New alfista with a transmission chain question

[Simultaanieläin]

Hello everybody,

I hope you can read and answer in English (it seems virtually all Dutch and Flamish people can).

I am a Finn living and working in Brussels. I came to ask for help to your forum, since there does not seem to be much going on on the Belgian one.

I am planning to buy an Alfa Romeo 166 2.0 V6 turbo. I am a bit confused with how often transmission chains are changed in Benelux. In Finland, because of the hard weather conditions, they seem to be changed twice as often. The Alfa I am planning has a mileage of 89000 and the transmission chain has not yet been changed. I was told that it is changed at 100000 km. I just thought it would be changed either at 100000 km OR every five years. Since the car is of year 2000, can I drive peacefully still 11000 km or should I immediately have it changed.

There were a lot of broken transmission chains of 2.0 TS engines in Finland, until the rule was changed to 60000/3 years. That's why I am little worried allthough I have heard that transmission chain of the V6 12 valves engines should be much stronger.

[Graffiaturo]

if you have doubts about the timingbelt, don't wait, just change it ASAP

i thought 60.000km or 3 years they should be changed anyway

[Andretti Molletti]

First a warm welcome to our fantastic site!!
I like finn's and belgiums very much so I will try to answer your question.
(excuse me for my poor english )

What do you mean by Transmission chain?? Did you mean the distribution of the engine??
Somethimes this mistake is made frequentlier.

So I hope you can explain us more about your transmission chain....and maybe we can welcome you as a SCARB member sometimes

[Simultaanieläin]

Sorry everybody!

Not transmission chain, it's called distribution chain. Sorry for my English...

[Andretti Molletti]

Then it is as Graffie said a distribution BELT, no chain

And his answer is the one for the fridge
(this is a joke and means that his answer is the good one!!)



zo goed jongens???

[dibro]

Looks like your answer has arrived, so:

[chopmax]

Without insight in the driving habits of the previous owner, I wouldn`t gamble. Change it near to immidiatly.

[frankalfa]

Without insight in the driving habits of the previous owner, I wouldn`t gamble. Change it near to immidiatly.

Yep! And, while replacing the belt also renew the belt tensioner and further pulleys, just in case....

Grtz,fRank
Ps welcome btw!

[yuri 75 V6]

Coolant pump & thermostat as well while you're at it?

[Simultaanieläin]

Warm thanks for answers and welcomes.

Ok, I will drive it directly to the entretien. It seems to be swallowing money right from the beginning. But it's ok, the car costs me nearly half the price it would cost in Finland.

I will try to take soem photographs and insert to the forum somehow, if it's possible.

What do you think it will cost to have those gadgets changed?

[giulia-tom]

Welcome!

PB-message sent!

[Simultaanieläin]

HI again,

I would have one more question about my Alfa 166 2.0 V6 turbo that I bought from Belgium. I went to have a look at what corresponding models cost in Finland. I then saw an announcement with a car like mine (model from year 2000, mileage about 90.000). That car had just had its transmission and clutch repaired because they had got broken. and it had even cost 7000 to repair, so I got a little scared. Does somebody know this model of Alfa better? Is it often that such things happen or did the Finnish guy more probably just have bad luck?

Both cars, mine and the bad luck one, have had just one owner before, who has had all the services done according to rules (every 20.000 km), so it should not be a case of bad maintenance.

[giulia-tom]

cost 7000 to repair, so I got a little scared. Does somebody know this model of Alfa better?

7K to repair? Maybe I should consider opening in Belgium... To my opinion there are no official known problems with the gearbox - not more often then other Alfa fwd models.
However it CAN illustrate something about the driving skills of the previous owner?

[cmva]

To my opinion there are no official known problems with the gearbox - not more often then other Alfa fwd models.


Niet? Verkoop toch wel gemiddeld 2 166bakken per maand.
Ed

[giulia-tom]

Ik verkoop veel 155 bakken....dus best wel in de lijn.... (PB komt eraan)