the problems (followed by class-action lawsuits) with Ford’s Powershift dual-clutch transmissions. However, all of that applies to Ford’s dry-clutch variant of the Powershift.

There were two types of Powershift transmissions:

MPS6 (wet clutches) – it became available in the Mk2 Focus after the facelift in 2008. To be specific, it was the 6DCT450 model that was rated at 450 Nm and used in diesel-powered cars.
DPS6 (dry clutches) – this one came to the market after 2010, and because of the lower torque limit, it was used in petrol-powered cars. The 6DCT250, used in the Mk3 Focus, is the problematic one.

While the 6DCT450 (MPS6) used in the Mk2 Focus may have a decent track record in terms of reliability, it’s still a very complex piece of kit.

I keep repeating myself every time I write about dual-clutch transmissions, and I will this time too. I don’t recommend buying used cars with dual-clutch transmissions. It’s not something you want to own outside of warranty.

If the transmission fails, you will have a problem.

Trying to fix a faulty Powershift gearbox will most likely be expensive or very expensive, which is the norm for dual-clutch transmissions.

A failure of an individual component, like a £20 sensor, or a £30 valve, means that you may have to replace half of the transmission. Sometimes, you can have the faulty part replaced if you can find someone capable of doing it, but it will still be expensive because of the labour involved and the knowledge required.

Few places can repair dual-clutch transmissions and even dealerships do not generally repair them. If you go to the dealership with a faulty Powershift transmission, the odds are that they will offer to replace the entire transmission or at least the mechatronics unit (valve body). The latter is the cheaper option, yet it would still likely cost you £2,000+.

By the way, you may be able to buy a new mechatronics unit outside of the dealership for around £1,000, but I used the dealership prices to get my point across.

If you are still convinced about buying a used Ford Focus Mk2 with a Powershift transmission, here are the typical symptoms of Powershift malfunction:

car entering “limp home” mode or transmission warning messages displayed on the dashboard
clunking or crunching noises when changing gears
harsh gear changes
a sensation that the clutch is slipping (engine revs rising too quickly and not matching the acceleration of the car)
shuddering during acceleration (also a symptom of clutch slip)
delayed take off from a standstill
juddering / vibrations when taking off from a standstill
car dropping out of gear while driving

Durashift CVT transmission failure

The Durashift CVT was developed as part of a joint venture between ZF and Ford. The internal designation for this transmission is CFT23.

It is a type of “Constant Velocity Transmission”, which uses cones and a drive chain to achieve stepless gear ratio changes. This makes for a very smooth transmission.

Have a look at the video below, which explains how CVT transmissions work.

Apart from their smoothness, another key benefit of CVT transmissions is that they can make the car accelerate while the engine RPM remains constant. This is an advantage because the engine can then operate at an RPM that is most efficient while the car is accelerating and when you floor it, the RPM climbs close to the redline and stays there to get the most power out of the engine.

So what’s the catch?

The catch is the same as with dual-clutch transmissions. I think that buying a used car with a CVT is not a good idea because they are difficult to diagnose and repair due to their uncommonness (is this a word?).

Traditional automatic transmissions with torque converters have been around for around 80 years (starting from GM’s Hydramatic). They are well understood and can usually be repaired locally (actually repaired, not replaced).

That’s often not the case with CVT transmissions. Although the principle of CVT operation is very simple in theory, only a few companies managed to create reliable and long-lasting CVT gearboxes, despite the fact that the concept of the CVT is even older than traditional automatic transmissions.

While the Durashift CVT is one of the few decent implementations of the CVT technology, it will still be expensive to fix when it fails because few garages have the knowledge and experience required to service them.

The bottom line is this: If the transmission fails, you will have a problem.

Leave the CVT for mopeds and get a car with the 4-speed automatic transmission. It may still fail, but it is less likely to. Plus, it will be cheaper to fix if it does.

If you are still determined on getting a car with the Durashift CVT, look out for these symptoms of problems:

jerky operation and rough take off (juddering)
engine revs fluctuating when driving at a constant speed
prolonged delay when taking off
vibrations while driving
any noises from the transmission
a sensation that the gearbox is slipping
poor operation when cold (test drive the car when the transmission is cold)

Focus ST – cracked cylinder liners

The 2.5-litre engine in the Focus ST has wet cylinder liners (also called an open deck design), which means that there is a cavity around the cylinders for the coolant to flow. This is great for heat dissipation and makes for a slightly lighter engine. However, it does have a weakness.

Because of the thin walls, the liners are able to contract and expand as the engine warms up and cools down. The weakest points in the Focus ST cylinder liners are between the cylinders – that’s where the walls are the thinnest and those are also the hottest spots.

There have been cases of cylinder liners cracking in these spots. This has happened to both modified and stock cars, with the former being at a higher risk due to having more power (higher cylinder pressure and more heat).

Notice the gaps between the cylinder liners & the thin walls – that’s where the liners crack.
The engine in the photo is not from a Focus ST but the design is the same.

The engine in the Focus ST is based on a 2.3-litre Volvo engine. Its capacity has been increased by boring out the cylinders.

Bigger bore = thinner cylinder liner walls = more susceptible to cracks

When a cylinder liner cracks, the symptoms are similar to a failed head gasket.

Here are the symptoms of a cracked cylinder liner in the Focus ST:

intermittent misfire after a cold start
white smoke (initially only after a cold start)
dropping coolant level
coolant system getting pressurized by the combustion gases
no heat from the ventilation system

Only a small percentage of cars failed in such a catastrophic way (you’d need a new engine or a very expensive rebuild), so it may never happen to you. However, I advise against modifying the Focus ST for more power.

Some owners had the engine blocks in their cars strengthened by putting shims or inserts between the cylinder liners (kits are available). It is a fairly expensive mod as the cylinder head needs to be removed. Nevertheless, it is a solution if you are chasing power or having nightmares involving cracked cylinder liners.

This issue seems to affect only the Focus ST.

The Focus RS has a stronger cylinder block that is less likely to crack despite the added power.

There have been rumours that the post-facelift Focus ST uses the same block as the Focus RS. Sadly, I think they are nothing more than rumours. From what I’ve gathered, no one is safe and buying a used Focus ST means accepting a small risk of engine failure.

If you are going to buy a Focus ST, look out for the symptoms listed above, and do the radiator hose squeeze test – see part 4 of the used car buying guide for instructions. Also, avoid modified cars unless they had the cylinder liner shims installed.

By the way, these cracking cylinder liners remind of the cracking pistons in the Corsa VXR/OPC.

Focus ST – oil separator diaphragm failure

There have been cases of the oil separator diaphragm cracking in the pre-facelift Focus ST cars. It is a fairly common problem that also affects some Volvo cars.

The post-facelift Focus ST and Focus RS have updated diaphragms, which are less likely to fail.

It’s not terribly expensive to fix a ruptured oil separator diaphragm, but you should not drive the car with it because you may blow a camshaft oil seal, which would make it a more expensive affair.

The oil separator diaphragm is part of the positive crankcase ventilation system (PCV), and a failed diaphragm causes the boost pressure to get into the crankcase. That’s why the camshaft seal may fail if you continue driving the car.

If you really need to drive it, stay off boost.

You should not buy a second-hand Focus ST or RS with a ruptured diaphragm as you can’t know how long the previous owner has been driving like that.

A typical symptom of a cracked oil separator diaphragm in a Focus ST is a whistling noise when the car is idling. The noise will disappear when you pull the dipstick out or remove the oil fill cap.

Here’s what it sounds like:

The oil separator diaphragm is in the oil filter housing. Have a look on eBay – you may be able to find replacement diaphragms (cheap). If you can’t buy a new diaphragm, you will need to replace the entire oil filter housing (expensive), as Ford doesn’t sell diaphragms.

Tip: If your local Ford dealer gave you a ridiculous price for a new oil filter housing, you can get the same part from Volvo – their prices tend to be better.

Summary or problems & additional information

The Duratec-HE (1.8L & 2.0L) engine was designed by Mazda. In Mazda cars, it is known as the L series engine. You’ll also find it in some Volvo cars. It is a reliable engine apart from a serious problem with the intake tumble flaps in pre-2003 cars. Fortunately, that has been fixed.
The 1.6L Duratec is fine too (no major issues and no dual-mass flywheel).
The Focus ST comes with a small risk of engine failure. There have been cases of cracked cylinder liners in these engines, and it’s more likely to happen in tuned cars. On a more positive note, the Focus RS has a stronger engine block and seems less susceptible to develop cylinder liner cracks despite the added power.
The pre-facelift Focus ST has a weak oil separator diaphragm in the PCV system. It’s fairly common to see them rupture, but it isn’t a major problem as long as you fix it on time. When buying a used Ford Focus ST, make sure it doesn’t sound like a kettle in idle (a typical symptom of a failed oil diaphragm).
Apart from the 1.8L and 2.0L Duratec-HE engines, which have timing chains, all the other engines in the Focus Mk2 have timing belts.
If you’re looking to buy a used Ford Focus Mk2 with an automatic transmission, stay away from the Durashift CVT or the dual-clutch Powershift. They’re not something you want to own outside of warranty. Get a car with a traditional automatic transmission (available with the 1.6 & 2.0 petrol engines).
The 4F27E automatic transmission mated to the 1.6 and 2.0 petrol engines is fairly reliable. The 4F27E is known for its soft shifting characteristic and has a better reputation than the CD4E used in the Mondeo Mk3. Remember to replace the transmission fluid on time and you shouldn’t have issues with this gearbox.
The TDCi are decent engines with no major problems. The things that could go wrong are the same as for other modern diesel engines. By the way, they were developed as part of the PSA Group and Ford partnership. In French cars, these engines are known as the HDi. You’ll also find them in Mazda and Volvo cars.

Ford Focus Mk2 specifications

This section contains Ford Focus Mk2 specifications. You will also find technical information regarding the engines used in these cars. Press the buttons below to display the specs and engine technical details.

Petrol engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1.4	1388 cm³ / 84.7 cu in	80 PS / 59 kW	124 Nm / 91 lbf⋅ft	2004-2010, Duratec (Sigma) engine
1.6	1596 cm³ / 97.4 cu in	100 PS / 74 kW	150 Nm / 111 lbf⋅ft	2004-2010, Duratec (Sigma) engine
1.6 Ti-VCT	1596 cm³ / 97.4 cu in	115 PS / 85 kW	155 Nm / 114 lbf⋅ft	2004-2010, Duratec (Sigma) engine
1.8	1798 cm³ / 109.7 cu in	125 PS / 92 kW	165 Nm / 122 lbf⋅ft	2006-2010, Duratec-HE (Mazda L) engine
2.0	1999 cm³ / 122.0 cu in	145 PS / 107 kW	185 Nm / 136 lbf⋅ft	2004-2010, Duratec-HE (Mazda L) engine
Focus ST (2.5 Turbo)	2521 cm³ / 153.8 cu in	225 PS / 166 kW	320 Nm / 236 lbf⋅ft	2005-2010, Volvo B5254T3 engine
Focus RS (2.5 Turbo)	2521 cm³ / 153.8 cu in	305 PS / 224 kW	440 Nm / 324 lbf⋅ft	2009-2010, Volvo B5254T3 engine

Diesel engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1.6 TDCi	1560 cm³ / 95.2 cu in	90 PS / 66 kW	215 Nm / 159 lbf⋅ft	2005-2010, Ford/PSA DLD-416 engine
1.6 TDCi	1560 cm³ / 95.2 cu in	109 PS / 80 kW	240 Nm / 177 lbf⋅ft	2004-2010, Ford/PSA DLD-416 engine
1.8 TDCi	1753 cm³ / 107.0 cu in	115 PS / 85 kW	280 Nm / 206 lbf⋅ft	2004-2010, Ford DLD-418 engine
2.0 TDCi	1997 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	110 PS / 81 kW	265 Nm / 195 lbf⋅ft	2008-2010, PSA DW10 engine
2.0 TDCi	1997 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	136 PS / 100 kW	340 Nm / 251 lbf⋅ft	2004-2010, PSA DW10 engine

Petrol engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Fuel delivery	DMF	Inlet flaps
1.4 & 1.6 Duratec (Sigma)	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing belt, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	No	No
1.6 Duratec Ti-VCT (Sigma)	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing belt, DOHC, VVT	Port injection (EFI)	No	No
1.8 & 2.0 Duratec-HE (Mazda L)	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	Yes
Focus ST & RS (Volvo B5254T3)	Inline-5, 20 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC, VVT	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	No
Legend:	DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft VVT - Variable Valve Timing Ti-VCT - "Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing" EFI - Electronic Fuel Injection DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Diesel engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Injection system	DMF	DPF	Swirl flaps
1.6 TDCi (PSA/Ford DLD-416)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Most engines (less common in the 90 PS cars)	No
1.8 TDCi (Ford DLD-418)	Inline-4, 8 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, SOHC	Common Rail	Yes	No	No
2.0 TDCi ( PSA DW10)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Optional until 2005, mandatory from 2006	No
Legend:	SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Ford Focus Mk2 wheel sizes

Press the button below to see the original equipment manufactuer (OEM) rim & tyres sizes for the Ford Focus Mk2. These are the original wheel sizes that were fitted by the manufacturer.

Tyres	Rims	Centre Bore	Bolt Pattern	Comments
195/65 R15	6Jx15 ET52.5	63.3mm	5x108
205/55 R16	6.5Jx16 or 7Jx16 ET52.5	63.3mm	5x108
205/50 R17	7Jx17 ET50	63.3mm	5x108
225/40 R18	7.5Jx18 ET52.5	63.3mm	5x108	Steering angle limiters required
225/40 R18	8Jx18 ET52.5	63.3mm	5x108	Focus ST, steering angle limiters required
235/35 R19	8.5Jx19 ET60	63.3mm	5x108	Focus RS, steering angle limiters required

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Used Car Inspection Checklist

Still Running Strong — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 19:51:40 +0000

Inspecting a used car before buying it may feel overwhelming. The list of things to check is quite long, and it’s difficult to remember all of them. That’s why I’ve created a printable checklist.

To perform a thorough pre-purchase car inspection, take the printed checklist with you and follow the steps on in it. Take notes as you go along.

LINK:

—> CHECKLIST <—

The checklist is free to download, and it will be here anytime you need to inspect a used car. In return, I only ask that you share this page with your friends!

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If you’ve reached this page without reading the used car buyer’s guide, follow the link below to learn more about buying second-hand cars.

Used Car Buyer’s Guide

The post Used Car Inspection Checklist appeared first on Still Running Strong.

Used Car Buying Guide: Test Drive (Part 4)

Still Running Strong — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 14:40:00 +0000

This is part 4 of the Used Car Buyer’s Guide. In this part, we will take a used car for a test drive.

The test drive takes places after the Pre-purchase Inspection (part 3). If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the link.

Things to check before the test drive

Before taking the car for a test drive, spend a few minutes to make sure that there are no warning lights and that all the car features work. The paragraphs below explain what to check.

Car dashboard warning lights

Look at the dashboard with the ignition on but the engine turned off. When you turn the ignition on, the car will do a self-test and illuminate all the service lights (to check that they are working).

Key-operated cars – turn the key to the ON position, don’t start the engine
Cars with a push-button start – press the start button without pressing on the brake pedal, the dashboard lights should illuminate without starting the engine

First, locate the Malfunction Indicator Light aka the “Check Engine” light that looks like one of these:

Typical Malfunction Indicator Lights (MIL)

You’ve probably seen these icons before. They all mean the same thing – that there is a problem with one of the car’s systems, and an error code related to that problem has been stored in the car’s memory.

As the car is currently performing a self-test, this light should remain illuminated until you start the engine.

Next, find the ABS warning light that looks like this:

Typical ABS warning lights

The ABS warning light indicates that there’s a problem with the anti-lock braking system and that the ABS has been disabled.

Cars without ABS won’t have an ABS warning light, obviously.

Finally, locate the airbag warning light. It looks like one of these:

Typical airbag warning lights

The airbag warning light indicates a fault in the supplemental restraint system (SRS) and that the airbags won’t deploy in an accident (either because there’s a problem with the system or an airbag is missing).

Both the ABS and airbag warning lights should disappear a few seconds after turning the key. The “Check Engine” light, however, will remain illuminated.

Once you find the three lights (“Check Engine”, ABS and airbags), start the engine. When everything is okay, the “Check Engine” lights should turn off a couple seconds after the engine starts. This means that the engine is running correctly and that none of the electronic sensors are reporting errors.

What if you can’t find the “Check Engine” light?

It means that someone may be trying to scam you into buying a car with a hidden fault. It is possible to disable the “Check Engine” light by removing the light bulb behind the dashboard or hiding the light with some black tape.

It is a trick used by scammers (no other way to put it). Obviously, you should walk away from the sale if the “Check Engine” light has been disabled. Giving the seller the middle finger is optional.

The light bulbs occasionally die on their own, but it’s very rare. If you encounter a car with a missing warning light, don’t buy the car.

The same goes for the airbag (SRS) warning light. If the car has airbags and the airbag light never turns on, it means that it may have been disabled on purpose to hide the fact that the airbags had deployed in an accident and were never replaced.

The used car inspection checklist will remind you to have a look at the service lights. Remember to print it and take it with you when buying a used car.

It is very rare for anyone to try to hide the warning lights, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Cars with adaptive suspension, air suspension or all-wheel-drive may have additional dashboard icons related to the suspension or the transmission. See if you can find any of those and that they turn off once you start the engine.

Check the car’s equipment

Start by checking the standard equipment and then check anything that’s specific to the car. Anything that doesn’t work is a good reason to negotiate the price of a used car.

The things that you should check are as follows:

Air conditioning
Heater and fan
Windshield wipers and washers
Electric windows
Power seats and mirror controls
Radio and CD player
Rear window defogger
Lights (don’t forget to check the fog lights)
Cruise control (you will check it during the test drive)

You may not be able to check the rear window defroster directly when it’s warm outside. What you can do is to look at the RPM gauge and turn the defroster on.

If the RPM drops slightly or fluctuates for a couple seconds, it means that the defroster is working (extra load on the engine). The RPM may also go up slightly when you turn the defroster off.

The A/C just needs a charge

When the seller says that the A/C only needs a charge, watch out. In the majority of cases, it doesn’t just need a charge. It will need regassing… and new compressor… and a new condenser… and a blessing from the Norse Gods to ever work again.

If it’s working but not cooling as well as it should, that’s when it only needs recharging (or the radiator fan isn’t working).

Don’t accept a car with a broken A/C without a major discount.

It’s simple to check the A/C when it’s hot outside. It’s when you are buying a car in winter, that’s when it becomes tricky.

Here are a few things that you can do to test the A/C in winter:

Take the car to a heated garage, for example, to a shopping centre. Check the A/C there.
If you can see the A/C compressor in the engine bay, check that the compressor clutch engages when the A/C is turned on. If it doesn’t, it’s dead.
Sit in the car for a few minutes with the blower off until the windows fog up. Then turn the A/C and heat to maximum. See how quickly the fog goes away. Then repeat the same just without the A/C. It should take longer without the A/C because the A/C dries the air.

Check the car-specific features

This guide is intended for an average car. If the second-hand car you are looking to buy is a convertible or has some advanced features like air suspension, don’t forget to do the checks related to those car-specific features.

See if you can find the car you are planning to buy in the Car Database for more information about the things that should be checked on that particular car model.

How to inspect a used convertible

When inspecting a used convertible car, your two biggest concerns are hydraulic system issues (mainly leaks) and weather intrusion (fancy name for a leaking roof).

Here are the things to check in a convertible:

Check for any dampness in the footwells, carpets and in the boot. It’s best to do it after rainfall.
Open and close the roof a couple times to make sure that it works.
Check the condition of the roof fabric and the plastic windows if the car has a soft top roof
Check the condition of the roof seals. Ideally, they should be lubricated regularly – ask the previous owner about it.
Look for hydraulic fluid leaks – in the boot, on the headliner and around the hydraulic rams.
Get the car up to 60 mph with the roof closed and listen for excessive wind noise.
Listen for rattling noises while driving with the roof closed.
Take the car to a high pressure (touchless) car wash and see if any water gets inside the cabin or the boot.

Vibrations in the cabin

As you are sitting in the car and checking its features, take a moment to feel if there are any vibrations in the cabin when the engine is running.

Keep in mind that petrol cars are smoother in idle than diesel cars. A little bit of vibration is normal in diesel-powered vehicles.

Vibrations in idle could be a symptom of worn-out motor mounts or a failing dual-mass flywheel. The latter is a much more expensive problem.

If you notice anything out of the ordinary, make a note on the checklist.

Symptoms of a failing dual-mass flywheel

The dual-mass flywheel (DMF) is a torsional damper fitted between the engine and the clutch. It’s an evolution of the traditional solid flywheel. Its job is to smooth out the jerky nature of the engine’s power delivery.

Dual-mass flywheels are fitted to nearly all modern vehicles with manual and dual-clutch transmissions (as if those weren’t complex enough). Automatic transmissions with torque converters don’t have dual-mass flywheels.

If you’d like to read more about dual-mass flywheels (and why I don’t like them), see the article about the problems with modern diesel cars and the KISS principle.

Replacing a DMF is expensive. Therefore, remember to check the used car you are planning to buy for symptoms of DMF failure:

Rattling noises when the car is idling are a typical sign of impending DMF failure. With the transmission in neutral, press the clutch pedal a few times and listen for any changes in drivetrain noise. This is also how you check for a worn-out clutch release bearing – it will rattle when the clutch pedal isn’t depressed. Two birds, one stone! Do this with the window open to hear it better.
Vibrations in the cabin when the engine is idling. Vibrations may also occur during acceleration at low engine revs, which is exactly what the dual-mass flywheel is supposed to prevent. A worn-out DMF will not do its job properly.
Another telltale sign of a worn out DMF is when the car shakes when you turn off the engine. This may be accompanied by a rattling noise. With the driver’s window open, turn the engine off, and pay attention to any vibration/noises. Do this twice.
Finally, juddering may occur when starting from a standstill

Here’s what a rattling dual-mass flywheel sounds like:

The one below is less obvious because of the loud engine, but you can hear it clearly when the engine stops:

How to test drive a used car

As you can see, you can learn a lot about the condition of the car by listening to it. You’ve just checked the dual-mass flywheel this way, and you should remain focused on the sounds the car makes during the test drive.

While problems with the electronic parts in the car are usually picked up by the on-board diagnostic system (OBD) and communicated to you via warning lights and error codes, you will have to rely on your senses to check the mechanical parts of the car such as the brakes or the suspension.

When you test drive a used car, you should turn off the radio and put the fan speed on low. This is so that you can hear if the car makes noises that it shouldn’t. When a dodgy car dealer insists on turning up the stereo to “show you how great it is”, it may not be about the stereo at all – he just doesn’t want you to hear the knocking suspension or crunchy gear changes!

Hopefully, you’ll never encounter people like that, but if you do, at least you know what’s going on.

Hear all evil, see all evil, then negotiate the price of the car!

The test drive should be divided into two sections – some low-speed urban driving and a bit of high-speed motorway driving. The high-speed run (70 mph) needs to last only a few minutes, but it is quite important, in my opinion.

Drive the car normally but stay focused on the driving experience and do the checks listed below.

In part 3 (pre-purchase car inspection), I’ve explained what the exhaust smoke can tell you about the condition of the engine. If you came to see a used car with a friend, ask him to drive behind you for the first few minutes of the test drive and look for exhaust smoke. This step is optional but worth doing if you already came with someone.

Low speed (urban) test drive

The first part of the test drive is just doing a few miles around the town.

The things that you should check are as follows:

the handbrake
the CV joints
the operation of the gearbox
the brakes and the ABS system
the condition of the suspension

Check the handbrake

The first simple test during your test drive is to check the handbrake.

Get the car moving slowly, and apply the handbrake to see if the car stops. Do this at a very low speed (5-10 mph) and with the transmission in neutral. Once the handbrake is applied, the car may roll for a few meters, but it should come to a stop.

Alternatively, you can check the handbrake later while standing on an incline. I like checking the handbrake at the beginning of the test drive as there might be no opportunity to stop on an incline.

As for cars with an electric parking brake, the procedure is exactly the same – hold the button until the car stops. Be aware that an electric parking brake may brake more sharply than a manual handbrake.

Check the CV joints

The next simple test is to open both front windows, turn the steering wheel all the way in one direction and drive in a circle. This is to check that the CV joints are in good shape. You can do this at the beginning of the test drive, or you can take the car to a shopping centre parking lot if there is not enough room to manoeuvre.

In part 3 of this guide, you’ve already checked the CV joint rubber boots for damage. Now, you are checking the CV joints directly. When one of the CV joints is worn out, you will hear a clicking sound.

Afterwards, repeat the same steps but drive in the other direction.

Here’s an example:

Check the clutch operation (manual transmission)

In most modern cars, the clutch is operated by a hydraulic cylinder. The system is self-adjusting, which means that the clutch bite point doesn’t say much about the condition of the clutch like it used to in cars with cable-operated clutches.

With a bit of practice though, you should still be able to tell when the clutch is on its way out or if there are other problems related to the transmission.

Drive the car normally, and as you operate the clutch when changing gears or at the traffic lights, look out for these warning signs:

the clutch pedal is hard to press
the clutch pedal vibrates
the clutch slips when you try to accelerate (most likely to occur at peak engine torque: 2000-2500 RPM for a turbodiesel car and 4000 RPM for a petrol car)
selecting gears requires force
the gear changes are noisy (clunking or crunching noises)
the clutch bite point is inconsistent or extremely high/low
the gear changes are jerky and it’s difficult to operate the clutch smoothly
the clutch release bearing is noisy (already checked at the same time as the dual-mass flywheel)

It’s good to know that clunking gear changes and vibrations in the cabin at idle are typical symptoms of worn-out transmission or engine mounts.

The motor mounts are rubber parts that wear out and degrade over time.

The gear changes became noticeably smoother after replacing this 12-year-old gearbox mount

Worn-out motor mounts allow the engine and transmission to move excessively when changing gears and during heavy acceleration. When they are worn out, you may experience symptoms that look like a gearbox-related problem at first glance.

How to test drive a used car with an automatic transmission

First of all, pay attention to how smoothly the transmission shifts from “Park” to “Drive” and “Reverse”. Also, try going from “Reverse” to “Drive” directly. If the gear engagements are rough and accompanied by clunking noises or they shake the car, there is a problem somewhere.

It could be a problem with the transmission or it could be just a worn-out transmission mount. If you can’t tell the difference, don’t take the risk and look for another car.

When test driving a car with an automatic transmission, pay attention to the difference in how the transmission behaves when it’s hot and cold. Once it warms up, the gear changes tend to be slightly smoother, but the difference should not be dramatic.

During the test drive, look out for the following warning signs:

harsh shifting
erratic shifting or delayed gear changes
transmission slipping when changing gears – the engine revs surge before the next gear engages
missing gears (for example, shifting from 2nd to 4th, this is a major problem)
transmission dropping out of gear – the engine revs go up quickly but the car does not accelerate (this is a major problem)

Don’t forget to check that the kickdown works – step on the gas and the car should downshift and accelerate.

Lastly, check that the torque converter lock-up works. The lock-up is a clutch that mechanically locks the torque converter to improve transmission efficiency when cruising (torque converter slip eliminated). In some cars, the lock-up feels like an additional gear change, while in others it’s barely perceptible.

To check that it works, maintain a constant speed of 50 mph and start pressing on the accelerator pedal progressively harder. Initially, you should feel that the engine is mechanically connected to the wheels. The car will accelerate gently. Both the tachometer and speedometer needles should start rising slowly – the tachometer needle should not jump.

As you press harder on the gas, the torque converter should unlock and you will see that the engine RPM jumps up. At this point, the car should be accelerating fairly quickly. If you press even harder, the transmission may decide to downshift (another RPM jump).

If you’re familiar with automatic transmission cars, this behaviour is easy to spot. The engine and transmission need to be warmed up, otherwise, the torque converter lock-up may be disabled.

Check the car suspension

There are a few things that can tell you that there’s a problem with the suspension in a used car. Here are the typical symptoms of worn-out or damaged suspension parts:

uneven tyre wear (misaligned or worn-out suspension) – already checked during the pre-purchase inspection
car leaning to the side (a broken suspension spring) – also already checked during the pre-purchase inspection
play in the steering wheel and loose steering feel (worn-out suspension parts)
knocking noises coming from the suspension (worn-out or damaged suspension parts)
bouncy ride (faulty shock absorbers)
growling noise (worn-out wheel bearing)

Worn-out suspension parts often make knocking noises, and these noises are more likely to appear when going over speed bumps or potholes. This is why driving a car over some speed bumps should be a part of every test drive.

Ask the seller to lead you to a street with a rough road surface or some speed bumps. Here’s what a typical suspension knock sounds like:

Apart from the noises, pay attention to how the suspension deals with the impacts when going over potholes or speed bumps. Does it absorb the impact when hitting bumps or does the car become bouncy? A bouncy ride is the main symptom of worn-out shock absorbers. Their role is to absorb the energy when the suspension deflects.

Here’s what shock absorbers do:

When you drive the car over a bump in the road, the suspension deflects to smooth out the impact – the suspension springs compress.

Without shock absorbers, the suspension springs would then give back almost all of the energy that they took in when hitting the bump in the road, thus, making the car bounce. Shock absorbers dissipate that energy so that the car doesn’t bounce.

Here’s what happens when there are no shock absorbers (or they are completely shot):

Another symptom of failing shock absorbers is when they start leaking oil, but you’ve already checked that during the pre-purchase inspection.

Let’s continue with the test drive and the sounds of broken stuff.

Below is what a bad wheel bearing sounds like. The noise may appear or disappear when turning. Turning puts an axial load (side load) on the wheel bearings. Depending on which one is damaged, turning the steering wheel may amplify the noise or make it disappear.

Check the brakes and the ABS

When an opportunity arises, test the brakes. Do it on a straight road and make sure there are no cars behind you. Also, let the seller know that you are about to test the brakes.

The anti-lock braking systems, fitted to pretty much all modern cars, prevent the wheels from locking up, which makes the car maintain traction during braking. This is critical when braking and swerving at the same time, which is what most people tend to do in emergency braking situations.

To test the ABS, you should be doing 30 or 40 mph and you need to press on the brakes hard enough for the ABS to engage. When the ABS engages, you will feel the brake pedal pulsating. This is accompanied by a distinct chattering noise as the brakes rapidly engage and disengage.

Also, pay attention to the direction the car is going – it should not pull to the side when braking.

If you can’t get the ABS to engage, even if you press on the brakes very hard, it could be one of three things:

the brakes are too weak, which is a bad sign
the ABS isn’t working
you are test driving a Lamborghini and simply going too slowly

Earlier, you’ve checked that there were no ABS warning lights on the dashboard when you started the car. This real-world test just confirms that the brakes and ABS work well.

Pay attention to the engine sound

The engine contains many moving parts, therefore, many opportunities for noise when something is wrong.

It could be knocking diesel injectors (typically accompanied by some black smoke during acceleration), clicking valvetrain (incorrect valve lash or worn out parts), a squealing accessory belt or whining bearings in the alternator.

Basically, there should be no weird noises coming from the engine when the car is idling, nor during the test drive.

By the way, the worst sound to hear is knocking connecting rods (very expensive to fix). Hopefully, it’s something that you’ll never encounter, but it sounds like this:

Knock knock

Who’s there?

Rod

Rod who?

Rod knock!

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself…

High speed (motorway) test drive

During the high-speed part of the test drive, you should pay attention to:

the acceleration (look for problems: car struggling to accelerate, misfires, slipping transmission)
steering wheel play (there should be none)
vibrations on the steering wheel (unbalanced/damaged wheels or worn-out suspension)
car pulling to the side (incorrect wheel alignment, worn suspension or sticking brakes)
noises coming from the gearbox or the differential
the coolant temperature (make sure the engine reaches the operating temperature and doesn’t overheat)
check the cruise control (where applicable)

Ask the seller to lead you to a stretch of road where you can take the car to 88 mph and see if it takes you back in time.

Just kidding… no more bad jokes, I promise.

You need to find a road where you can reach about 70 mph. This part is important because some things only become noticeable at higher speeds, for example, an unbalanced wheel typically causes vibrations on the steering wheel around and above 60 mph. Now, wheel imbalance can simply be a missing weight, but it could also be a damaged rim, which is a more expensive problem.

This is the time when you can put the pedal to the metal and check that the car accelerates smoothly through the entire rev range. I recommend getting close to the redline at least once. Just warn the seller that you would like to do an acceleration test.

Start at low RPM and plant your right foot on the accelerator pedal. Pay attention to any noises coming from the engine and if there are any engine misfires (especially at low/mid RPM).

Is the car as fast as it should be (or as slow as it should be) given its specs?

Also, look at the RPM gauge to see if the transmission is not slipping and that you don’t hear any weird noises coming from the transmission or the differential (I’ll show you an example in a moment).

Once you get to around 70 mph, slowly loosen your grip on the steering wheel on a stretch of straight road. See if the car tracks straight and doesn’t pull to the side (when cruising and also when accelerating). Pay attention to any vibrations on the steering wheel.

If the car has cruise control, now is a good time to check that it works.

And for the final test, apply the brakes moderately hard (not nearly as hard as when checking the ABS earlier). See if the car keeps going straight or pulls to the side when braking.

Gearbox and differential noises

A noisy gearbox may only become noticeable when the car is moving fairly quickly. Make sure there are no crunching noises when changing gears and watch out for whining bearings or gears.

If there’s a problem with the bearings or the transmission gears are worn-out, you may hear a whining or howling noise. The noise may appear only in certain gears. It is also more likely to appear during acceleration.

This is what it sounds like:

And this concludes the test drive!

The checks described above should give you a pretty good idea about the condition of the suspension, the brakes, the engine and the transmission in the car you’ve been test driving.

What to check after the test drive

Before you are done with the car, here are three final checks that are worth doing.

After the test drive, you should check:

that the brakes are not dragging
the automatic transmission fluid (where applicable)
the hardness of the radiator hoses

After you stop the car, put it in neutral and see if it starts rolling. It should if you’ve stopped on an incline. If the car doesn’t move, open the door and step out.

Grab the A-pillar and push the car to get it to move (don’t push on the door). It shouldn’t require much force to get the car to move at least a little bit. If you can’t get it to move at all, one of the brake callipers may be sticking.

If you think that there is too much resistance, go and touch one of the rear rims near the hub. Feel if it’s warm or hot. It shouldn’t be because the rear brake discs don’t generate that much heat. The majority of the braking force is applied to the front wheels. Now check the other rear wheel.

Next, do the same thing with the front wheels. It’s perfectly normal for the hubs or the rims to be warm, but they should not be hot after a short test drive.

Look for a difference between the wheels. The one with a sticking brake calliper will most definitely be warmer than the other wheels. In severe cases, the rim can get fairly hot.

And here’s a simple test that may reveal a leaking head gasket:

Open the bonnet and leave the engine running. Under the bonnet, you need to find one of the radiator hoses going from the engine to the radiator. Please be careful – the hose will be fairly hot and don’t stick your hands into the radiator fan.

The upper radiator hose looks like this:

Grab the hose and ask the seller to rev the engine to 2000-3000 RPM. Squeeze the hose when the engine revs up.

It should be pliable. If it’s very hard, there may be a problem with the head gasket (combustion chamber pressure entering the coolant circuit).

When the engine is cold, the radiator hoses are flexible. When the engine is warm, they may become fairly hard. This is normal as the cooling system works under pressure. However, a rock hard radiator hose is a bad sign. You can try this out on your current car to get the feel for it.

Before turning the engine off, remember to check the level and colour of the automatic transmission fluid (where applicable). I’ve explained what to look for in part 3 of this guide: the pre-purchase inspection.

Check the service book and the receipts

Ask the seller to show you the service book and any receipts for maintenance work. Some people like to keep the invoices and receipts, some don’t.

It is much better when a thorough documentation is available. I mentioned in part 2 of this guide (choosing a used car) that not having a full service history can reduce the value of a used car by up to 20%. The newer the car, the bigger the loss.

If the car you are planning to buy is missing stamps in the service book, or there are no receipts for maintenance work, you should negotiate the price of the car or walk away from the sale.

If you’ve checked the car thoroughly and it is in good condition, it’s okay to buy a used car without a service history, but don’t pay the full market price, because you may struggle to get your money back when you try to sell the car in the future. Most used car buyers care about having documented service history and so should you.

Besides, a set of stamps in the service book and a stack of receipts prove that the previous owner took good care of the car.

Older cars are likely to be serviced at independent garages, which is perfectly fine as long as there are receipts to prove that.

Please be cautious when the seller tells you that the car was recently serviced but there is no receipt to prove that. Always try to verify the seller’s claims yourself – if there is no receipt that confirms the maintenance work, have a look under the bonnet to see if the parts mentioned have indeed been replaced.

Like I said earlier, truly dishonest sellers are a small minority, but better safe than sorry.

And there’s a lesson here for you too: always keep the receipts.

There’s one last thing to know about service books. It is possible to buy a blank service book and fake the service history. If you’re having doubts about the honesty of the seller and the service book, call the dealership. They keep an electronic record, so they can verify the authenticity of the service book.

Check the VIN and the car registration documents

There is always some paperwork to deal with when buying a car.

In the UK, both parties need to fill in the V5C registration document. The seller then needs to deliver it to the DVLA (by post or online). The buyer should receive the new keeper supplement.

Remember that the car needs to have a valid MOT and you will need to have your own car insurance in place before you can drive away after finalizing the deal. You will also need to pay the Road Tax as it’s no longer transferrable.

Click here to read more about the essential paperwork in the UK.

I’m not going to go into details about the documents and car insurance because the paperwork and the rules are different in each country. That said, you need to make sure that you understand the process of buying a car and the documents associated with it.

Regardless of where you live, these are the three most important things to remember when buying a used car:

The paperwork must match the vehicle. Find the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the car chassis and compare it with the VIN number on the car documents. It needs to match.
The seller must the legal owner of the vehicle. Ask the seller to show you an ID and the name on the ID must match the name on the paperwork.
The paperwork must be complete and correct. Be cautious when the addresses don’t match or there’s a missing document. It’s best to just walk away from the sale.

Signs that the seller is dishonest

Here are some red flags that may indicate that the seller isn’t honest and that you should proceed with caution or walk away from the sale:

Bad feedback online – you should check the seller’s feedback before going to see the car. To me, bad feedback is an immediate disqualification
The seller is eager to cut the test drive short
The seller pushes for a quick sale
When inspecting the car, you find things that don’t match what the seller told you or what was written in the ad
The car has cheap mismatched tyres – this may not be a big deal money-wise, but it tells you a lot about the attitude of the seller and how the car has been maintained
The engine and the oil pan have been washed (an easy way to hide oil leaks)
The car is already warmed up when you arrive despite a phone arrangement to start a cold engine
The “Check Engine” light isn’t working
The car shows low mileage on the odometer but the interior looks worn-out (poor maintenance or potential odometer fraud, a bad sign either way)
A mess in the paperwork – the maintenance receipts that were supposed to be there suddenly go missing or there is no service book
A private seller selling the car after a few months of ownership – this may be a sign that the seller wants to get rid of a problematic car

Ignore the bullshit

If you go to see a car sold by a used car dealer, you are likely to hear a lot of sales speak while you’re trying to concentrate on checking the car. I’m referring to things like:

“Great car, these engines are great, very reliable.” – An empty statement. You will hear the same thing about any car you pick.
“My sister had one of these. She drove it for 3 years without any trouble at all” – Perhaps that was her experience, it may not be yours. Does the sister character even exist?
“It’s a very popular car” – Oh, really? Then there are probably 3 more like it for sale in your area, so you don’t have to commit to this one.
“The gearbox is bulletproof!” – said about a car with the M32 gearbox 😉

Statements like these are usually harmless and just part of the sales job. It’s best to ignore the bullshit and carry on with your car inspection. This is unless the seller is clearly lying to you.

In such a case, you should stop the inspection and walk off. There is plenty of fish in the sea and plenty of second-hand cars for sale.

Yay or Nay

One final piece of advice I can offer is not to rush into making a decision. Hopefully, the car you go to see doesn’t have any major problems and is as advertised. This makes for a straightforward purchase as long as you can agree on a price that both parties are happy with.

Always negotiate the price (including the trade-in value for your car).

If you do find problems with the car you were planning to buy, figure out how much it’s going to cost you to get them fixed before buying the vehicle. Don’t feel rushed and don’t make an emotional purchase. You are under no obligation to buy the car there and then, especially if the car has flaws that weren’t mentioned in the ad description.

Be rational – go home, call a local garage for a quote, and then make the decision. If you do decide to buy a car that’s got some flaws, use them to your advantage when negotiating the price.

When you finalize the deal, these are the things that you should receive with the car:

toolkit & spare tyre (where applicable)
spare key
car owner’s manual
radio code
service book
receipts for maintenance work
registration documents & proof of purchase/ownership

This is the end of the Used Car Buyer’s Guide. I hope it helps you buy a reliable car that you’ll be happy with.

Don’t forget to print the used car inspection checklist when going to view cars for sale.

And once you buy a car, take good care of it and make sure that the timing belt is not overdue.

If you found this guide useful, please share it with your friends!

The post Used Car Buying Guide: Test Drive (Part 4) appeared first on Still Running Strong.

Alfa Romeo MiTo (Type 955: 2008-2018)

Still Running Strong — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 20:42:15 +0000

Reliability & common problems

This section covers the potential reliability issues that you might have with the Alfa Romeo MiTo. Click on the buttons below to read more about the typical problems that fall outside the scope of routine maintenance.

Frozen alternators (RHD cars)

The right-hand drive, petrol cars manufactured before 2010 come with a windscreen drain pipe designed in a way that allows the water from the windscreen to get to the alternator. As long as the air temperature stays above freezing, you won’t have any issues.

Below 0°C, the water can freeze when the car is standing still and lock the alternator after a rainy day or snowfall. It is rare, but it can happen if the conditions are right.

The driver may be in for a surprise when starting the car in the morning. With the alternator stuck, the starting engine will drag the belt around the pulley making a horrible screeching noise and burning the rubber belt (black smoke may enter the cabin).

Luckily, the fix is simple – the drain pipe was updated in February 2010 (service news no. 7002.10). The updated drain pipe can also be fitted to cars made before 2010, and it only costs around £20. This issue also affects the Fiat Grande Punto and Punto Evo as they are based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo MiTo.

Red paint & stone chips

The “Alfa Red” aka “Rosso Alfa” paint is noticeably weaker in terms of resistance to chipping than other colours.

This seems to affect all Alfa Romeo cars made a few years before 2010. The problem was noticed by Alfa Romeo as they’ve temporarily stopped selling red Mitos and Giuliettas in 2010. Many cars had body panels resprayed as part of the manufacturer’s warranty due to stone chips.

From what I’ve gathered, they’ve managed to improve their red paint after 2010.

The red paint problem is not limited to Alfa Romeo. Other manufacturers were also having problems with red paint around that time. I believe it had something to do with environmental restrictions on paint formulas.

By the way, this reminds me of the problems Mercedes-Benz had with corrosion and water-based paint in the late-1990s.

If you want to buy a red Alfa Romeo MiTo, inspect the paint more thoroughly than you normally would. If you find a lot of stone chips, try to negotiate a discount. The body parts that are affected the most are the wheel arches, the front bumper and the bonnet.

M20 & M32 gearbox bearings

Some Alfa Romeo MiTo models are fitted with the infamous General Motors M32 gearbox. A typical problem with this 6-speed transmission is bearing wear. In particular, the 6th gear bearing.

When this bearing starts wearing out, the gearbox becomes noisy when driving in 6th and 5th gear. If not fixed, this problem leads to total gearbox failure (a hole in the gearbox).

The M20 gearbox is almost identical, so it suffers from the same problems.

The M32 transmission is used in so many vehicles, and bearing failure is so common in high-mileage cars, that I’ve dedicated a full page to the M32 transmission.

Follow the link above to learn more about the symptoms of bearing failure, the solution to the problem and how much it costs to fix a dying M32 gearbox.

The M32 or the M20 gearboxes were used in the following Alfa Romeo MiTo models:

- 1.4 TB 16v (155 PS) – M32 (only the 155 PS variant)
- 1.3 JTDm (90 PS) – M20 (only the 90 PS variant)
- 1.6 JTDm – M32 until 2010, between 2010 and 2012 it could be the C635 or the M32, later only the C635

C635 gearbox – difficulty engaging gears

Fiat and Alfa Romeo gradually stopped using General Motors’ M32 gearbox after the introduction of their own transmission – the C635. Bye bye, whining bearings. Hello, clunking gear changes.

There have been cases of problems with the 1st and 2nd gear engagement in cars with the C635 manufactured before 2012. From what I’ve gathered, the majority of these issues were seen in Alfa Romeo cars – the Giulietta and the Mito.

The symptoms include grinding or clunking sounds when changing gears. The 1st and 2nd gear may be difficult to engage. The fix to the gear change problem is to replace the 1st and 2nd gear synchronizers, which is a big job and not a nice thing to do out of warranty.

As I see it, the gearboxes that had problems with the synchros had come out like this from the factory or developed the symptoms soon after. Therefore, the odds are that the problematic gearboxes would have been fixed or replaced by now.

If you are planning to buy a car with the C635 transmission, make sure that the first and second gear engagement is okay. If it is, you shouldn’t have issues with this transmission.

If you are already facing a potential £1,000 bill for replacing the synchronizers, it might be worth trying to change the gearbox oil first.

There are people who managed to improve the first gear engagement significantly by simply changing the transmission oil, and the improvement was big enough that the gearbox repair became unnecessary.

The transmission oils that Fiat and Alfa Romeo owners recommend are Titan Sintofluid FE SAE 75W and Castrol Syntrans Multivehicle 75w-90.

The C635 gearbox was used in the following Alfa Romeo MiTo models:

1.6 JTDm – after 2010, between 2010 and 2012 it could be the C635 or the M32, later only the C635
1.4 TB MultiAir 16v in the MiTo QV (the 170 PS model)
The TCT transmission is closely related to the C635 – make sure that the 1st and 2nd gear shifts are quiet when buying a car with one

Twin Clutch Transmission (TCT)

The TCT stands for “Twin Clutch Transmission”, and that describes it quite well. The same transmission is used in Fiat cars where it is known as the DDCT (“Dual Dry Clutch Transmission”). Again, that’s exactly what it is.

A dual-clutch transmission is like an automated manual transmission. It has two clutches – one drives odd-numbered gears, and the other drives even-numbered gears.

The trick to achieving quick gear changes, that dual-clutch transmissions are known for, lies in pre-selecting gears and predicting driver’s behaviour. In the right conditions, the TCT can change gears stupidly quick.

The TCT has two full-size clutch plates mounted on either side of the flywheel, which is great in terms of torque handling capabilities (better than concentric clutches). It is also very efficient because it doesn’t have a torque converter like a traditional automatic transmission.

You can think of the TCT as two manual, three-speed gearboxes (+reverse gear) joined together and controlled by hydraulic actuators. The hydraulic control system has a certain resemblance to the Alfa Romeo’s Selespeed transmission.

The Selespeed was a manual transmission controlled by an electro-hydraulic device made up of solenoid valves, sensors and actuators. It was powered by a little hydraulic pump, and it had its own hydraulic fluid circuit. The pressurized oil was stored in a hydraulic accumulator and then used to change gears and operate the clutch.

The above definition fits both the TCT and the Selespeed.

If you think the Selespeed is too complex and difficult to service, don’t get a car with the TCT. Overall, the TCT has a good track record in terms of reliability but it is a very complex piece of kit.

5 things to know before buying a car with the TCT transmission

1. If the transmission fails, you will have a problem.

Trying to fix a faulty TCT gearbox will most likely be expensive or very expensive, which is the norm for dual-clutch transmissions.

A failure of an individual component, like a £20 sensor, means that you may have to replace the entire control unit, which is very expensive. Sometimes, you can have the faulty part replaced if you can find someone capable of doing it, but it will still be expensive because of the labour involved and the knowledge required.

Few places can repair dual-clutch transmissions and even dealerships do not generally repair them. If you go to the dealership with a TCT problem, the odds are that they will offer to replace the entire electro-hydraulic control unit for £2000+.

2. The transmission has two dry clutches that will eventually wear out.

The clutch plates are consumable items, just like in a manual transmission. After 100,000 miles, all bets are off. There have been cases of the clutches wearing out earlier than 100,000 miles too.

The clutch replacement is obviously more expensive than in a car with a manual transmission. That’s because there are two clutches instead of one, and replacing them is a lot more labour intensive.

Replacement of the clutches also involves replacing slave cylinders, oil seals, alignment of the release bearing, and electronic clutch adaptation once the transmission has been put together. It is not a common gearbox, so the garages are going to charge more for working on it.

Oh, and there’s a dual-mass flywheel (DMF) that will need replacing at some point too.

3. We will most likely see failing hydraulic accumulators as these gearboxes get older.

The hydraulic accumulator has a rubber diaphragm inside and compressed nitrogen gas behind the diaphragm.

Here’s how it works:

There is compressed gas on one side of the diaphragm and hydraulic fluid on the other. The diaphragm can deflect to store energy (oil pressure) because nitrogen gas is compressible, while the oil isn’t. This stored energy is then used to do the mechanical work – changing gears and operating the clutches.

Hydraulic accumulators have a limited lifespan (typically up to 10 years). The nitrogen gas will eventually escape, just like air escapes from a seemingly airtight balloon. Also, it’s not uncommon for the diaphragm inside to fail before the gas escapes.

Don’t worry about the accumulator though – it’s easy to replace. It’s everything else that should worry you – the seals, the actuators and the expensive clutches.

4. The TCT cannot creep like a traditional automatic transmission because it doesn’t have a torque converter.

Taking off from a standstill is achieved by slipping the clutch, which makes it wear, and it can wear out prematurely if you don’t take this into account.

If you already own a car with the TCT, you should adjust your driving habits to minimise clutch slip in traffic. Always let the clutch engage fully in 1st gear when you are crawling in traffic – don’t keep your foot on the brake. Also, never use the gas pedal to stop the car from rolling backwards on an incline.

5. The TCT shares its design with the manual C635 transmission.

Because of this, some early TCT gearboxes had problems with the 1st and 2nd gear synchronizers just like the manual C635. When test driving a car with the TCT transmission, make sure the 1st and 2nd gear shifts are quiet (no clunking and no crunching noises).

If you are going to buy a used Alfa Romeo MiTo with a TCT transmission, here are the typical symptoms of TCT malfunction:

transmission warning lights
car entering “limp home” mode
clunking or crunching noises when changing gears
harsh gear changes
a sensation that the clutch is slipping (engine revs rising too quickly and not matching the acceleration of the car)
car refusing to engage gear when trying to take off from a standstill
juddering / vibrations when taking off from a standstill
car dropping out of gear while driving

Alfa Active Suspension – expensive shock absorbers

The MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde aka Cloverleaf may be equipped with active suspension that can change the damping stiffness of the shock absorbers depending on the road conditions. It can improve handling in certain situations, like braking or cornering, and soften the suspension when stiff damping is not needed.

It’s also connected to the D.N.A. switch, where the driver can change the suspension settings.

Alfa Romeo calls it “Alfa Active Suspension” and it was an optional extra in the MiTo Cloverleaf (or standard in some markets). The system was developed by Magnetti Marelli and they call it “Synaptic Damping Control”.

The active suspension works well, but at some point, the shock absorbers will need to be replaced just like in any car.

When the time comes to replace the shock absorbers in your Alfa Romeo MiTo equipped with active suspension, you will be looking at £500 for a single shock absorber (or more). If you want to replace all four, that will be between £2000 and £3000 when you include the cost of fitting.

Before you have a heart attack, it is possible to retrofit a car with active suspension with standard dampers. You would need to deactivate the active suspension electronically to stop the ECU from returning error codes. The car won’t handle as well with standard shock absorbers, but it is a cheaper alternative.

You may also be able to have the shock absorbers reconditioned. There are companies that specialize in these kinds of jobs. Typically, active dampers can be reconditioned for around half the price of new ones.

If you’re worried about the potential cost of servicing the active suspension, it’s best to just get a car without it and avoid the hassle.

MultiAir malfunction

MultiAir is Fiat’s and Alfa Romeo’s brand name for their variable valve lift and timing system for the intake valves. It’s actually a relatively simple system given its capabilities. Here’s how it works:

There is one key thing that you need to remember: MultiAir uses engine oil pressure to function. Using the wrong type of engine oil or changing the oil too late will cause issues with this system.

In my opinion, Alfa Romeo’s 18,000 miles oil change interval is very optimistic. I think that no MultiAir engine should go longer than 10,000 miles or 12 months between oil changes. Alfa Romeo started with the 18,000 miles but reduced the interval to 9,000 miles after a while.

My guess is that too many MultiAir units must have failed early. I believe Fiat kept the original 18,000 miles interval.

As with any new technology, there will be a teething period and some early failures. MultiAir was first released in the Alfa Romeo Mito and the Fiat Punto Evo around the same time. There have been cases of failed MultiAir units replaced under warranty or not long after. Luckily for us, if a particular MultiAir unit was going to die, it probably already did and was replaced.

If you’re in the market for a car equipped with MultiAir, make sure the previous owners maintained a reasonable oil change interval (18k miles is not reasonable) and look out for the symptoms of MultiAir malfunction:

- - Intermittent rough idle, especially after a cold start
  - Rattly engine sound
  - Engine misfire under load
  - “Check engine” light or the stop/start system not working

Apart from regular oil changes and using the correct engine oil, there is one more thing that you should do. There is an oil strainer in the cylinder head that may get clogged, starving the engine top-end from oil. It is not a service item, so it’s common for it to be neglected. In my opinion, it should be replaced or at least cleaned every 30k miles. This little mesh filter can be found in non-MultiAir engines too, but it’s less critical there.

I wouldn’t recommend buying an early, second-hand Alfa Romeo MiTo with MultiAir because the technology was still new back then and has been improved since. I believe the major updates took place in 2012 and 2013 (part no. history: 55228221 -> 55236341 -> 55249566 -> 55257643). The newer MultiAir engines are likely to be more reliable.

In my opinion, this technology has a future but like with many innovations in the automotive world, it’s best to wait a couple of years before taking the plunge.

It’s not that the original MultiAir engines were unreliable. Just be aware that the cost of replacing a failed MultiAir unit (it is a module that sits next to the camshaft) is over £1,000. I’m not sure if the slight increase in fuel economy and power is worth the risk when buying a second-hand car.

1.3 JTDm – timing chain wear

The camshaft in this engine is driven by a single row timing chain not much bigger than a bicycle chain. In my opinion, it’s not a very robust design and it is an area to watch.

Generally, when a timing chain is used, the intention is for it to last the “lifetime” of the engine (very roughly 200k miles). Therefore, there is no replacement interval specified for the timing chain. As I see it, trying to reach 200k miles on the original chain and tensioner is very risky.

If the chain wears and elongates (stretches), or the tensioner stops working properly, the typical symptom that develops is a chain rattle that lasts for a couple seconds after a cold start. In severe cases, the chain noise may remain for longer after the engine has started. The “Check Engine” light may appear too.

Here’s what timing chain noise sounds like:

Any chain stretch symptoms should not be ignored in this engine, regardless of the mileage. If the timing chain jumps some teeth, you will be looking at valvetrain damage. You may choose to replace the timing chain preemptively like you would with a timing belt, or you can wait until symptoms develop.

In my opinion, most 1.3 JTDm engines that have done more than 100k miles will qualify for a full timing chain service (new timing chain, guides, tensioner and gears).

If you are looking to get one of these cars, make sure there is no chain rattle after starting the engine. This needs to be a cold start when the car has stood still for a couple hours (ideally overnight). If the chain rattle is persistent, it means the chain or the tensioner is on its last leg.

Summary or problems & additional information

The name MiTo comes from the two Italian cities related to the creation of the MiTo: Milano (design) and Torino (production). Also, the word “mito” means “myth” or “legend” in Italian.
The “Alfa Red” aka “Rosso Alfa” paint is the weakest in terms of resistance to stone chips. The difference from other colours is noticeable, especially if you do a lot of motorway driving. The paint durability has improved after 2010, following a temporary suspension of selling red MiTo cars in 2010.
The active shock absorbers (MiTo Cloverleaf) are expensive to replace when they fail. Consider this before buying a used Alfa Romeo MiTo equipped with Alfa Active Suspension.
The 1.4 TB (155 PS), 1.3 JTDm (90 PS), and early 1.6 JTDm engines are mated to the infamous M32 / M20 gearbox. A typical problem with this 6-speed transmission is bearing wear – the 6th gear bearing in particular.
In 2010 and onwards, the General Motors’ M32 transmission was replaced by Fiat’s C635. In my opinion, the C635 is not perfect but it is still an improvement over the M32. Just make sure that the gear changes are smooth, and there is no noise coming from the transmission. If all the boxes are ticked, you shouldn’t have issues with this gearbox.
I don’t recommend buying a used Alfa Romeo MiTo with the TCT transmission. It’s not something you want to own outside of warranty.
I also don’t recommend buying an early Alfa Romeo MiTo with the MultiAir system unless you can find a car that had the MultiAir unit replaced after 2012 with an updated one. When buying a car with the MultiAir technology, look for a car whose previous owners maintained a reasonable oil change schedule (18k miles is not reasonable).
For those worried about potential MultiAir problems, the 120 PS 1.4 Turbo Benzina (without MultiAir) is a great choice – decent performance and one system less to go wrong. Also, you should have no problems with the 5-speed gearbox.
As with pretty much all Fiat & Alfa Romeo engines from those years, the 1.4 8v FIRE remains the cheapest to maintain and the most reliable engine. Its replacement, the 0.9 TwinAir, definitely feels faster, but it is a lot more complex despite having less cylinders (MultiAir, dual-mass flywheel, turbocharger, balancer shaft).
Watch out for timing chain stretch in the 1.3 JTDm engines, and better skip the 90 PS variant because of the M20 gearbox, or at least check it thoroughly before buying.
The 1.6 JTDm is a decent engine with no major problems. The things that could go wrong are the same as for other modern diesel engines.

Alfa Romeo MiTo specifications

This section contains Alfa Romeo MiTo specifications. You will also find technical information regarding the engines used in these cars. Press the buttons below to display the specs and engine technical details.

Petrol engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
0.9 TwinAir Turbo 8v	875 cm³ / 53.4 cu in	85 PS / 63 kW	145 Nm / 107 lbf⋅ft	2012-2013
0.9 TwinAir Turbo 8v	875 cm³ / 53.4 cu in	105 PS / 77 kW	145 Nm / 107 lbf⋅ft	From 2013
1.4 8v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	70 PS / 52 kW	115 Nm / 85 lbf⋅ft	2012-2016
1.4 8v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	78 PS / 57 kW	115 Nm / 85 lbf⋅ft	From 2011
1.4 16v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	78 PS / 57 kW	120 Nm / 88 lbf⋅ft	Until 2011
1.4 16v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	95 PS / 70 kW	125 Nm / 92 lbf⋅ft	Until 2011
1.4 MultiAir 16v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	105 PS / 77 kW	130 Nm / 96 lbf⋅ft	2009-2013
1.4 TB 16v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	120 PS / 88 kW	206 Nm / 152 lbf⋅ft	Until 2009, "Turbo Benzina"
1.4 TB 16v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	155 PS / 114 kW	230 Nm / 170 lbf⋅ft	Until 2010, "Turbo Benzina"
1.4 TB MultiAir 16v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	135 PS / 99 kW	230 Nm / 170 lbf⋅ft	2009-2014, "Turbo Benzina"
1.4 TB MultiAir 16v	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	140 PS / 103 kW	250 Nm / 184 lbf⋅ft	From 2014, "Turbo Benzina"
1.4 TB MultiAir 16v (MiTo QV)	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	170 PS / 125 kW	250 Nm / 184 lbf⋅ft	From 2009, "Quadrifoglio Verde"
1.4 Turbo GPL (LPG)	1368 cm³ / 83.5 cu in	120 PS / 88 kW	206 Nm / 152 lbf⋅ft	2009-2016, Twin-fuel (Petrol + LPG)

Diesel engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1.3 JTDm 16v	1248 cm³ / 76.2 cu in	90 PS / 66 kW	200 Nm / 147 lbf⋅ft	Until 2009
1.3 JTDm 16v	1248 cm³ / 76.2 cu in	95 PS / 70 kW	200 Nm / 147 lbf⋅ft	From 2009
1.3 JTDm 16v	1248 cm³ / 76.2 cu in	85 PS / 62 kW	200 Nm / 147 lbf⋅ft	2012-2015
1.6 JTDm 16v	1598 cm³ / 97.5 cu in	120 PS / 88 kW	320 Nm / 236 lbf⋅ft	Until 2015

Petrol engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Fuel delivery	DMF	Inlet flaps
0.9 TwinAir Turbo 8v	Inline-2, 8 valves	Turbo	Timing chain, SOHC, VVT & VVL	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	No
1.4 8v	Inline-4, 8 valves	No	Timing belt, SOHC, VVT	Port injection (EFI)	No	No
1.4 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing belt, DOHC, VVT	Port injection (EFI)	No	Port Deactivation
1.4 MultiAir 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing belt, SOHC, VVT & VVL	Port injection (EFI)	No	No
1.4 TB 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	No
1.4 TB MultiAir 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, SOHC, VVT & VVL	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	No
Legend:	SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft VVT - Variable Valve Timing VVL - Variable Valve Lift EFI - Electronic Fuel Injection DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Diesel engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Injection system	DMF	DPF	Swirl flaps
1.3 JTDm 16v (90 PS)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing chain, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes (M20 gearbox)	Optional	No
1.3 JTDm 16v (85 & 95 PS)	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing chain, DOHC	Common Rail	No	Yes	No
1.6 JTDm 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	From 2009 (initially optional)	Fixed flaps
Legend:	DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Alfa Romeo MiTo wheel sizes

Press the button below to see the original equipment manufactuer (OEM) rim & tyres sizes for the Alfa Romeo MiTo. These are the original wheel sizes that were fitted by the manufacturer.

Tyres	Rims	Centre Bore	Bolt Pattern
185/65 R15	6Jx15 ET40	58.1 mm	4x98
195/55 R16	7Jx16 ET39	58.1 mm	4x98
205/45 or 215/45 R17	7Jx17 ET39	58.1 mm	4x98
215/40 R18	7.5Jx18 ET42	58.1 mm	4x98

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Alfa Romeo 159 (Type 939: 2005-2011)

Still Running Strong — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 09:16:02 +0000

Reliability & common problems

This section covers the potential reliability issues that you might have with the Alfa Romeo 159. Click on the buttons below to read more about the typical problems that fall outside the scope of routine maintenance.

M32 gearbox bearings

The 1.75 TBi, 1.9 JTS, 2.2 JTS and 1.9 JTDm engines are paired with the infamous M32 gearbox in the Alfa Romeo 159. A typical problem with this 6-speed transmission is bearing wear. In particular, the 6th gear bearing.

When this bearing starts wearing out, the gearbox becomes noisy when driving in 6th and 5th gear. If not fixed, this problem leads to total gearbox failure (a hole in the gearbox).

The M32 transmission is used in so many vehicles, and bearing failure is so common in high-mileage cars, that I’ve dedicated a full page to the M32 transmission.

Follow the link above to learn more about the symptoms of bearing failure, the solution to the problem and how much it costs to fix a dying M32 gearbox.

Selespeed transmission failure

The Selespeed transmission is an automated manual transmission, which means that the car has a manual transmission and a Selespeed robotic unit attached to it. The robot does the gear shifting for you, you lazy bastard.

You might have also heard about Fiat’s Dualogic transmission. Fiat’s Dualogic and Alfa Romeo’s Selespeed are pretty much the same thing.

Let me very briefly explain the basics of this transmission. The Selespeed robot is a complex hydraulic device, made up of solenoid valves, sensors and actuators. It is powered by a little hydraulic pump, and it has its own hydraulic fluid circuit.

The oil is pressurized by the pump and then stored in a hydraulic accumulator. The accumulator has a rubber diaphragm inside and compressed nitrogen gas behind the diaphragm. Therefore, there is compressed gas on one side of the diaphragm and hydraulic fluid on the other.

The diaphragm can deflect to store energy (oil pressure) because nitrogen gas is compressible, while the oil isn’t. This stored energy is then used to do the mechanical work – changing gears and operating the clutch, which is what the actuators do.

Because there is no torque converter, the Selespeed can be as efficient as a manual gearbox. However, it’s not as smooth as a traditional automatic transmission, and in my opinion, not as reliable.

The problem is that it is a relatively advanced piece of machinery and a failure of an individual component, like a £20 sensor or a £5 seal, means that you may have to replace the entire Selespeed unit, which is very expensive.

You may be able to replace an individual part that failed if you can find someone capable of doing it, but it will take some effort and time as there aren’t that many places that can fix Selespeed robots.

I am fairly confident that if you simply go to the dealership with a faulty Selespeed gearbox and the problem is not something obvious or easy to replace like an accumulator or a hydraulic pump, they will try to replace the entire unit for £2,000.

My recommendation is to avoid Selespeed transmissions when buying a used Alfa Romeo 159. However, if you are still determined to buy one, here are the symptoms of Selespeed malfunction:

dropping into neutral on its own (this can happen at motorway speeds)
jerky gear changes
transmission warning messages on the dashboard
inability to select gears or missing gears

When the Selespeed transmission stops working, the first thing to check is the accumulator. Over time, the membrane inside can rupture and the accumulator will stop storing pressure. Even if the membrane is still fine and you don’t drive the car much, the nitrogen gas will eventually escape, just like air escapes from a seemingly airtight balloon.

It’s the same story as with the nitrogen spheres used in Citroën’s hydro-pneumatic suspension and Mercedes-Benz’ ABC. Because it could take a decade, the odds are that the membrane will fail before the gas disappears from the sphere.

Don’t worry about the accumulator though. It’s easy to replace. It’s just everything else that should worry you – the solenoids, the seals and sensors inside the Selespeed robotic unit.

Power steering issues

There have been cases of prematurely worn-out steering racks and power steering pumps in the Alfa Romeo 159 and the Brera. The reasons for these problems are twofold.

First, the early power steering reservoirs had a problematic non-return valve inside that may cause the oil to froth. This is a problem because the power steering pump cannot operate correctly with air in the system – it becomes noisy. The reservoir was later updated to fix this issue.

Second, the red GI/E power steering fluid filled by the factory in the first years of production was later deemed not up to the job. In 2009, the fluid was changed to green GI/R oil. This is a bit of a controversial topic as there is a lot of conflicting information. For a while, even the Alfa Romeo dealers did not know which fluid was the right one.

A whining power steering pump can often be cured by just replacing the reservoir and changing the power steering fluid to the green GI/R oil.

There is a catch though – the green fluid is thinner than the red one. There have been cases of steering racks developing leaks after switching to the green fluid – this applies mainly to high mileage cars that had been filled with the red fluid for some time.

To improve your odds of not having to replace the steering rack or the power steering pump:

Look for a 2009 or newer car, and make sure it has the green GI/R fluid in it
Pay extra attention to any issues related to the power steering. The typical symptoms of steering rack or pump failure are:
- pump whine – most noticeable when turning the steering wheel at low speeds or at standstill (check this twice – with a cold and a hot engine)
- creaking and knocking noises when turning at low speeds
- fluid leaks from the steering rack
- play in the steering wheel or notchy steering wheel movement
- loose steering feel

Red paint & stone chips

The “Alfa Red” aka “Rosso Alfa” paint is noticeably weaker in terms of resistance to chipping than other colours.

This seems to affect all Alfa Romeo cars made a few years before 2010. The problem was noticed by Alfa Romeo as they’ve temporarily stopped selling red Mitos and Giuliettas in 2010. Many cars had body panels resprayed as part of the manufacturer’s warranty due to stone chips.

It looks like they’ve managed to improve their red paint after 2010.

By the way, this reminds me of the problems Mercedes-Benz had with corrosion and water-based paint in the late-1990s.

If you want to buy a red Alfa Romeo 159, inspect the paint more thoroughly than you normally would. If you find a lot of stone chips, try to negotiate a discount. The body parts that are affected the most are the wheel arches, the front bumper and the bonnet.

1.9 JTS & 2.2 JTS – timing chain wear

The 4-cylinder JTS engines are based on the General Motors Z22SE engine. Alfa Romeo modernized this engine by fitting it with variable valve timing and direct fuel injection called “Jet Thrust Stoichiometric”.

The problem here is that GM’s Z22SE engines had a bad reputation for snapping timing chains. Vauxhall/Opel improved that engine in 2002 by updating the oil feed nozzle that lubricates the timing chains.

The original nozzle had a 1 mm internal hole, which would quickly get clogged up. Clogged oil spray nozzle = no timing chain lubrication. The updated, post-2002 nozzle had a 4 mm internal passage, which reduced the likelihood of oil starvation.

Later, the Z22SE received direct petrol injection and became Opel/Vauxhall’s first direct injection engine. The updated engine was called the Z22YH and was used in a few Opel/Vauxhall cars, for example, the Zafira B (which is known for catching fire, by the way).

So, how is this all related to the 1.9 and 2.2 JTS?

When the Alfa Romeo 159 was on the drawing board, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and General Motors were one big corporation. Alfa Romeo decided to leverage their synergies by using GM’s engine designs. However, it seems they leveraged the wrong ones…

In other words, the Alfa Romeo JTS engines are back to the 1 mm oil feed nozzle. So much for value-added decision making. The 1.9-litre and 2.2-litre JTS engines share the same engine block, so this applies to both of them.

On top of that, the oil change interval in the Alfa Romeo engines is 18,000 or 21,000 miles, which is far too long as there is bound to be some sludge build-up and oil degradation after so many miles.

The result is a timing chain that can wear out as early as 20,000 miles in the worst case. Best case? Maybe 100,000 miles.

The saving grace of the 1.9 and 2.2 JTS engines is that the camshaft position sensors can usually detect a worn-out timing chain before it stretches to the point where it becomes dangerous. Typically, the first indication of a stretched chain is the “Check Engine” light and camshaft position errors stored in car’s memory (most commonly P0016).

The second symptom of a stretched timing chain is noise. Here’s more about timing chains and how to do a basic timing chain check.

I can’t recommend the 1.9 and 2.2 JTS engines (nor the M32 gearbox attached to them), but if you are hell-bent on getting a car with one, here’s what you could do:

Use a good quality synthetic oil and replace it every 10,000 miles or yearly, whichever comes first.
Imagine that the car has a timing belt instead of a chain – by adjusting your expectations you’ll be less pissed off when the timing chains start acting up. Replace the oil feed nozzle with the updated one when you replace the timing chains.
Buy a car that had the chains and oil feed nozzle recently replaced, so that you don’t have to pay for it yourself.

3.2 JTS – timing chain stretch

The 3.2 JTS (“Jet Thrust Stoichiometric”) is a direct injection engine based on the General Motors “High Feature” engine. The same engine block is used in a whole bunch of cars: Vauxhall, Opel, Holden, Saab, Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn and Daewoo. There is one thing that potentially affects many of these cars, and it is premature timing chain wear.

There are three timing chains in this engine and there have been cases of these chains stretching, which affects camshaft timing. The chains will have to be replaced at some point, either under your ownership or someone else’s. Typically, premature chain wear comes from poor lubrication, design flaws or material issues.

“Premature” and “poor lubrication” – I’m not sure if I like where this is heading…

What I do know for sure is that the timing chain system in this engine is complex – much more so than in a 4-cylinder engine. That’s why timing chain replacement in the Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 JTS is expensive.

I think it’s a materials issue, aggravated by long oil change intervals that makes the timing chains in the 3.2 JTS engines stretch. Opel/Vauxhall updated the timing chains in 2010 to improve their longevity (Technical Service Bulletin 2895).

I believe the 3.2 JTS has not been updated as I could not find any evidence that it was. The production of the Alfa Romeo 159 stopped in 2011, which is soon after Vauxhall/Opel implemented their fix.

The timing chain wear symptoms in a second-hand Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 JTS include:

engine misfire and rough idle
intermittent “Check Engine” light
error codes P0016, P0017 or P0018 stored in the car’s ECU
rattling noises coming from the engine (chain slap) at start up (especially cold start)
noisy engine
reduced power and fuel economy

Buying a high-mileage Alfa Romeo 159 3.2 JTS is a bit risky. If anything goes wrong with the complex timing chain system, you may be left with a huge bill.

You can expect to pay over £3000 at the dealership for timing chain replacement. Timing chain issues in the 3.2 JTS are less common than in the 1.9 and 2.2 JTS, however, chain replacement is a lot more expensive.

You could potentially save some money by purchasing General Motors parts that tend to be cheaper than Alfa Romeo’s parts. If you shop around and to this job at an independent garage, you could reduce the total cost to below £2000.

As a precaution (to reduce chain wear), I recommend replacing the engine oil sooner than every 18,000 or 21,000 miles, which is what Alfa Romeo used to recommend for the 3.2 JTS engine. I’d say 10,000 miles is a safe interval for this engine. It’s cheap insurance when you compare the cost of a few extra oil changes with the cost of timing chains replacement.

If you are looking to buy a car with the 3.2 JTS, try finding one whose owner has been changing the oil more often than the service manual specifies and make sure there are no symptoms of timing chain stretch.

At least the chains are at the front of the engine, away from the gearbox. If this was an Audi or a Volkswagen V6 car, you’d pay even more for timing chains service because those engines have four timing chains and they are at the back of the engine.

The glass is half full.

1.9 JTDm 16v & 2.4 JTDm 20v – timing belt & water pump

According to the manufacturer, the timing belt in this engine needs to be replaced every 72,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. In my opinion, this is too optimistic. I recommend getting it replaced not later than 60,000 miles.

The water pump must be replaced at the same time as the timing belt, otherwise, it can seize and cause the timing belt to snap. It’s actually the water pump that is the weak point in the timing belt drive and the first part to fail.

The water pump in the 2.4 JTDm 20v is the same as in the 1.9 JTDm 16v, so both engines are affected.

1.9 JTDm 16v & 2.4 JTDm 20v – swirl flaps

The 1.9 JTDm 16v and 2.4 JTDm 20v engines are fitted with swirl flaps in the intake manifold in order to improve emissions. This does not apply to the 1.9 JTDm 8v engines.

Two types of intake manifolds were used in the Alfa Romeo 159 JTDm cars. Here’s a brief description of the manifolds and how they can fail:

1.9 JTDm 16v cars produced since late-2006: plastic manifold with spot-welded, stainless steel swirl flaps

Failure mode: the main cause of flap failure is increased friction in the flap mechanism from the carbon build-up in the intake manifold. Carbon build-up is a byproduct of the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), which is there to improve emissions.

The metal swirl flaps often keep working without any indication of a problem until the spot welds give up and a flap gets detached. It can then enter the engine causing severe damage. An ingested flap can take out valves, a piston, damage the cylinder walls and even the turbocharger.

1.9 JTDm 16v cars produced before late-2006 and all 2.4 JTDm 20v cars: aluminium alloy manifold with plastic swirl flaps

Failure mode: the flap bearings can wear out from increased friction when the carbon build-up in the intake manifold becomes severe. Once the bearings are worn, they may develop an air leak, allowing the boost pressure to escape. Also, the flaps can simply get stuck before the bearings wear out. These plastic flaps are the lesser evil as they don’t break off.

On one hand, the metal swirl flaps are stronger and can handle a bit more carbon build-up, on the other hand, they will make you cry if they fail. For this reason, I don’t recommend buying a 2006+ Alfa Romeo 159 1.9 JTDm 16v, unless you are planning to do something about the swirl flaps.

If you already have one of these cars or you are planning to buy one, I think that it’s important to establish the condition of the flaps in your engine. Unfortunately, it’s quite a big job to get to them, but you can do it at the same time as the timing belt to save some money.

Once the intake manifold is removed from the car, you will have three options:

Clean the intake manifold and put it back on the car if the flaps are in good condition. You will be surprised how dirty they get.
Replace the intake manifold with a new one if the flaps don’t look so good. This is a safer option than just cleaning the manifold, albeit a more expensive one.
Get rid of the flaps and plug the holes left in the manifold. You can buy a swirl flap delete kit or get the holes welded up as the swirl flap housing is made out of aluminium. This is a permanent fix, albeit an illegal one in most countries. The swirl flaps are not essential for the engine to run – they are there to improve emissions and removing them has virtually no impact on engine performance.

As for the plastic swirl flaps, they rarely fall off. They can, however, get stuck or develop air leaks.

Stuck or leaking swirl flaps manifest as:

Rough engine running
Reduced fuel economy
Reduced power
The “Check engine” light may turn on as well

Just like with the metal ones, a new intake manifold is required to fix broken swirl flaps, however, swirl flap removal kits also exist.

2.4 JTDm – worn drive shafts

The 20-valve JTDm engine has an appetite for drive shafts. It seems that the General Motors drive shafts used in the 20-valve JTDm cars don’t last as long the Alfa Romeo ones used in the older 10-valve JTD cars.

Make sure the drive shafts are in good condition in the car you are planning to buy, so you don’t get shafted. Look out for vibration when accelerating. It may be more noticeable in high gears at speeds above 50 mph.

Also, take the car to a parking lot or some other place where there is enough room to manoeuvre. Open both front windows, turn the steering wheel all the way to one direction, then do a circle. Listen for any noises coming from the CV joints.

Here’s what you don’t want to hear:

Summary or problems & additional information

The Alfa Romeo 159 is based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Brera. You can think of the Brera as a coupé version of the 159. Fun fact: the Brera and the 159 front bumpers can be swapped.
The suspension in the Alfa Romeo 159 is more durable than it was in the previous generation of Alfa Romeo cars such as the 156 model.
There have been cases of prematurely worn-out steering racks and power steering pumps in the Alfa Romeo 159. To avoid problems, look for a 2009 or newer car, and make sure it has the green GI/R power steering fluid in it.
The 1.75 TBi, 1.9 JTS, 2.2 JTS and 1.9 JTDm engines are mated to the infamous M32 gearbox. A typical problem with this 6-speed transmission is bearing wear. In particular, the 6th gear bearing.
I don’t recommend buying a used Alfa Romeo 159 with the Selespeed transmission. It’s not something you want to own outside of warranty.
The “Alfa Red” aka “Rosso Alfa” paint is the weakest in terms of resistance to stone chips. The difference from other colours is noticeable, especially if you do a lot of motorway driving.
The 1.9 JTS, 2.2 JTS and 3.2 JTS engines are fitted with timing chains. The other engines have timing belts. The timing belts turned out to be a better solution in the Alfa Romeo 159 because all JTS engines are prone to premature timing chain wear, especially the 1.9 JTS and 2.2 JTS. Here’s more about timing chains and how to do a basic timing chain check.
The 1.75 Tbi has a good reputation and no major flaws, however, it’s not a common engine so finding one might take some time. The main drawback of the 1.75 TBi is that it’s mated to the M32 gearbox.
In my opinion, the 1.9 JTS and 2.2 JTS are the worst choices because of the timing chain problems and chocolate bearings in the gearbox. Not to mention that they don’t sound as nice as the V6 or even the inline-5 JTDm engine.
The 1.8 MPI (also known as the Z18XER) may be a boring engine, however, it is the cheapest one to maintain. If you like the looks of the Alfa Romeo 159 but don’t want to spend money fixing it, the 1.8 MPI is for you: no dual-mass flywheel, no turbocharger, no EGR, no DPF, no swirl flaps, no stretching timing chains and a decent 5-speed gearbox. Just make sure the 1.8 MPI doesn’t sound like a diesel after a cold start (a worn-out VVT phaser).
Fiat’s 1.9-litre and 2.4-litre JTDm engines are good but have a few flaws. The most important thing to know is that all 1.9 16v and 2.4 20v JTDm engines were fitted with swirl flaps in the intake manifold. Initially, the intake manifolds were metal with plastic flaps inside (the safer kind). From late-2006, the 1.9 JTDm 16v engines received plastic intake manifolds with stainless steel flaps inside. These may break off and wreck your engine.
Also, I think that the original timing belt replacement intervals are too optimistic for the 1.9 JTDm 16v and 2.4 JTDm 20v engines.
The 2.0 JTDm 16v is an evolution of the 1.9 JTDm 16v. It’s a better choice than the 1.9 JTDm 16v because it’s mated to a stronger gearbox (F40 instead of the M32), and the swirl flap design is much better. The things that could go wrong are the same as for other modern diesel engines.

Alfa Romeo 159 specifications

This section contains Alfa Romeo 159 specifications. You will also find technical information regarding the engines used in these cars. Press the buttons below to display the specs and engine technical details.

Petrol engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1750 TBi 16v	1742 cm³ / 106.3 cu in	200 PS / 147 kW	320 Nm / 236 lbf⋅ft	From 2009
1.8 MPI 16v	1796 cm³ / 109.6 cu in	140 PS / 103 kW	175 Nm / 129 lbf⋅ft	Until 2010
1.9 JTS 16v	1859 cm³ / 113.4 cu in	160 PS / 118 kW	190 Nm / 140 lbf⋅ft	Until 2009
2.2 JTS 16v	2198 cm³ / 134.1 cu in	185 PS / 136 kW	230 Nm / 170 lbf⋅ft	Until 2009
3.2 JTS V6 24v	3195 cm³ / 195.0 cu in	260 PS / 191 kW	322 Nm / 237 lbf⋅ft	Until 2010

Diesel engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1.9 JTDm 8v	1910 cm³ / 116.6 cu in	120 PS / 88 kW	280 Nm / 206 lbf⋅ft	Until 2010
1.9 JTDm 16v	1910 cm³ / 116.6 cu in	150 PS / 110 kW	320 Nm / 236 lbf⋅ft	Until 2010
2.0 JTDm 16v	1956 cm³ / 119.4 cu in	136 PS / 100 kW	350 Nm / 258 lbf⋅ft	2009-2011
2.0 JTDm 16v	1956 cm³ / 119.4 cu in	170 PS / 125 kW	360 Nm / 265 lbf⋅ft	2009-2011
2.4 JTDm 20v	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	200 PS / 147 kW	400 Nm / 295 lbf⋅ft	Until 2010
2.4 JTDm 20v	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	210 PS / 154 kW	400 Nm / 295 lbf⋅ft	2007-2010

Petrol engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Fuel delivery	DMF	Inlet flaps
1.8 MPI 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing belt, DOHC, VVT	Port injection (EFI)	No	VLIM
1750 TBi 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC, VVT	Direct injection	Yes	No
1.9 & 2.2 JTS 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC, VVT	Direct injection (JTS)	Yes	No
3.2 JTS V6 24v	V6, 24 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC, VVT	Direct injection (JTS)	Yes	No
Legend:	DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft VVT - Variable Valve Timing EFI - Electronic Fuel Injection JTS - "Jet Stoichiometric Thrust" DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters) VLIM - Variable Length Intake Manifold

Diesel engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Injection system	DMF	DPF	Swirl flaps
1.9 JTDm 8v	Inline-4, 8 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, SOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Yes	No
1.9 JTDm 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Yes	Yes
2.0 JTDm 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Yes	Yes
2.4 JTDm 20v	Inline-5, 20 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Yes	Yes
Legend:	SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Alfa Romeo 159 wheel sizes

Press the button below to see the original equipment manufactuer (OEM) rim & tyres sizes for the Alfa Romeo 159. These are the original wheel sizes that were fitted by the manufacturer.

Tyres	Rims	Centre Bore	Bolt Pattern
205/55 or 215/55 R16	7Jx16 ET41	65.1 mm	5x110
225/50 R17	7.5Jx17 ET41	65.1 mm	5x110
235/45 R18	8Jx18 ET41	65.1 mm	5x110
235/40 R19	8Jx19 ET41	65.1 mm	5x110

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Alfa Romeo Brera (Type 939: 2005-2010)

Still Running Strong — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 09:55:06 +0000

Reliability & common problems

This section covers the potential reliability issues that you might have with the Alfa Romeo Brera. Click on the buttons below to read more about the typical problems that fall outside the scope of routine maintenance.

M32 gearbox bearings

The 1.75 TBi and 2.2 JTS engines are paired with the infamous M32 gearbox in the Alfa Romeo Brera. A typical problem with this 6-speed transmission is bearing wear. In particular, the 6th gear bearing.

When this bearing starts wearing out, the gearbox becomes noisy when driving in 6th and 5th gear. If not fixed, this problem leads to total gearbox failure (a hole in the gearbox).

The M32 gearbox is used in so many vehicles, and bearing failure is so common in high-mileage cars, that I’ve dedicated a full page to the M32 transmission.

Follow the link above to learn more about the symptoms of bearing failure, the solution to the problem and how much it costs to fix a dying M32 gearbox.

The 3.2 JTS and the JTDm engines have the stronger F40 gearbox, which should last a lot longer.

Selespeed transmission failure

You might have also heard about Fiat’s Dualogic transmission. Fiat’s Dualogic and Alfa Romeo’s Selespeed are pretty much the same thing.

My recommendation is to avoid Selespeed transmissions when buying a used car. However, if you are still determined to buy one, here are the symptoms of Selespeed malfunction:

dropping into neutral on its own (this can happen at motorway speeds)
jerky gear changes
transmission warning messages on the dashboard
inability to select gears or missing gears

Don’t worry about the accumulator though. It’s easy to replace. It’s just everything else that should worry you – the solenoids, the seals and sensors inside the Selespeed robotic unit.

Power steering issues

There have been cases of prematurely worn-out steering racks and power steering pumps in the Alfa Romeo 159 and the Brera. The reasons for these problems are twofold.

A whining power steering pump can often be cured by just replacing the reservoir and changing the power steering fluid to the green GI/R oil.

To improve your odds of not having to replace the steering rack or the power steering pump:

Look for a 2009 or 2010 car, and make sure it has the green GI/R fluid in it
Pay extra attention to any issues related to the power steering. The typical symptoms of steering rack or pump failure are:
- pump whine – most noticeable when turning the steering wheel at low speeds or at standstill (check this twice – with a cold and a hot engine)
- creaking and knocking noises when turning at low speeds
- fluid leaks from the steering rack
- play in the steering wheel or notchy steering wheel movement
- loose steering feel

Red paint & stone chips

The “Alfa Red” aka “Rosso Alfa” paint is noticeably weaker in terms of resistance to chipping than other colours.

It looks like they’ve managed to improve their red paint after 2010.

By the way, this reminds me of the problems Mercedes-Benz had with corrosion and water-based paint in the late-1990s.

If you want to buy a red Alfa Romeo Brera, inspect the paint more thoroughly than you normally would. If you find a lot of stone chips, try to negotiate a discount. The body parts that are affected the most are the wheel arches, the front bumper and the bonnet.

2.2 JTS – timing chain wear

The 2.2 JTS is based on the General Motors Z22SE engine. Alfa Romeo modernized this engine by fitting it with variable valve timing and direct fuel injection called “Jet Thrust Stoichiometric”.

So, how is this all related to the 2.2 JTS?

When the Brera was on the drawing board, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and General Motors were one big corporation. Alfa Romeo decided to leverage their synergies by using GM’s engine designs. However, it seems they leveraged the wrong ones…

In other words, the Alfa Romeo 2.2 JTS, is back to the 1 mm oil feed nozzle. So much for value-added decision making.

On top of that, the oil change interval in the Alfa Romeo engines is 18,000 or 21,000 miles, which is far too long for the 2.2 JTS as there is bound to be some sludge build-up and oil degradation after so many miles.

The result is a timing chain that can wear out as early as 20,000 miles in the worst case. Best case? Maybe 100,000 miles.

The saving grace of the 2.2 JTS engine is that the camshaft position sensors can usually detect a worn-out timing chain before it stretches to the point where it becomes dangerous. Typically, the first indication of a stretched chain is the “Check Engine” light and camshaft position errors stored in car’s memory (most commonly P0016).

The second symptom of a stretched timing chain is noise. Here’s more about timing chains and how to do a basic timing chain check.

I can’t recommend this engine (nor the M32 gearbox attached to it), but if you are hell bent on getting one, here’s what you could do:

Use a good quality synthetic oil and replace it every 10,000 miles or yearly, whichever comes first.
Imagine that the car has a timing belt instead of a chain – by adjusting your expectations you’ll be less pissed off when the timing chains start acting up. Replace the oil feed nozzle with the updated one when you replace the timing chains.
Buy a car that had the chains and oil feed nozzle recently replaced, so that you don’t have to pay for it yourself.

3.2 JTS – timing chain stretch

“Premature” and “poor lubrication” – I’m not sure if I like where this is heading…

What I do know for sure is that the timing chain system in this engine is complex – much more so than in a 4-cylinder engine. That’s why timing chain replacement in the Brera 3.2 JTS is expensive.

The timing chain wear symptoms in the Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 JTS include:

engine misfire and rough idle
intermittent “Check Engine” light
error codes P0016, P0017 or P0018 stored in the car’s ECU
rattling noises coming from the engine (chain slap) at start up (especially cold start)
noisy engine
reduced power and fuel economy

Buying a high-mileage Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 JTS is a bit risky. If anything goes wrong with the complex timing chain system, you may be left with a huge bill.

You can expect to pay over £3000 at the dealership for timing chain replacement. Timing chain issues in the 3.2 JTS are less common than in the 2.2 JTS, however, chain replacement is a lot more expensive.

The glass is half full.

2.4 JTDm – timing belt & water pump

2.4 JTDm – swirl flaps

From mid-2005, these engines were fitted with swirl flaps in the intake manifold in order to improve emissions. There are two types of intake manifolds that were used on the JTDm and MultiJet engines.

Luckily, the 2.4 JTDm 20v has the safer aluminium manifold with plastic swirl flaps. These rarely fall off, unlike the metal ones that sometimes get detached and ingested by the engine.

In these engines, the swirl flap bearings wear out when the carbon build-up in the intake manifold becomes severe (it will eventually). Once the bearings are worn, they may develop air leaks, allowing the boost pressure to escape. Also, the flaps can simply get stuck before the bearings wear out.

Stuck or leaking swirl flaps manifest as:

Rough engine running
Reduced fuel economy
Reduced power
The “Check engine” light may turn on as well

The main cause of flap failure is increased friction in the flap mechanism from the carbon build-up in the intake manifold. Carbon build-up is a byproduct of the exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) that feeds exhaust fumes back into the engine to improve emissions.

To fix the swirl flaps, a new intake manifold is required, which is fairly expensive. Another option is to remove the swirl flaps altogether, which has a minimal impact on the engine running. There are swirl flap removal kits available on the market.

Please be aware that removing the swirl flaps will increase emissions and is probably illegal – it depends on the country you live in.

2.4 JTDm – worn drive shafts

Here’s what you don’t want to hear:

Summary or problems & additional information

The Alfa Romeo Brera is based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo 159. You can think of the Brera as a coupé version of the 159. Fun fact: the Brera and the 159 front bumpers can be swapped.
The suspension in the Brera is more durable than it was in the previous generation of Alfa Romeo cars such as the GT or the 156.
There have been cases of prematurely worn-out steering racks and power steering pumps in the Alfa Romeo Brera. To avoid problems, look for a 2009 or 2010 car, and make sure it has the green GI/R power steering fluid in it.
The 1.750 TBi and 2.2 JTS engines are mated to the infamous M32 gearbox. A typical problem with this 6-speed transmission is bearing wear. In particular, the 6th gear bearing. The 3.2 JTS and the JTDm engines have the F40 gearbox, which should last a lot longer.
I don’t recommend buying a used Alfa Romeo with the Selespeed transmission. It’s not something you want to own outside of warranty.
The “Alfa Red” aka “Rosso Alfa” paint is the weakest in terms of resistance to stone chips. The difference from other colours is noticeable, especially if you do a lot of motorway driving.
The 2.2 JTS and 3.2 JTS engines are fitted with timing chains. The other engines have timing belts. The timing belts turned out to be a better solution in the Alfa Romeo Brera because both JTS engines are prone to premature timing chain wear, especially the 2.2 JTS. Here’s more about timing chains and how to do a basic timing chain check.
The 2.0 JTDm is an evolution of the popular 1.9 JTDm. It’s a good engine with no major flaws. The things that could go wrong are the same as for all modern diesel engines.
As for the 2.4 JTDm, it’s a great engine but it has a few problems. Watch out for worn drive shafts and you will likely need to deal with the swirl flaps at some point. Also, do not delay replacing the timing belt and water pump in these engines.
I once heard that buying an Alfa Romeo is like dating a stripper – you know you shouldn’t, but it can be a hell lot of fun though. It’s a bit like that with the Brera – it’a sexy car, but she has some issues. You can’t avoid all of the problems, but you can greatly reduce the potential maintenance costs by getting a 2009/2010 car that’s not red and that doesn’t have the Selespeed transmission.
Here’s my take on the engines in the Brera.
- The 1.75 Tbi has a good reputation and no major flaws, however, it’s not a common engine so finding one might take some time. The main drawback of the 1.75 TBi is that it’s mated to the M32 gearbox.
- The 2.4 JTDm is a reliable engine provided that you deal with the swirl flaps and other nuisances that affect modern common rail diesel engines.
- The 2.0 JTDm does not sound as good as the 2.4 JTDm, but the swirl flap design is much better. This engine is a more financially sensible choice, albeit a more boring one.
- The 3.2 JTS is somewhere in the middle because of potential (expensive) problems with the timing chains and poor fuel economy.
- The 2.2 JTS is the worst choice because of the timing chain problems and chocolate bearings in the gearbox. Not to mention that it doesn’t sound as nice as the V6 or even the inline-5 JTDm engine.

Alfa Romeo Brera specifications

This section contains Alfa Romeo Brera specifications. You will also find technical information regarding the engines used in these cars. Press the buttons below to display the specs and engine technical details.

Petrol engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
1750 TBi 16v	1742 cm³ / 106.3 cu in	200 PS / 147 kW	320 Nm / 236 lbf⋅ft	2009-2010
2.2 JTS 16v	2198 cm³ / 134.1 cu in	185 PS / 136 kW	230 Nm / 170 lbf⋅ft	2005-2009
3.2 JTS V6 24v	3195 cm³ / 195.0 cu in	260 PS / 191 kW	322 Nm / 237 lbf⋅ft	2005-2010

Diesel engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
2.0 JTDm 16v	1956 cm³ / 119.4 cu in	170 PS / 125 kW	360 Nm / 265 lbf⋅ft	2009-2010
2.4 JTDm 20v	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	200 PS / 147 kW	400 Nm / 295 lbf⋅ft	2006-2010
2.4 JTDm 20v	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	210 PS / 154 kW	400 Nm / 295 lbf⋅ft	2007-2010

Petrol engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Fuel delivery	DMF	Inlet flaps
1750 TBi 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC, VVT	Direct injection	Yes	No
2.2 JTS 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC, VVT	Direct injection (JTS)	Yes	No
3.2 JTS V6 24v	V6, 24 valves	No	Timing chain, DOHC, VVT	Direct injection (JTS)	Yes	No
Legend:	DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft VVT - Variable Valve Timing JTS - "Jet Stoichiometric Thrust" DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Diesel engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Injection system	DMF	DPF	Swirl flaps
2.0 JTDm 16v	Inline-4, 16 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Yes	Yes
2.4 JTDm 20v	Inline-5, 20 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail	Yes	Yes	Yes
Legend:	DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Alfa Romeo Brera wheel sizes

Press the button below to see the original equipment manufactuer (OEM) rim & tyres sizes for the Alfa Romeo Brera. These are the original wheel sizes that were fitted by the manufacturer.

Tyres	Rims	Centre Bore	Bolt Pattern
225/50 R17	7.5Jx17 ET41	65.1 mm	5x110
235/45 R18	8Jx18 ET41	65.1 mm	5x110
235/40 R19	8Jx19 ET41	65.1 mm	5x110

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Alfa Romeo 166 (Type 936: 1998-2007)

Still Running Strong — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 09:53:06 +0000

The Alfa Romeo 166 was restyled in 2003 – a post-facelift model above.

Reliability & common problems

This section covers the potential reliability issues that you might have with the Alfa Romeo 166. Click on the buttons below to read more about the typical problems that fall outside the scope of routine maintenance.

Fragile suspension

Watch out for suspension noises (knocking and squeaking) when buying an Alfa Romeo 166. The suspension is relatively fragile in this car and other Alfa Romeos from that era. When it’s worn out or out of alignment, the car likes to eat the tyres quickly (tyre wear on the inner edge).

The suspension in the Alfa Romeo 166 will likely need refreshing every 50k miles or so. If you happen to drive on bad roads or use cheap suspension parts, take 50% off this number.

When buying an Alfa Romeo 166, take it for a test drive on some rough road and some speed bumps. Listen for any suspension noises. Also, check if the tyres are worn evenly.

V6 Busso – timing belt replacement interval

According to the manufacturer, the timing belt in this engine needs to be replaced every 72,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first.

In my opinion, this is too optimistic as there have been cases of the timing belt breaking earlier. I recommend getting it replaced not later than 60,000 miles.

Better safe than sorry.

2.0 Twin Spark – sensitive to poor maintenance

The Twin Spark is a dual ignition engine, which means that there are two spark plugs per cylinder (8 in total). The idea behind it is that igniting the air/fuel mixture in two places makes it burn quicker, thus improving efficiency and emissions. The dual ignition was dropped in later Alfa Romeo engines, probably because its benefits were too small.

Fun fact: dual ignition is still commonly used in aircraft engines for redundancy (the entire ignition system is duplicated, not just the spark plugs).

The Twin Spark engines are sensitive to poor maintenance.

Crankshaft bearings

First of all, a low oil level will kill the crankshaft bearings very quickly in these engines. For this reason, the oil needs to be changed regularly and oil level checked religiously to make sure it’s not low. Many old Twin Spark engines consume more engine oil than an average car. This usually isn’t a problem as long as the oil level is maintained.

The oil level in a Twin Spark engine should be checked monthly if not weekly (seriously).

Timing belt

Second, the timing belt in these engines isn’t very strong. It is very important to replace it every 36,000 miles or every three years, whichever comes first. This has to be done without fail as these belts are known to snap without warning. The belt replacement interval was only revised to 36k miles after many engines suffered timing belt failure (initially, the interval was 72k miles).

There are two timing belts in the 2.0 TS. One drives the valvetrain, while the second one turns two balance shafts. If any of the belts break, the results are catastrophic for the engine. Both belts need to be replaced at the same time.

Avoid engines that had the top end recently rebuilt after the timing belt had snapped. In this engine, a timing belt failure is sometimes followed by crankshaft bearings failure, which may get damaged when the valves hit the pistons when the timing belt breaks.

The bottom line is that these engines can be reliable as long as they are maintained well. Ideally, buy the car from an Alfa Romeo enthusiast.

2.0 Twin Spark – short-lived variators

All 16-valve Twin Spark engines (except the 105 PS 1.6L) are equipped with a device called the variator that adjusts the timing of the inlet camshaft (variable valve timing). The variator in the Twin Spark engines is not very durable and tends to wear out fairly quickly. A worn out variator makes the engine sound like a diesel.

Initially, the sound only appears after a cold start – before the oil gets pumped to the top of the engine. The clatter gradually gets more persistent. If your car sounds like a London taxi – get the variator replaced immediately.

The variator in the TS engines can fail as early as 40,000 miles. It makes sense to have it replaced with every timing belt job. The timing belt needs to be removed to replace the variator anyway.

2.4 JTD M-Jet 20v – timing belt & water pump

The water pump in the 2.4 JTD MultiJet 20v is the same as in the 1.9 JTD MultiJet 16v, so both engines are affected.

2.4 JTD M-Jet 20v – swirl flaps

Luckily, the 2.4 JTD 20v has the safer aluminium manifold with plastic swirl flaps. These rarely fall off, unlike the metal ones that sometimes get detached and ingested by the engine.

Stuck or leaking swirl flaps manifest as rough engine running, reduced fuel economy and reduced power. The “Check engine” light may turn on as well.

Please be aware that removing the swirl flaps will increase emissions and is probably illegal – it depends on the country you live in.

2.4 JTD M-Jet 20v – worn drive shafts

The 20-valve JTD engine has an appetite for drive shafts. It seems that the General Motors drive shafts used in the 20-valve JTD cars are weaker than the Alfa Romeo ones used in the 10-valve JTD cars.

Here’s what you don’t want to hear:

Summary or problems & additional information

As this is an Alfa Romeo, I must address the main question. Is the Alfa Romeo 166 reliable? Actually, it can be reliable apart from the fragile suspension and also fragile Twin Spark engine. Keep in mind that Alfa Romeo cars are performance oriented and not as robust and forgiving as Japanese cars when it comes to poor maintenance.
All engines in the Alfa Romeo 166 have timing belts. I think that the original timing belt replacement intervals are too optimistic for most of the engines in the Alfa Romeo 166. Follow this link to learn more about cambelts and why it’s important to replace them on time.
If you’d like to buy a car with the 2.0 TS, find one with a documented service history. The Twin Spark engine is a delicate flower – it needs correct maintenance to last. I think that the V6 is a better choice.
The V6 “Busso” doesn’t have any major flaws. Great sound too. Just watch the oil consumption. The factory spec oil is fairly thick because this engine has its origins in the 1970s, so it’s not a “modern” design. The 3.2L may use more oil than it’s smaller siblings due to smaller oil control rings.
The Alfa Romeo 166 is one of the last Alfa Romeo cars that you can buy with the famous “Busso” engine. The production of this V6 unit ended in 2005. The designer of this engine, Giuseppe Busso, died three days after the production stopped.
The 10-valve 2.4 JTD is a reliable common rail engine. After all, the world’s first common rail passenger car was an Alfa Romeo 156 powered by the 1.9 JTD. The 20-valve JTD M-Jet is also good but with a few more potential problems. Avoid the last years of production because of the stupid swirl flaps (from mid-2005). Also, watch out for worn out drive shafts in the case of 20-valve engines.
The things that could go wrong with the JTD engines are typical for common rail diesel engines. Follow this link to an article that might help you decide if a common rail diesel is the right choice for you.
Some of the last 2.4 JTD M-Jet 20v (180 or 185 PS) engines may have diesel particulate filters (in some markets).
Fun fact: the Alfa Romeo 166 was chosen as Britain’s fastest depreciating second-hand car. Apparently, the Alfa Romeo 166 held only about 15% of its original value after three years.
The Alfa Romeo 166 changed its looks quite significantly after the facelift in 2003. Below is what the original version looks like.

Alfa Romeo 166 before the 2003 facelift

Alfa Romeo 166 specifications

This section contains Alfa Romeo 166 specifications. You will also find technical information regarding the engines used in these cars. Press the buttons below to display the specs and engine technical details.

Petrol engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
2.0 Twin Spark	1970 cm³ / 120.2 cu in	155 PS / 114 kW	187 Nm / 138 lbf⋅ft	Until 2000
2.0 Twin Spark	1970 cm³ / 120.2 cu in	150 PS / 110 kW	181 Nm / 133 lbf⋅ft	2000-2006
2.0 V6 Turbo	1996 cm³ / 121.9 cu in	205 PS / 151 kW	280 Nm / 206 lbf⋅ft	Italian market
2.5 V6 24v	2492 cm³ / 152.1 cu in	190 PS / 140 kW	222 Nm / 164 lbf⋅ft	Until 2000
2.5 V6 24v	2492 cm³ / 152.1 cu in	188 PS / 138 kW	221 Nm / 163 lbf⋅ft	2000-2006
3.0 V6 24v	2959 cm³ / 180.6 cu in	226 PS / 166 kW	275 Nm / 203 lbf⋅ft	Until 2000
3.0 V6 24v	2959 cm³ / 180.6 cu in	220 PS / 162 kW	265 Nm / 195 lbf⋅ft	2000-2006
3.2 V6 24v	3179 cm³ / 194 cu in	240 PS / 176.5 kW	289 Nm / 213 lbf⋅ft	From 2003

Diesel engines – specs & performance figures

Model	Displacement	Power	Torque	Comments
2.4 JTD	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	136 PS / 100 kW	304 Nm / 224 lbf⋅ft	Until 2000, 10-valve "UniJet" engine
2.4 JTD	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	140 PS / 103 kW	304 Nm / 224 lbf⋅ft	2000-2002, 10-valve "UniJet" engine
2.4 JTD	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	150 PS / 110 kW	305 Nm / 225 lbf⋅ft	2002-2005, 10-valve "UniJet" engine
2.4 JTD M-Jet 20v	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	175 PS / 129 kW	385 Nm / 284 lb-ft	2003-2006, 20-valve "MultiJet" engine
2.4 JTD M-Jet 20v	2387 cm³ / 145.7 cu in	185 PS / 136 kW or 180 PS /132 kW	385 Nm / 284 lb-ft	2006-2007, 20-valve "MultiJet" engine

Petrol engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Fuel delivery	DMF	Inlet flaps
2.0 Twin Spark	Inline-4, 16 valves	No	Timing belt, DOHC, VVT	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	VLIM
2.0 V6 Turbo "Busso"	V6, 12 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, SOHC	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	No
V6 24v "Busso"	V6, 24 valves	No	Timing belt, DOHC	Port injection (EFI)	Yes	No
Legend:	SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft VVT - Variable Valve Timing EFI - Electronic Fuel Injection DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters) VLIM - Variable Length Intake Manifold

Diesel engines – technical details

Engine	Engine config.	Forced induction	Valve timing	Injection system	DMF	DPF	Swirl flaps
2.4 JTD	Inline-5, 10 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, SOHC	Common Rail (1st gen, "UniJet")	Yes	No	No
2.4 JTD M-Jet 20v	Inline-5, 20 valves	Turbo	Timing belt, DOHC	Common Rail (2nd gen, "MultiJet")	Yes	Some 180 & 185 PS engines	Yes (from mid-2005)
Legend:	SOHC - Single Overhead Camshaft DOHC - Double Overhead Camshaft DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter DMF - Dual-mass Flywheel (does not apply to auto. transmissions with torque converters)

Alfa Romeo 166 wheel sizes

Press the button below to see the original equipment manufactuer (OEM) rim & tyres sizes for the Alfa Romeo 166. These are the original wheel sizes that were fitted by the manufacturer.

Tyres	Rims	Centre Bore	Bolt Pattern	Comments
205/55 R16	6.5Jx16 ET41 or ET36.5	58.1 mm	5x108	ET41 does not fit over Brembo brakes
215/55 R16	7Jx16 ET41	58.1 mm	5x108	V6 cars
225/45 R17	7.5Jx17 ET41	58.1 mm	5x108	V6 cars
235/40 R18	8Jx18 ET36.5	58.1 mm	5x108	Alfa Romeo 166 Ti

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