Where is it?

[Shackman]

Hi, Shackman here. New member today after having lurked for about 6 months. I'm in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. In June this year I bought a sweet little 2014 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.75 turbo, the QV model. I just happened to walk past a local Peugot dealership at a vulnerable moment while contemplating what I was going to replace my old faithful Mitsubishi Magna with after 22 years and 250,000 happy km. The Giulietta is fantastic to drive, but I'm finding less so to work on. I like to do all the routine stuff myself, oil & filters, pads, rotors etc. I have replaced the plugs and air filter with no real troubles. Last Monday I changed the oil but for the life of me I can't find the oil filter. I've been under the car & had all the plastic sheeting off, removed the R front wheel thinking it would be behind the inner guard plastic sheeting, but no go. Poked around the engine bay with a torch, downloaded the Haynes manual for the Giulietta 940, which looks like $50 wasted as the applicable section is on a model of Renault. Can anyone point out to me (preferably with a pic or diagram, but any assist would be appreciated) where the fricking thing is? Mine is the 940 A1000, the cast iron block with the cartridge type filter. Thx in advance for any pointers.

Shackman.

[bazzbazz]

Take off the RH front wheel, remove the inner plastic wheel well cover, look where the inner drive shaft cup is, it's directly above that.

As you have a 2014 model it should have a black spin on type metal canister filter, as they changed over from cartridge to spin on in 2013.

Either way, they are both in the same place, either get a bigger torch or go to Spec Savers. 
 



Don't forget, if you do have the cartridge type,  to put a drain hose over the circled spigot, as sometimes oil can drain from there when removing the filter housing.

[Shackman]

bazzbazz,

Sincere thanks for your advice. I took the car to my petrol head nephew's today and again removed the front right wheel and the section of plastic sheeting covering the oil filter. We found the filter housing & with a big shifter got the filter cover off & the new cartridge in. Then reversed all that to finish the job. I bought a 32mm ring/open end spanner at Bunnings on the way home for next time- I expect to do the oil & filter each 6 months, as I did with the Magna which gave me great service, and I'm mostly using the Giulietta for the same short commuting trips, and only occaisional longer journeys..
Mine is definitely a 2014 but has the cartridge type filter. Far as I read, the spin on filter started with the alloy block in 2015. Pity they didn't do it earlier. Ironically, the newer spin on filter is the same model in the Ryco range as my old Magna, a Z456. Anyhow, again my thanks. I hope the Alfa forum here proves as helpful as the Harley XR1200 Sportster forum I also spend a lot of time on.
Cheers,
J.

[bazzbazz]

Strange, I have several clients with 2014 year build Giulietta QV and they all have Alloy engines with spin on filter.
As far as I am aware, it was the 1.4MA that changed to spin on filter in 2015.

Maybe your GQV is a Friday afternoon "Bitsa" made out of what was left on the workshop floor. 
 

As long as it puts you into "giggle mode" when you put it into "D" is all that matters. 

So, be honest, how much oil did you get everywhere changing the filter? 

[Mick A]

All the cast iron block engines have the cartridge filter.

I have to ask, how big was the mess you made?!

I have a piece of plastic I put over the driveshaft that drains the oil away from the sub frame etc and avoids the mess.

Baz I believe from my limited memory you suggested a manilla folder works really well also?

[Craig_m67]

The mess is a right of passage..

(6mthly changes seems excessive and masochistic, I don’t even wash mine)

[bazzbazz]

I have a piece of plastic I put over the driveshaft that drains the oil away from the sub frame etc and avoids the mess.

I wonder, where did you get that idea from? 

[Shackman]

Guys,

1. Maybe mine is a Friday arvo bitsa. Don't really care, one of the prime reasons I bought it is it has the manual 6 speed, whereas the alloy block motor comes standard with the TCT gearbox which I would prefer to stay away from. As I've read here the TCT box is 15 kg heavier than the manual box, kinda wasting the 15 kg weight advantage of the alloy motor. Plus is more involved & costly to repair if the worst should happen. Personally I find the manual 6 speed highly enjoyable to use anyhow, something to savour before Big Brother steps in in the near future and compels us all to drive electric vehicles with CVT's. Won't that be fun?

2. Mess. Well, it really wasn't an issue. There was a dribble, maybe 50 ml. Not the end of the world. Draining the oil out of the engine was messier, as the last turn or so of the drain plug before it finally let go released a 4 pronged stream of oil, all of which missed my oil drain tray and decorated the concrete. So that was a nuisance. 

3. And to sundry issues. Yes, the QV is a hoot, whether in D or any mode, really. After all those years with the Magna, it steers, brakes and essentially drives like a go kart. I've decided it's basically the front half of a sports car joined to the rear half of a family runabout. And six monthly oil/ filter changes being excessive? Well, most of my driving is commuting distances of 10 - 15 km. I practised 6/12 oil & filter changes for 22 years with Mavis Magna, so that's 43 of those excercises over the years and it was still running well when I sold it. No regrets doing all that, although the job was much more straightforward than on the Giulietta. At this early stage of ownership, it does look to me like Alfa want you to enjoy driving it, but dislike working on it. So you pay someone else to do it. Just saying.

OK, thanks all for your input. I look forward to further discussion with other Alfa owners and mechs, and leaning on your hard won advice.

Cheers,
J.