Purchase tips
Alfa Romeo 75

On the 17th of May 1985 Alfa Romeo presented the Alfa75, the 75 in the name was to commemorate 75 years of the firms existance. The Alfa 75 came into being just 6 months after the Alfa had been presented.

As well as the Nord engine there was a 2.5 V6 and diesel engine to choose from. Underneath you can see a table showing the different motors that were used between 1985 and 1988.

In 1988 the Alfa75 underwent a facelift, the coachwork became a rear spoiler on the boot lid as on the T.Spark, but it did not become the side skirts or arches.The American version became modified fenders and wider wheel arches, made possible with the use of plastic components.
In March 1986 Alfa Romeo produced the 75 1.8 Turbo Evoluzione in a limited edition of 500 vehicles, it was equiped with a water cooled Garret turbo comressor, an intercooler and Bosch LE Jetronic fuel injection.Towards the end of the Alfa75 production there was a further limited edition of 1000 vehicles equipped with the 2.0 T.Spark motor. Underneath you can see a table showing the different motors that were used between 1987 and 1991 after the face lift.

Coachwork
The only difference between the 4 Clinder and V6 models was the petrol tank which was situated under the boot or in a gap which was especially made for this purpose. The V6 had the tank always in the boot. Here is the weak spot of the 4 Cylinder models, their tanks are usually corroded, where as the V6 tanks show either little or no corrosion.

Chassis
The chassis shows no weaknesses due to the fact that it has the same proven and tried Transaxle configuration as used in the Alfa 90, Alfetta and Guiletta, therefore extensive repair costs are not to be awaited.

Engines
The four cylinder engine is based on the engine designed in 1954 and therefore Alfa Romeo can claim that it is reliable in every respect. Due to the changing laws and modifications that were to follow the engine became many new parts such as: fuel injection, catalystic convertor, the in/ famous variable phase system, which worked rather well in this generation, just to name a few.

The V6 is a masterly piece of engineering and motor construction which has seen its use in the GTV. This engine has also seen many changes on its way being modernised from carburettors and being fitted with the Motronic system, whereby the Afa75 used both Jetronic and Motronic ( in the QV ) systems.
The V6 is a very easy to care of engine with few if any weaknesses, I think the only weakness one will find is the toothed belt which must be renewed in regular periods, please do not buy the cheap version as this will be more expensive in the long run! Check the belt for any signs of wear and tear and if you are in any doubt, change it!! The four cylinder is built with a chain drive, which unlike the belt drive, will last almost forever.

Gearbox
This is where you should spend a bit more time.
That the Transaxle gearbox just as good as any other gearbox is no surprise, but here are one or two things to look out for. Should for some reason the gear change not be as smooth as usual, then the cause can be easily located, it is usually caused by a small plastic bush which sits on the connection to the gear lever. If there is a light vibration at idling, this can be caused by faulty Hardy discs, these discs are rubber bearings, they connect the motor to the the gearbox via the shaft drive, this also includes the clutch.

Should there be a knocking noise on pulling away then it could be one of three faults. The first possibility could be a faulty pin setting. This pin is in the fond and is situated on the gearbox's neck. The second possibility could be the rubber mountings on which hangs the gearbox, if they are faulty, either broken, wornout or just plain knackered. The third possibility is the bearing that lies between the axle triangle and the gearbox traverse, to check whether it is worn out all you have to do is to observe the rear wheels whilst the car pulls slowly away, if the wheels move forward before the chassis then it is almost certain thatz the bearing is due for a change. All three of these jobs are not so cheap, on the material side it's not too bad, but rather it can be rather expensive because of the time it takes to repair, time is money and workshops are well known for their prices.

The 75 2.0TS, the 1.8-turbo, as well as the 3.0 all have a differential brake, the blades are usually worn out and when this is the case then the brake will not function. A repair is a rather costly job, the blades cost a few hundred Euro's, it would be cheaper to buy a new diff or a used diff that is known to be in good condition.

Brakes
Brakes, well the only problem that can occur is that the rear brake calipers are faulty, the usual fault is that the calipers are immoveable!, you can tell if this is the case without taking the wheel off, just take a close look at the disc surface.

Electrics
Many Alfa75 owners will have to live with a faulty Alfa Romeo Control, known as ARC. The cause of this is a faulty transducer, it can be sometimes be repaired by buying a new one or bridging the faulty transducer.
After bridging you will of course have no warning lamp, but then again, who wants a warning lamp that works?