Alfa 156 JTD Sportwagon, 2001 - No Gears...

[Jack vintage]

Hey,

My apologies firstly for not being able to convey my problem in Dutch.

I would greatly appreciate any advice or your thoughts to a problem I have...

I was driving my 156 the other day and all of a sudden I was unable to get the car into gear. Once parked up I turned the engine off and I was able to work my way through the gears no problem. But, once the engine was running again, I was unable to get the car into gear again.

I managed to get the car into gear and actually drove the car for about 5k in second gear until I eventually realised it was probable I was doing more damage.

I had the car towed back to a garage that I've used once before. They have told me that it is the flywheel and that it will cost me 1,800 euro to get it fixed. Now, my problem is that I'm unsure how they know this. Also, a mechanic friend (back in the UK) has told me that he thought it could be the slave cylinder and would not cost anywhere near what they are suggesting.... Though he does admit that he has not looked at the car.

Any advice or suggestions on what I can do would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Jack

[marlon_ruchtie]

Sounds like your clutch doesn't work. Could be slave or master hydraulic cilinder. How is your brake fluid? Still filled to the original level?

Could also be the clutch itself, but I would check the hydraulic system first.

And even if it is the clutch itself, I recon €1800,- is a bit expensive for changing a clutch.

[giuliettaevo]

How does your clutch-pedal feel? do you feel a difference with how it was before? What exactly do you mean by not getting it into gear? Do you get a grinding sound from the gearbox?

Checking the clutchfluid is a good first step. My first bet would also be the hydraulic system.

The clutch-flywheel assembly is rather expensive since it's a double-mass-flywheel and the fitting is also a few hours work. Did the car 'vibrate' when accelerating before? shaking behaviour i mean. That could be an indication that your flywheel is not very good anymore. If you had a very smooth ride before with no vibrations whatsoever you might get 'lucky' and only need to change the clutch-assembly and leave the flywheel on. But that can only be judged when the gearbox is off the car.

Is the garage Alfa-minded? there are many people here who could point you to a Alfa specialized garage where they might get you a better price on the repair.

Good luck with it.

bet you're happy you're on a Dutch forum where most of the members speak english as well.

[Hylke]

In addition to the last phrase, perhaps you can specify your location, so suggestions about "the place to go" can be made.

Good luck!

[Jack vintage]

OK, thanks so far!

When I say that I can not get any gears, what I mean is... When I put the clutch down, with the engine running, I can not engage any gear from neutral. As I push towards each gear it just wont engage ... And also, the car felt as if it rocks forward a little each time I try to engage the gear.

The clutch had not felt any different before this all happened, but now it does - It has no spring to it, if that makes sense.

Before this happened there were no crunching sounds or any horrific noises to suggest there was a major problem. Though, saying that, for a few days before this all happened there had also been a sort of high pitch squeeking noise coming from under the hood whenever I first started the engine in the morning.... It sounded like something spinning needed a bit of grease. After driving for a bit the sound would go and then eventually it just disappeared altogether.

I had also mentioned to my gf that I felt as though I needed to ride the clutch a little before it would bite in first gear. If I didn't ride the clutch 1st gear seemed to take suddenly and the car would jolt forward off the mark - as if I was releasing the clutch too fast..

Also, if I put the car into gear while the engine is not running and then start the engine.... I can move the car forward and there are no bad sounds ... It just feels a little dodgy.

The garage that I had been using is an Alfa garage. I'm a little dubious though as the last time they checked over the car for a problem with smoke coming from the exhaust whenever I accelerated, they had told me there was a split in an air intake pipe. I happened to have the car checked at another Alfa garage (just for a price comparison as I new garage number 1 was charging me crazy prices) and they could find no split... The second garage simply asked if I'd changed fuel and I actually had switched to V power diesel .. They told me to switch back and drive on the highway at high revs through gears to clear out the exhaust a little... This fixed the problem and no more black smoke. I would have taken the car back to this second garage only they have closed down

I live in The Hague by the way.

And thanks again for everyone taking the time to share their opinions..!

[frankalfa]

I would also think of the hydraulic system too. Checking the fluid level (and in addition search for any leaks around the hydraulic components) would be a start. If this is ok, then maybe the 'fingers' on the clutch are worn out or broken.

@Marlon; around 1800euro is unfortunately the price for a clutch change on a156 jtd... The double mass flywheel has to be changed also, and costs around 800 eu...Add the other clutch components and about 6(?) hours of work.
Friend of mine (car mechanic) did this similar job on a GT 1.9 16v jtd for 1600eu which was a bargain according to the owner of that car.

@Topic starter, good luck!

Grtz,fRank

[Jack vintage]

Hey guys. Thanks a lot for the feedback to my questions!

I left the car and the problem with the garage while I was on vacation.

When I got back a new garage told me that it was the slave cylinder and that they could fix it for me for 200. Seemed like good
news until they fixed it, only to then tell me that actually no, the problem runs deeper and is definitely the flywheel.

Question: Could they have tested if it was the slave cylinder without having to fit a new one?

So, now Im expected to pay the 200 and be stuck with a car that is still gonna cost me 1,800 to get running again.

Bad news in all, but hey, I guess shit happens.

My dilemma now is, should I pay the garage or do I have an argument that they should have been able to test if it was indeed the
slave cylinder before doing the work? And, what is the best thing (other than set the car on fire) to do with a car that Im not willing to invest
any more money on?

Would there be any members here who would be capable and willing to buy the car and fix it up themselves as a project - the labour
alone comes to around 1,000 .. so this could work out okay for someone capable of doing the work themselves. It is a
cracking motor ... when its running.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions.

[marlon_ruchtie]

It is possible to check the hydraulic components, they usualy start leaking when they are broken. Taking off the dirt cover would have given a good indication if your clutch cilinder was broken or not.

The biggest problem with the dual mass flywheels is the fact you need a special tool to fix it. The tool alone costs around 600 - 800 euros.