[alfa] Re: What is your confidence level in the Milano V6?

[Joe Elliott <jee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have complete confidence in my Alfa V6.  I wouldn't hesitate to drive it 
cross-country as you describe, and I did in fact make a 1200-mile round 
trip to meet some friends in Washington, DC this past 4th of July.  I would 
not have made that trip if I'd had 29,000 miles on a timing belt, just as I 
would not have made that trip in a Honda with 89,000 miles on a timing 
belt.  To maintain that sort of get-up-and-go confidence/flexibility, I 
change my belts at roughly 25,000 miles on my Alfa.

As far as I can see, the only real issue is the mechanical tensioner.  And 
even then I wouldn't hesitate to take my brother's high-mileage Milano 
across the continent either, with it's mecanical tensioner--I just wouldn't 
trust myself to install a new tensioner when the time comes, and I don't 
think I'd trust the new tensioner either.  I will probably recommend that 
he switch to a Zat tensioner or some variation on the original one when the 
time comes.

If oil leaks bother you, use the Zat tensioner.  If lack of compensation 
for thermal expansion in an all-aluminum engine bothers you, use the 
original one.  If you're freaked out by both, use an original tensioner 
with the oil feed stud filled with JB Weld so you end up with a purely 
spring-based tensioner.  As far as turning the engine backwards goes, the 
Zat tensioner makes it a non-issue, and while he original tensioner is 
theoretically susceptible, I have yet to hear of anyone damaging anything. 
Don't let the timing belt keep you from buying a V6 Alfa.

Joe Elliott
'82 GTV-6

--On Saturday, December 13, 2003 9:47 PM +0000 alfa-digest 
<owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided> wrote:


> Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 10:22:33 -0600
> From: "Gregory Youngblood" <greg@domain.elided>
> Subject: What is your confidence level in the Milano V6? (was RE: [alfa]
> Re: What I want)
>
> > In fact, in a 1997 European Car article, the Milano was
> > listed as the best bargain of used daily drivers.   I have to agree.
> Was that the V6 Milanos or the 4 cylinders?
>
> I'm (hopefully) about to get a Milano (ok, my second -- after having to
> sell my first, but I only drove the 1st a couple of times since it was in
> MN and I wasn't) that I plan to use as a daily driver for both my wife
> and I. I know I'll be putting some money into it early on. You usually do
> when you get a new used car.
>
> What has me the most concerned is the timing belt "issues" that the v6s
> suffer.
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