Engines

The Twin Spark Engines
The 1.8 Litre Twin Spark was the basis engine in the 916 series. The 1.8 l TS is based on the better known 2.0 Litre Twin Spark engine and has 144 bhp. Alfa Romeo has used its traditional ignition technology with two spark plugs per cylinder. The spark plugs are not simultaneously as might at first be thought, instead the second plug ( offset in the chamber ) fires 360° after the main, central plug. This spark at the end of the exhaust phase reduces not only the exhaust emission but gives an extra performance boost. Each spark plug has its own coil which also guarantees smooth and efficient combustion. Eventhough the platinum plugs are rather more expensive than the normal plugs, they only have to be changed every 100000 km.

The 2.0 TS engines are well known for being very lively and with their counterbalance shaft there is very little vibration to be felt in all ranges.
The 2.0 TS with its 150 bhp (as from 2000 with 155 bhp) is the better choice over the 1.8 TS with its 144 bhp. This is mainly due to the greater traction, 187 Nm as to 169 Nm in the 1.8 TS.

Twin Spark Motor

The first series in 1995 had many problems with the tensioning pulley, the pulley caused the toothed belt to desinegrate. The usual cure was an exchange engine because the valves had also suffered damage due to the ripped belt.Alfa Romeo has since then changed the tension pulleys and this fault no longer occurs.

Some 2.0 TS engines have had problems with the small end, this was caused by faulty material which in some cases caused the con-rod to break and to then penetrate the motorblock, the engine is then what one would call,"scrap". For this rare occurance there is no advance warning when this fault would occur, it usually happens in the middle range, around 3500 rpm - 4000 rpm.

The toothed belts should be exchanged at between 60000 km and 80000 km and not as Alfa Romeo advise 120000 km, it has been found out that in practice that the intervals that Alfa Romeo lay down are rather utopious and the customer/ owner even if he has had all the inspections done through the authorized workshop can lose all hope that Alfa Romeo are obligated to exchange the engine in the event that the belt rips. One should always ask for the receipts of exchanged belts with the intervals if possible. If by any chance no belts have been changed, then knock the handling price down and once you have the car immediately change the belt. The price for the belt, pulley and fixed costs range around 400-500,- €.

The inlet camshaft phasing on the TS is controlled through the ECU, being altered by up to 25° to give full overlap from as low as 1800 rpm. If therfore the engine should sound like a diesel at tickover then the ECU is probably defect, you can still drive with a defective ECU but it is advised to replace the unit as the raunchy sound of the Alfa is replaced by a loud knocking. A new unit would cost around 105 €.

Should the engine run rather lumpy in the warm up phase then the control unit is the usual culprit. There are special software updates from Alfa Romeo (ask your dealer / workshop for the newest version!), this will be installed without any problem and sometimes it costs as little as a donation into the coffee box.

The V6 Engines
In the 916 series there are 3 different V6 engines that have or are doing service in the Alfa Spider and Alfa GTV. All 3 are similar in their construction, but have differing characteristics. In the Alfa Spider was the well known 3.0 l 12 V unit with 192 bhp. This was a superb engine for the Alfa Spider with the real V6 sound, acceleration and has a very lively nature. This engine - like all Alfa V6 engines - enjoy a very long life. Important is the maintainance, which must be done regularly. For instance the valves have to be adjusted every 40000 km, this applies mostly to the exhaust. Should you hear a loud ticking coming from the cams then they have to be adjusted.

3.0 V6 Triebwerk

The toothed belt should also be changed as in the TS engine every 60000 km to 80000 km, this will save the engine from the same fate as the TS. Do not forget to change the tensioning pulley, the costs for this job should cost you around 800,- and 1000,- €.

Whilst changing the belt you can also replace the water pump, this usually seeps at around 80000 km. You can look for tell tale marks like lower than usual water level or water near the right front wheel. The pump costs around 160,- € ,but to replace it the belt and the tensioning pulley have to be removed, be a pity to have to do this job twice.

We now turn our attention to the 2.0 V6 Turboengine, this unit was only to be found in the Alfa GTV and became the suffix "TB ". The TB has a turbocharger from Garrett which steadily builds up boost pressure from around 2400 rpm, the full pressure of 0.9 bar (with overboost 1.1 bar) is achieved at around 3300 rpm.

2.0 V6 Turbo Triebwerk

Is the whining of the turbocharger louder than usual and is sounds more like a hoover and seems to be losing performance then take a close look at the turbine wheel, it is more than likely defect. This can happen when small parts fall or get sucked into the induction hose. The more likely culprit is a burnt out gasket on the manifold or a defective bolt connection between the charger and the manifold. To relieve this problem it will take you approximately half an hour and 40,- €, this includes the gasket of course!

The TB unit should always run for at least one minute at tick over to cool down after doing a quick motorway run, (this is impossible in England with its 70 mph! ), otherwise there are some nasty side effects to be observed! The oil that is in the charger overheats and leaves a sooty carbon residue in the charger, this will eventually ruin the charger. If you remember to keep to this ritual, only use synthetic oil (Alfa Romeo recommend 10w-60 oil for sporty driving) and always run the engine warm for the first 20 km, then your V6 should last at least 200000 km without any major problems.

Here is some general information regards to the turbocharger. Never ever operate the turbo with any parts exposed. Foreign objects falling onto the rotating vanes could cause extensive damage and if ejected also personal injury. Do not race the engine from start up, especially if it is cold. Give the oil a chance to circulate and warm up. Always allow the engine to return to idling speed before switching it off, please do not blip and then switch off as this leaves the turbo turning with no lubrication. Allow the engine to idle for several minutes before switching off after a highspeed run. Observe the recommended intervals for oil and filter changes. Only use synthetic oil, other oils can cause carbon formation on the turbo shaft and its subsequent failiure.

It is also important to check the overboost. If you give full throttle at around 3300 rpm then the turbo is running at top power, which is 0.9 bar, there should be an increase of power in the turbocharger up to 1.1 bar for about 45 seconds. During this time the airconditioning is switched off as to become the maximum potential. If this does for some reason not happen then the control unit is defect and must be replaced or the wastegate is sticking.

One peculiarity that the turbo engines from the Alfa GTV is the dipstick. This dipstick just cannot tell the truth! The problem lies in the amount of oil. Originally Alfa Romeo laid down the amount of oil used for an oilchange at 7.3 l, but because there was still a residue of oil in the cooler (0.8 l) there was only the need to change 6.5 l. The dipstick told another story, as soon as the 6.5 l oil was put into the engine the dipstick showed more than maximum. To make things easier for everyone it was decided that the maximum line on the dipstick is actually the minmum.

Which is the best engine for the Alfa Spider and Alfa GTV? Well that depends on what you are looking for and what sort of performance you require, try it out and use the opportunity to do a test drive, you will find that the V6 gives ample performance at average costs...

Gearbox

The gearbox is cable operated which gives a precise feeling during gear changes. In the V6 gearboxes the reverse gear is synchronized which gives a smooth, precise change without any clunks or clacks.

The gearbox is very robust and with increasing age does not tend to lose oil. In mishandled gearboxes it can happen that the synchronizing ring of the second gear is worn out, this can be felt by either changing up from first gear into second or changing down from third gear into second, the change will be rather loud, it can be that the gearbox on the whole is in poor shape with over loud changes and rumbling noises coming from the gearbox, this points to worn out bearings.

The real weakness of models with the V6 engine is the clutch. The clutch tends to grab as from 30000 km, the cause for the grabbing is quite simple, worn out or dislodged torsion springs in the driving disc. Even with this fault you can still drive for miles as long as the clutch does not begin to slip in the meantime. There is the possibility that the springs catch and make changing gear almost impossible, the cost of a complete exchange incl. workshop costs runs at about 500,- €. In the meantime there is a more sturdier clutch.

Chassis

The chassis features the tried and tested McPherson- front axle with stabilizers and a independent, multiple arm rear suspension comprising of a quadrilateral geometry with an upper triangle, double lower arms, coil springs and anti-roll bar secured to a light alloy subframe which is, in turn mounted onto the vehicle's monocoque body. The design of this geometry, and the fine tuning of the suspension bushes, is such that in the initial stages of a turn, the centrifugal forces create a small 'rear wheel steer' effect in the opposite direction to the way the front wheels are being pointed. Then, as the centrifugal forces build up through the corner, the rear wheels start steering in the same direction as the front wheels. The result is a more positive 'attack' into the first stages of cornering and increased stability in the later stages.

Hinterachse des Alfa Spider/GTV

Comfort is one thing you can't expect from the 916 series. Bumps are given straight through to the driver with short, dry shocks, the Spider quivers due to the chassis twisting.

If you hear a quiet rumbling noise coming from the rear axle you don't need to worry as this is normal and have no effect on roadholding or safety. The noise is caused by the standard Boge shock absorbers (Bilstein sport dampers might be worth a try). If the noise is rather loud then it could well be that the rubber bushes on the rear wishbone are worn out, this also applies for the front axle. The track rod ends also wear very quickly, so check these as well.

Watch out for models that have been lowered, this usually goes to the cost of the ground clearance, which is already low enough. A lowered car just does not pay, the loss in comfort (stiffer dampers), the constant threat of setting down and ruining the underbody not to mention the casing around the handbrake cable.

It is of importance that you look for a correctly set wheel alignment. It is a peculiarity of this particular chassis that the wheel alignment of both front and rear wheels can be reset. The trouble is that they seem to change, even if no kerbs have been encountered, after about 15000 km. This can be observed at best by looking at the saw tooth tread or the unequal wear of the tyre and also how the steering wheel is situated. The handling can also suffer due to defective axle geomerty.

The tyre wear on the V6 models is enormous, even if you take it easy, this applies mainly to the front axle. The tyres don't last much over 15000 km. What you should not do is to try and save by buying cheap tyres, these are sometimes of inferior quality and affect the roadholding and wear even quicker than the more expensive makes. Try Pirelli P-Zero Nero in the summer and Pirelli W210 Snowsport in winter.

Breaks

As in all Alfas is the feel of the brakes rather soggy. Evenso the brake tests gave the following 39 m from 100 to 0 km/h, this is a very respectable result for a sports car that came out in the mid 90's. The front discs won't last very long if you give them this treatment every day. Vibration and juddering when the brakes are applied are the symptoms of wornout discs. High quality is to be had from Sandler. Racing Discs are to had for 163,- € each, and in conjunction with Ferodo pads they are almost unbeatable.

The 3.0 l versions of the Alfa Spider and GTV became 310 mm diameter discs and 4-piston calipers from Brembo, these being red in colour. All the same, these discs and calipers have the same problems as the older version with 2 pistons and 284 mm diameter discs, it seems to be the inferior quality material that the discs are made of that causes the problems.

The problem with the rear brakes is that the calipers sometimes seize up. To find this out just find a curvy stretch of road and listen out for scraping noises coming from the rear end. The remedy for this is simple, completely dismantle the calipers, remove the pads and clean all moving parts, look for rust or any damage to the pistons or seals. The costs run at around 50 € for the whole procedure.

Electrics

The electrics of the 916er series is very reliable, now and again there can be problems with the electric windows, another problem that plagued the 916 series was the wiper motor, this problem was resolved in the following model improvements.

For an extra charge there is an electric convertible top for the Alfa Spider. The problem here lies in the motor, the top does not move until you have pressed the switch 3 or 4 times. To open and close the top manually is ever so simple, so why bother with the electrical top?

Now and again there are reports about rather loud petrol pumps. Should there be a loud buzzing sound coming from the vicinity of the rear seats in the Alfa GTV (in the Alfa Spider behind the rear shelf) then is the petrol pump defect.

Heating and ventilation

Don't expect any wonders from the heating, in winter it takes ages to get warm and in summer it gets too warm. For those with air conditioning, and this applies more to the TB, well they have no easy job. Before purchase check the air conditioning, it can be that the refrigerant can have evaporated, this usually takes 3 to 4 years. If on the other hand the air conditioning does not function at all this could be due to a faulty condensor, this is situated in front of the radiator, it is rather prone to be damaged from stones or debris that is thrown up from the road surface. Replacement of the condensor and refilling the coolant will set you around 500,- € back.

Spareparts prices Alfa Spider/GTV (Serie 916)

Der Alfa Romeo GTV

Summary

The Alfa Spider and Alfa GTV from the 916 series embody the Alfa philosophy in every way. Breathtaking design coupled with a great chassis and sporty engines. The maintainance costs are not cheap but with the V6 engines you have the performance you would associate with sport cars. Small things like the poor allround vision, the rather small boot, the rather large turning circle make these two only more sympathetic. Reliability, if you regularly do the maintainance, is to be expected, just as fun of driving these great sport cars. Whoever has had the pleasure of buying a well looked after example, he or she can expect a long acquaintance and fun with his/ her Italian wedge.

Text: Jass
Photos: Alfa Romeo
Copyright by Jass and alfisti.net