ALFA ROMEO GT
Running problems
Q I would like to hear your opinion on a problem with my 2007 Alfa Romeo GT 1.8. Twin Spark. It has done 137,000kms. The problem occurred three times in last six month. The car does not like not to be used, let’s say, for a week. Once in Italy, when it was very hot; once in Holland when cold; it refused after 5-6 days to run on all four cylinders. After 20-30 seconds the engine started running normally. Since then, I start the engine each day for a few minutes, to get the oil circulating. I forgot to do that last week. And, again, after four days, it refused to start normally. But this time it did run on all four cylinders, but (in one cylinder?) a valve-adjuster rattled like a machine gun for half a minute. When I switched off the engine and restarted all was normal. My guess: when standing for a longer period one (or all) automatic valve-play adjusters drain themselves of oil. But then: why not run on all four cylinders?
On the other hand as a local garage suggests there may be a carbon built up in the valveadjustment mechanism (of one cylinder). They say using a cleaning agent and running the engine for some time, may help. I would appreciate your opinion.
Rolf Knijff Netherlands
A This is actually a problem which is detailed by Autodata as being a common issue. The source of the trouble is due to the Camshaft Position (CMP) actuator draining after standing for a long period. The reason for this is that an oil non-return valve was not included in the actuator at manufacture.
