Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia Forum

Technical => 939 Series (159, Brera and Brera Spider) => Topic started by: Nikola78 on January 30, 2013, 04:52:11 PM

Title: Check engine light on???
Post by: Nikola78 on January 30, 2013, 04:52:11 PM
Hopefully my honeymoon with Alfa havent finished yet :) Driving back from work today check engine warning came up and my 2.4 lover lost its power.:(( Its a shame it happened while driving my coleagueto whom i was telling how good and reliable Alfa are.Anyway..Everything was good with the car before except for idleng..while cold engine was working ok while idling,but once it warmed up speeding and wverything ok,but whiile stopping on traffic lighf the engine wasnt calm(meter going up and down)Though its just a diesel and its ok not a big drama.Now since the check engine light is on,engine is calm on idling but has no power.Any idwas what can it be???Is there any way i can reset the ecu like 156?Forgot to say that it happened once before but it went itselfin half an hour.Please if any advice im desperate..:(((
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: Nikola78 on January 30, 2013, 05:25:09 PM
Just an update..i took it for a drive around just now,seems that power is back but the light is still on..reminds me of my 156 2.5 v6..was hoping for something better with 159 :(((  :-\
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: shiny_car on January 30, 2013, 08:31:08 PM
You need it hooked up to diagnostics to determine what error code you have, which will indicate where the problem is. It could be an air leak in your intake system; have a look under the bonnet and see if there's any obvious leaks/disconnections along the air intake system and vacuum hoses.

Also, being a diesel, I wonder if it relates to the particulate filter. Ultimately, possibly relates to low quality diesel and relatively high sulphur content.

:)
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: colcol on January 30, 2013, 09:52:05 PM
Take it for a good drive along the freeway, as it sounds if the particle filter is blocked, the run down the freeway will heat the filter up and burn off all those nasty particles, if you don't then the car will go into limp mode, and it will be off to the dealer for a filter and manifold cleanup, make sure you always use premium Diesel, as it has less sulphur and knocks less at idle, Colin.
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: Nikola78 on January 30, 2013, 10:07:54 PM
Just came home(after horrible drive with my wifes Corolla :)) Couldnt go to bed being too upset about my Alfa..Went out,started up the engine and the warning has gone.This happens to me second time(and hopefuly last)About the freeway driving Colin im driving it on a freeway every day for at least 40km and city drivw maybe 5-7km which i think its not bad for the filter.Im not sure which diesel is premium,i always fill up at Bp considering they have the best diesel.If you have any other suggestion let me know please cause i wont mind driving far from where i live(broadmeadows) just to know that my Beauty is safe.Thanks
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: colcol on January 30, 2013, 10:36:35 PM
Give Caltex a go, their premium petrol is pretty good, the premium diesel is a new thing, someone said that there is only obout 20 outlets in Melbourne, always go out of my way to get Vortex 98, there was a diesel shortage in Victoria before christmas, i wonder if some of the dregs were served up to keep the fuel supply going?, Colin.
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: Nikola78 on February 15, 2013, 09:48:24 PM
Hi guys..didnt wanted to open a new tread.Got engine man. light on tonight again together with change engine oil info.Oil has neen changed on 88000 km(now its on 97000)Any clues what may be the problem?Also im not sure which engine oil to use,if you can help me with that and where to get it from and where to buy filters amd stuff.Also i want to know if its possible to remove egr and dpf in Aus and remap the ecu,is someone doing that in Aus?Cheers and thanks in advance,Nikola
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: colcol on February 15, 2013, 10:02:57 PM
Engine oil light to change engine is there, because your oil has too much rubbish in it, so change it, look on oil company websites and find the oil which is recomended for your car, once you know, try Repco, Supercheap, Autobahn, most buy filters from EB Spares, The Alfa Workshop in the UK or Alfastumper in Denmark, but try the locals first, The Spare Part Place or Turin Imports in South Australia, its your money, so its up to you, get a workshop manual CD off the 159 Ebay site if needed, Colin.
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: Nikola78 on February 15, 2013, 10:48:38 PM
Ok thanks Colin..what about dpf and egr removal with remap? I read that in uk they are doing it.How about here? Does anyone knows anything?
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: colcol on February 16, 2013, 01:53:59 PM
Castrol makes a 5-30W C2 profesional Magnatec oil for these, don't know anything about the mods, but has been discussed on this forum, Colin.
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: rxp on February 16, 2013, 05:44:25 PM
Hi Nikola78

I recently had the same issues late last year, check engine light. Dealer forced regen but when I rang them about check engine light and limp mode again they said its normal it will clear etc. Well normal it is not! Complete turbo failure, due to either a blocked dpf and or split turbo hose and $4k and counting. Take it to a dealer/specialist and make them check for turbo/vacuum leaks, split hoses etc, blocked dpf (not just by the blockage % but by pressure check, even better take the dpf off and look down the back of it with a torch), faulty/blocked/dirty EGR valve, MAF sensor check and even a visual inspection of the turbo. Good luck
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: Nikola78 on February 21, 2013, 06:25:29 PM
Ok..a small update.Check engine light went off next morning,but the change oil info was showing up on every start.Went today at my mechanic,changed the oil and the filter(5-40 liqui moly)started the engine and suprise..change engine oil is back again :/(#%@Checked the ecu for faulths showing nothing.And the changed oil ligjt  comes every start up lasting for 20 sec and goes off.Any ideas pr suggestions??Spme oil sensor maybe??Please help
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: colcol on February 21, 2013, 08:26:24 PM
The Castrol chart says Magnatec 5-30, Valvoline says 5-40, check your oil on the dipstick and see if it looks dirty, if you put in clean oil and a day later the oil has gone black, then the oil is doing its job in cleaning the engine, as an educated guess, there may be rubbish around the oil sensor that may take a while to clean up, i would give it a week to clean up the engine with the new oil, reminds me of a Commodore i had with dirty tranny oil, took 4 changes to get it clean....., Colin.
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: Nikola78 on February 21, 2013, 09:50:42 PM
Fingers crossed Collin..
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: soldiiier on January 09, 2014, 01:02:42 PM
did you sort this one out?
Title: Re: Check engine light on???
Post by: Craig_m67 on January 09, 2014, 10:21:12 PM
Did whoever do the oil change reset the service warnings or is the light still on because the car doesn't know it's had a service ??  Easy enough on a 156, I believe it needs access to diagnostics on a 159

Get the ECU error codes read (with the same diagnostic tool that resets the service indicators) to find out why the engine light is coming on and going off. If it's only a minor fault it will clear itself after five starts without error. It's likely something minor