Very good tutorial and you are perfectly right when you say that parts quality is not good. On an Alfa gt I wanted to replace the slave cylinder and the fitting of the hose does not entered in the cylinder because the hole was a little smaler. The cylinder was Valeo
For anyone struggling with removal of any of the rusted bolts.Use blow torch and heat them up ,then use impact driver and it should become loose.Alfa in the video is from humid free area so working on it is piece of cake.Most of them are rusted as hell.
Μπραβο σου και χαρας το κουραγιο σου για ολη την λεπτομερη διαδικασια...Θελω μια γνωμη αν μπορεις να με βοηθησεις....Εχω την 147 1.6 120ps ....οτι κολαρο και να βαλω πανω καινουργιο και πανω και κατω τρεχουν λες και δεν κουμπονουν...κρατανε για λιγο και μετα τρεχουν παντα....εχω τρελαθει τι να κανω....σκεφτομαι να αλλαξω το ψυγειο να παρω καινουργιο ..μηπως τα κουμπωματα εχουν χαλασει.....δεν ξερω εχω φτασει σε απογνωση....δεν μπορω να δουλεψω και το αμαξι...εχεις καποια πιθανη ιδεα αν εχεις ακουσει κατι αντιστοιχο ;
To the English speaking audience: Since you mention that there are leaks on the radiator hoses couplers, then you need to check for corrosion coming from the cooling system. There are probably rust particles on the radiator ports and also on the hoses couplers where the o-rings make a tight fit. Sounds very unusual to me to be using new hoses/couplers and leaking so there must be something which prevents tight seal.
I have done such job quite a few times and i would say no less than 3 hours per side if everything goes smoothly (usually this is not the case). It is the tools that help you very much. Since there are many nuts and bolts involved, hand tools like spanners or sockets are tiring and really take up time. A few weeks ago I had to replace the control arms (again) and this time I used a MILWAUKEE electric ratchet which helps you very much. I was able to refresh the suspension in less than 2 hours per side. Without the electric ratchet, you need to almost lay down, crawl under the suspension, do/undo the control arm bolts, control arm nuts, caliper bolts, upper control arm nut, track rod end nut etc. The fasteners are many and working with them really sums up in time consumed in doing/undoing nuts and bolts. An important fact is also experience working with the Alfa 147 and the suspension in specific. If you haven't ever done such kind of work, be prepared to spend a few hours per side. My advise is to have plenty of time ahead (do not plan to use the car the same day) and with patience it is doable. Also note that when you start feeling tired, you better stop - being exhausted and rushing to finish will not give you good results. Just for the record, the Alfa 147 is a 2001 model and on average, the front suspension requires new control arms every 3-4 years. I think I have gained quite an experience in order to reduce the work time needed. Hope this helps 🙂
@@ThanassisGritsopoulos Thank you for the detailed response. I've done some suspension work on other cars and definitely agree with you on the use of electric tools saving a lot of time. I recently did a Ford Ka (new shape same as Fiat 500) lower control arm and rear shocks after having bought my first Milwaukee impact and it made it so much easier and quicker. I only have the compact version which is powerful enough to undo tight bolts but small enough to squeeze behind brakes for example, but I would still struggle to use it around tight spaces so might need to look into getting an electric ratchet before starting. I didn't know they go through control arms that quickly. Is it the bushes that give up? I'm wondering if polybushes like Powerflex would be worth the investment. This particular 147 has been off the road for 10 years and it has quite comprehensive service history from before that, but no mention of any suspension work, so I reckon it is far past its best being on (potentially) original arms and bushes at 23 years of age. It's also in need of inner and outer tie rods and a wheel bearing so I would be lucky to get it all done in a day I think. Your video and comments will definitely be a massive help in guiding me so thank you again!
@@birgitfischer8031 The control arms fail on the ball joints. The bushes can go bad but this will happen after the ball joints have failed twice or triple times! Just to note that a few weeks ago I had the lower control arm replaced having only 9 months of life on the Alfa 147. This control arm was an Original Alfa and it failed on the ball joint (severe creaking noise which means severe internal wear). You may also replace the sway bar bushes which are not easy to do with the crossmember on. You can drop the crossmember but things get more complicated as the steering rack is mounted there. What has worked for me is to have the control arms out of the way and using a drill, you can break lose the sway bar bracket nutsert. It is a job requiring precision but again it is doable. Just for the record, i have used numerous brands for sway bar bushes which all rattle despite using rubber lubricant. The bushes now used which do not rattle (lubricant is used to be safe) are by the brand MetalCaucho (MC). Since the Alfa 147 in question needs suspension, steering elements and wheel bearing works then you should count 2-3 days of work taking into account the available tools, the unforeseen implications and fatigue you will surely encounter! Hope this helps.
@@ThanassisGritsopoulos Thank you once again. The sway bar bushes are probably due as well but I don't know if I want to tackle those, especially considering they might creak after all the work. Currently the whole front is quite loose and knocky so it's hard to tell where noises are coming from but I don't think they are creaking. Hopefully it stays that way.
You are correct in principle BUT in the case of Alfa 147/156/GT the bushes have a metal insert which slide on the bush. This metal bush is detachable and can also be lubricated to extend the bush life.
Thats it. I have a leak, right where the pipe clicks in the master cylinder. What can I even do. Im like far away from home. I can only add more fluid or god forbid put silicone over it hoping it would stop it at least to the house.
Thank you for posting this. I too have a high idle at some stages and after sourcing the correct parts, I too will have a go at replacing the evaporative solenoid valve and other parts as recommended. 2004 147 Ti 2.0 litre. Prior to this high idle occuring, and still now at times, I have the problem of when I take my foot off the accelerator, especially in lower gears, the car jerks, as the speed (and revs) decreases suddenly. When the high idle is occuring, this does not happen as such, but when it does, as it has been happening for some time, I have learnt to take my foot off the accelerator (revs) slowly so as not to experience the jerking. What could be causing this? I have no errors lights showing and live where there are no Alfa or Italian motor specialists for 200klms+. Australia
Hi fellow Alfista. Question. Can this valve cause issues where car is jerking while accelerating? It happens in the first 2-3 minutes when the car is cold, after everything is fine.
Don't think the evaporative solenoid valve can cause jerking. The valve allows fuel vapor from the tank to become part of the mixture on demand from the engine management system. In your case, my thoughts are beyond the valve.
Brilliant presentation, thank you very much for posting. My passenger side wiper stopped working but I can move the arm freely, no resistance at all so that is broken linkage for sure and looks like will be a reasonably straightforward fix thanks to your video.
😂😂😂😂 Lightly tap the bottom bolt until it comes out!!! Are you kidding! That flaming thing is always welded in. Someone must have replaced it only a couple of months ago. I think I'm going to have to resort to cutting the bloody thing off.
You will need to see the video describing the control arms replacement. In any case - no matter the car make - taking out the driveshaft involves removing the driveshaft central nut (wheel side) and removing the driveshaft bolts found on the inner CV joint.
Yes i already replaced the drive shaft on the right side. But on the left side i cant get it out. There is some kind of a ring on the drive shaft that hold it back from getting out of the gearbox@@ThanassisGritsopoulos
This ring you mention should be the circlip inside the gearbox. If this is the case you need to pull out the complete driveshaft including the inner cv joint. Usually a pry bar can do the job.
I live in the Netherlands. All i see beneath my 147 is rust rust and more rust. I want to restore so much i can but im scared to disassemble anything what i cannot get back together again. A very informative video, thank you. :)
@@ThanassisGritsopoulos Buonasera oggi ho preso la mia alfa, romeo 33 modello 907 e la lancetta del contachilometri è impazzita, mi spiego meglio, praticamente appena mi metto in marcia la lancetta del contachilometri fa' da 0 a 20 km orari all'improvviso cioè va a sbalzi, poi superati i 20 km/h funziona normalmente, ho fatto il paragone con il GPS e mi risulta sballato di 20 km/h per caso e successo a qualcuno di voi? Avete soluzioni? Grazie mille a tutti e vi auguro un buon proseguimento di serata ho il modello VL
@@tonytony9655Hello. The first thing you need to check is the speedo sender connector right next to the battery. Please check that the connector is tight and there is no corrosion.
@@ThanassisGritsopoulos yes, i was thinking about it, but i was afraid of breaking it because of the pack of space and that we can't see anything. Otherwise great tutoriel thank you very much i subscribe
@@BrahimChikh-vk8jx A small mirror can be helpful. The space is very tight and there is no way to see the cylinder nuts. You will need to be careful and patient!
Αν δεν είσαι τυχερός όπως στην περίπτωση μου,ξεκινάς πρώτα από το τρομπακι συμπλέκτη και μετά ανακαλύπτεις ότι δυστυχώς το ρουλεμανακι που βρίσκεται μέσα στο κιβώτιο χρειάζεται αλλαγή.Οποτε κατεβάζεις και αλλάζεις και δίσκο πλατό που δεν χρειαζόταν στα 150Κ αλλά ήταν ευκαιρία μιας και πληρώνεις τα εργατικά.Παντως επειδή ήταν σε ακινησία η 147 μου για πολυ καιρό δεν μπορώ να ρίξω το φταίξιμο στην ποιότητα του ανταλλακτικού.Το αυτοκίνητο είναι άρτιο,άψογο και κορυφαίας ποιότητας κατασκευής συγκριτικά με τα σύγχρονα χατςμπακς και έχει συμπληρώσει 21 χρόνια ύπαρξης.
Thank you for your kind words. For the English speaking audience and regarding your question about control arms: Control arms by LEMFORDER are very good quality parts BUT lately i have been getting annoying and creaking sounds from the upper control arms. This has not been the case with Original parts and looks like the next set of control arms (upper and lower ones) will be replaced by Original ones.
@@ThanassisGritsopoulos thank you for the quick response. I’ve experienced similar issues with TRW ones that are supposed to be the “original” ones so I was also thinking about the factory original ones in the end. Again, thank you
Πάρα πολύ ωραίο το βίντεο Θανάση! Είναι αλήθεια πως η ποιότητα των after market ανταλλακτικών έχει όντως πέσει κατακόρυφα. Συμφωνώ απόλυτα πως ο μόνος πλέον δρόμος για να διατηρούμε αξιόπιστες τις Ιταλίδες μας δεν είναι άλλος από την αγορά μόνο γνήσιων ανταλλακτικών.