UNDERBONNET CHECKS
1 CHECK COOLANT
The coolant reservoir is located on the offside inner wing of the engine bay. Test the strength of the coolant when cold. The level inside the reservoir can be checked from the exterior. Coolant leaks are a common problem, so inspect the level frequently.
2 COOLANT LEAKS
The most common leaks are around the connections for the coolant hoses. Look for residue, then make a further inspection when the engine is running and up to temperature (be careful to not get scalded). Hoses can be detached when the engine is cold, the connections cleaned and refitted with new Jubilee clips.
3 BATTERY, FUSES & RELAYS
The battery is in the front nearside corner of the engine bay. Check the terminals are clean and secure. Inspect the bank of relays, which are exposed and can corrode. The other relays and fuses are protected by a plastic housing – release the lid to check them.
4 FLUID CHECKS
The two reservoirs mounted on the engine bulkhead contain the power steering fluid (left reservoir) and the brake and clutch fluid. These clear reservoirs have ‘Min’ and ‘Max’ marks to indicate the levels. Top up power steering fluid with ATF and the brake/ clutch fluid with DOT 4.
5 CHECK WIPERS
The wiper blades are universal, whereas the wiper arms are a more sophisticated design. Make sure there are no splits along the rubber edge of the blades and that they are not excessively worn. Test the washers to see if the wipers clear the windscreen.
6 WASHER FLUID
The reservoir for the windscreen washer fluid is tucked away in the offside inner wing. There’s a filler neck next to the engine coolant reservoir. After operating the washers, look for leaks from the pipework routed to the underside of the bonnet as it can become detached.
7 GREASE BONNET RELEASE
Spray light grease over the bonnet release mechanism on the top of the slam panel and on the underside of the bonnet. Apply grease to all of the door hinges and locks including the tailgate. This is often forgotten at service time.
8 INDUCTION PIPE ELBOW
Check the condition of the induction pipe elbow between the throttle body, MAF sensor and air filter. It can crack and leak, especially across the corrugated section. It’s not available new anymore, so will need to be taped up if it’s split and leaking.
9 PLENUM PIPEWORK
Detach all of the breather pipes, electrical plugs and the fuel pipe from the plenum and throttle body. The plenum needs to be removed to access the rearmost bank of spark plugs. The ECU is mounted to the side of it with four 10mm nuts.
10 DETACH COOLANT PIPES
The wiring and coolant pipe routed along the back of the plenum needs to be detached from where it’s secured to the plenum. There’s also an earth strap and a steady bracket (offside rear corner of the engine bay) to disconnect.
11 REMOVE THE PLENUM
The plenum is secured with six 6mm Allen key bolts along each side. Once undone, carefully lift it up, making sure nothing else needs to be undone or detached. Lift it out of the engine bay and place it aside for refitting once the rear bank of spark plugs have been renewed.
12 FRONT COIL PACK COVER
The front bank of spark plugs are concealed by a cover, which is secured with four 5mm Allen key bolts. Undo all of these bolts and remove the cover to expose three coil packs. The spark plugs are underneath the coil packs.
13 EXTRACT THE COIL PACKS
Each spark plug has its own coil pack, secured with four 5mm Allen key bolts. Extract the small metal clip that holds the electrical plug connector for each coil pack before pulling it up and off the top of the spark plug.
14 RENEW THE SPARK PLUGS
Use a 16mm spark plug socket to renew each of the six spark plugs. Tighten each one by hand with a 3/8-inch ratchet. They are threaded into aluminium cylinderheads, so avoid overtightening. Refit all of the parts that have been removed, then test-run the engine.
15 INDUCTION PIPE
Remove the induction pipe between the throttle body and the air filter. It’s usually secured with quick-release clips, which may have been replaced with Jubilee clips. Don’t forget to check the condition of the pipe’s elbow, as outlined in Step 8.
16 RENEW AIR FILTER
Undo the two 10mm nuts that secure a bank of relays, detach the electrical plug for the mass airflow sensor, undo three 7mm bolts that hold the air filter in position and remove. The air filter is a push-fit onto its housing.
17 RENEW POLLEN FILTERS
There are two pollen filters located in the passenger footwell. First, undo two 10mm nuts to remove the carpet trim, followed by three 5.5mm bolts. Extract the pollen filters and fit new ones – there may be arrows on the filters showing the direction of airflow.
18 WHEEL WIGGLE TEST
With the vehicle safely raised and secure, wiggle a road wheel from top to bottom and side to side to detect any play in the wheel bearings, suspension bushes, balljoints and track rod ends. The following steps outline some of the common suspension components that can wear.
19 REAR LINK ARMS
There are four horizontal link arms fitted to the rear of the 147. The outer mounting bushes can wear, resulting in excessive movement. This can promote uneven tyre wear at the rear.
20 FRONT TYRE WEAR
Thanks to the performance from the V6 and the negative camber on the front wheels, the front tyres don’t last for very long. Carefully inspect the tread, especially the inside edge where it can become excessively worn.
21 FRONT UPPER WISHBONE
Try to move the end of the upper wishbone to see if there’s play in the balljoint. Wiggle the whole of the wishbone to check for movement in the rear mounting bushes. New upper wishbones are available.
22 EXHAUST TROUBLE
Alfa Tecnico has found that the two catalytic converters fitted underneath the V6 147 can break up internally, especially if the vehicle is used for very short runs (say, driving out the garage to wash the vehicle). The two flexi-pipes connected to the cats can corrode and are not available new.
23 EXHAUST SILENCERS
There’s a large exhaust silencer at the back of the vehicle and a smaller one forward of the rear wheels. Check both of them for corrosion around the seams. Run the engine and inspect for leaks and noise that may suggest the internals of the silencers are breaking down.
24 HANDBRAKE MECHANISM
Visually check the handbrake mechanisms on the rear brakes, making sure the pivot arm is sitting against the stop when the handbrake is off. If it isn’t, the mechanism may have corroded and seized inside. Often, the only solution is to renew the caliper.
25 REAR SPRING & STRUT
The platform where the bottom of the rear coil spring sits in the strut can corrode and break, resulting in the spring becoming dislodged and fouling the road wheel and tyre. Inspect the condition of the strut, looking for corrosion. Visually inspect the coil spring, but do not touch it as you risk trapping your fingers.
26 WIGGLE THE ARBS
There are anti-roll bars at the front and rear of the 147. Grab the ends of each anti-roll bar and shake them to detect wear in the droplinks and D-shaped mounting bushes. Worn droplinks and mounting bushes cause a rattle or knocking noise when driving the vehicle.
27 FRONT BALLJOINTS
Use a pry bar to check for movement in the lower arm’s outer balljoint. Check all bushes on the lower arm as they are known to wear, especially the inner rear mounts, resulting in excessive tyre wear and poor handling.
28 EXHAUST HEATSHIELD
Inspect all of the fittings for the exhaust heatshield near the petrol tank. The clips and fittings can corrode and fall off, resulting in the heatshield rattling. It can be secured with cable ties.
29 ROTTEN REAR FLOORS
As with many Alfa Romeos, the rear floors corrode, so check them for rust from inside and underneath. Also inspect the sills and the chassis legs. On the subject of corrosion, cast an eye over the steel brake pipes routed along the underside.
30 FRONT FOUR-POTS
The front brakes on the Alfa 147 V6 feature four-pot calipers with 305-330mm vented discs. Drift out the two retaining pins, collect an anti-rattle shim and prise out the two brake pads. Clean the backs and sides, adding a smear of brake grease to the top and bottom edges, then refit.
31 REAR SLIDERS
The rear brakes feature traditional singlepiston calipers with slider bolts. Undo the lower 13mm slider bolt – if it spins, grip the slider it is threaded into with a 17mm openended spanner. Remove the pads and clean them if at least 3mm of friction material is visible. Renew them otherwise.
32 PROTECT THE SUBFRAME
Renewal of the oil filter can get very messy because it’s tucked away at the back of the engine and there’s barely enough room to access it from underneath. Fit a thin plastic bag around the area where the oil filter is located to protect the subframe and other components from being covered in old engine oil.
33 OIL DRAIN PLUG
The 19mm oil drain plug is located underneath the vehicle. The 3.2-litre V6 contains six litres of oil, so have an adequately-sized container ready to catch the old oil before undoing the drain plug. Allow 10-15 minutes for the oil to drain.
34 REMOVE OIL FILTER
The oil filter is hidden away at the back of the engine bay and can only be accessed from underneath. Undo any mounting brackets for the power steering pipes, then try to squeeze an oil filter claw in to undo the oil filter. If there’s not enough room to undo the filter, or if it’s seized, see the next step.
35 EXHAUST MID-SECTION
If the oil filter cannot be undone, remove the shorter mid-section of the exhaust system (between the downpipe and the cat) to give yourself more room. This is secured with several 13mm nuts and bolts. You may also have to detach the longer mid-section of the exhaust to make more space.
36 SMEAR OF OIL
Before fitting the new oil filter, add a smear of fresh engine oil over the seal of the filter. This will help to reduce the risk of it grabbing and tearing when it’s being fitted. Hand-tighten the new oil filter and clean around it with brake cleaner.
37 10W-60
Alfa Tecnico recommends using 10W-60 fully-synthetic Petronas Selenia racing oil for the engine. Measure out six litres and pour it into the engine. Run the engine, inspect for leaks, then switch off. Check the dipstick level and add more if required.
38 HEADLIGHT BULBS
If a bulb in a headlight unit needs to be replaced, it may be possible to access it from the back. If the headlight unit needs to be removed to reach the bulb, there’s a 10mm top mounting bolt to undo and a release clip on the corner near the front wing (accessed from inside the engine bay).
39 REAR LIGHT BULBS
If a rear light bulb needs to be renewed, prise open a small access panel inside the boot (part of the carpet trim) to see three 10mm nuts, which hold the back of the rear light unit in position. Undo these nuts, then extract the rear light unit to change the bulb.