Right !! tonight I was feeling a little sad, for other reasons, but I clicked on your link and I just saw one guyn still making good job on a beautiful car. It goes right through my little heart, thanks a lot and keep on doing Jethro ...
Well done mate, I had a similar moment recently when rebuilding my Busso V6 where all the cams, pulleys and belts had finally been refitted and correctly tensioned (2 days work for me) but I suddenly noticed that the cambelt covers (which MUST be fitted first) were winking at me from a box on the floor!
It's a pleasure watching you work, Jethro. There are lots of car restoration videos on UA-cam, but I really enjoy your approach and execution. This Alfa must be getting quite close to being finished now.
It is with great sadness that I come to the end of your current videos Jethro. I think I got through them all over two weeks or so. I'm not usually much of a vlog viewer but I loved the mix of visuals slowly cut together between narrative, and the stories behind the projects, it's rekindled my enthusiasm to carry on resurrecting my Toyota RT72, which is buried behind four of the old man's Alfas and I've been pestering him all week to get going so I can move it to the shed 😅 Thanks for sharing all this and please keep going with it - I think we all want to see you and your cars on another great journey 👍
@@JethroBronner Cheers man, it's out and under way, rust, spiders and all 😁 He's got a 33 1.5 and a 164 2.5 now for parts, then a series 1 33 wagon, a series 1 33qv, a 16v series 2 33qv, a 1980 1.8 Giulietta, a 2.5 75, a 2.5 116 gtv6 and a 916 twinspark spyder. Strangely he was never crazy on the earlier cars, but mum did learn to drive on a Giulia like yours. He actually grew up Cape town, camps bay, and mum was in Jo'burg. At one point her brother actually had a duetto, the wonders of hindsight hey 🙂 Keep up the good work 👍
I've recently come to believe that you can just the size of a man's character by the size of the things that upset him. So your car's leaking oil and you have to take a couple of days to fix it, no point getting upset.
@@Heinz1zwei Tell me you're not actually trying to turn this into a gender war or something, or are you? When a 'person' says 'man' in the sense that Jethro (Buddha) did, it is for the intelligent audience to be able to decipher that 'man' is merely an synonym for all mankind, irrespective of gender. If you can't work that out for yourself, not only is it a reflection on your lack of understanding of the vernacular, it helps the rest of understand your perceived need to comment in the fashion that you have. BTW, you can believe whatever you want; doesn't necessarily mean you need to express it on every forum on YT, particularly an Alfa restoration forum which, I suspect, is highly male dominated; and, probably, by males that, for the purposes of being here, really don't give a flying rat's arse about gender fluidity. Perhaps it would be better for all if you would find some LGBTZDFYZ forum and go vent over there. I know they will care.
Trying to stop an oil leak numerous times is daunting. I had the same problem with my Alfa 156 selespeed pump. After numerous efforts to stop the leak from my pump hose I eventually put some thread tape and after nervously turning the pump on I ran with anticipation to see if oil was still leaking but it wasn’t. So I know how you were feeling trying to stop an oil leak. Well done
It was fun to relive my experiences with my Veloce, my beloved Spider Veloce which I sold in frustration because it always had an oil/water mix for lubrication in the engine, had just been rebuilt (with insufficient attention paid to the seals of the liners to the block). Getting a knowledgable mechanic is a problem with Alfa owners in the US. The car was as much fun to drive as any I've had and still looks dashing after fifty years but, alas, I moved on because young adulthood is fraught with expense and frustration. I do miss Alfred, a lot.
Nice work. It's always heartbreaking when you see something like an oil leak when you think you are done. Your attitude is bang on. The only thing to do is pull it and see what is leaking. No use throwing a temper tantrum. I can't believe you started to re install before you tested again on that last try. I was holding my breath for you! Thanks for sharing. Always enjoy your videos.
That's one thing British cars have in common, especially old Jaguars. Whenever I fix something on my old 83 XJ6 something new and exciting breaks. It's a labor of love, there is a popular saying with jags, "if it's not leaking oil, it's out of oil".
@@johannviljoen64 A friend has an '85 Spider. He bought it set up for racing and almost immediately converted it back to "civilian" use. It is fun to drive: I guess I'm in third... I guess I'm going 50...I guess it will stop...
I have used PTFE plumbing tape on the taper fit bungs and never had a leak. Also when removing/replacing the gearbox on the ramp a prop under the front of the engine to tilt it back helps with clearance and alignment of the input shaft. The car is looking great, crack on!
Hi Phil, don't know if you know this but regular PTFE tape is not rated for oil unfortunately. I have seen and fixed quite a couple of leaks where this PTFE tape had started to dissolve. There is in fact special thread seal tape rated for these oil applictations. Most times it has a blue colour. The PTFE will hold up quite a long time but it sucks to have to take it all apart a couple of years later hence the heads up. Most of the time i like to use loctite for hydraulic systems, this kind hardens and seals even when there is a bit of oil left in the threads. 👍
@@tychosteuten the temperature. Some parts will heat up and regular PTFE tape isnt designed for ultra high temp, but im sure high temp one exist. I might be wrong tho. Also some peoples simply can't apply it correctly
The next time I run out of patience, I'll watch this video. Any one who works with his/her hands run into situations like this -- but this was a tough test. Good work
So your block was modified to clean the oil galley out. Normally, that is plugged up, but many drill and tap that hole out to clean the galley, and also drill oil feeds to #2 and #4 main bearings instead of relying on 1, 3,&5 to feed those bearings. When I've seen it done, the tap is typically a pipe thread, so it's slightly tapered and ends up with a slight interference fit. Which makes the sealant more effective, or the PTFE tape.
Agreed - I´m not familiar with these engines but normally manufacturers wouldn´t be tapping oil gallery drillings - they just bung in a gallery plug. Enginer restorers & tuners often drill & tap these for easy fitment & removal of plugs for cleaning. Generally these are tapered either BSPT or NPT (& generally 3/8") so yep, it looks like that´s what´s been done here so I suspect the wrong plug perhaps or maybe a wee bit of teflon tape would´ve worked if the plug was actually the correct size / taper...
alfamaize even with a tapered pipe thread, you can still end up with a spiral leakage path because the crests of the threads are truncated, so some form of thread sealant is usually still necessary.
@@emmajacobs5575 Yeah but no. The seal is created by the male thread V´s binding & locking against the female V´s, not by the their crests. But yes a sealent is normally necessary - main use of the sealant though is to prevent galling between stainless or other like metal threads. As soon as the metal picks up & starts galling it´s often not possible to create sufficient radial force for a seal and if you somehow do, they´re not coming apart again. A steel plug in a cast ally block though should work without galling which leads me to suspect an incorrect plug. I´ve built many an engine with steel plugs in cast iron blocks & nary a drop of thread sealant - just a dab of engine assy lube and never seen an issue.
I find it hard to manage the disappointment of fixing something a third time BUT if I had your garage, that might improve my outlook. I'd trade a kidney for a well lit garage with a lift Good for you and the car looks great in white
Thanks for sharing this moment man. I know perfectly the sensation whan big effort and step forward in a restoration are stopped by an oil leak and forced back with dismantling what you have just mounted, sealed, torqued correctly. Share this kind of video is a very strong demonstration of willing and importnt for everyone leading a resto projects: forward and backward, winning and losing...so demotivating when tired after hours of garaging...
Had a sort of comparable situation where I replaced a rear main seal after doing a clutch change. Had to do it again because me not seeing the wear groove on the crankshaft from the old seal. Didn't make it easier being a tranverse mounted engine with the only way to get the gearbox loose is to drop the subframe. Not so fun without a lift :)
Not that much fun even with a lift, I'd reckon. Just had a similar PIA job working on a Ford Falcon AUII wagon (stop laughing, please) where, to get the sump pan out, I had to drop the subframe. Fortunately, I had it on a hoist (lift) and it made it do-able, as otherwise, I think all my spanners would have found their way over the boundary fence! Cheers guys! And great work, JB!
Man, your frustration was almost palpable, but you handled it really well. That would have been super annoying and worrisome, not knowing if you could actually solve the leak. Well done!
Jethro, love your videos and the quality production. Thanks for all the hard work. I would love to see you go through step-by-step restoration instructions. Heck, I would pay good money for this kind of information. Thanks again.
We all hit a problem from time to time Jethro.... Great to see you solved it brilliantly. I'm thinking....before the instalation of the engine, creaking the engine on the stand could have revealed that leak....
Bugger...theres always one...Never had anything to do with Alfas, just Old Fords....so I know about frustrating oil leaks....You need a beer ..or two...love the videos...cheers from NZ.
Νice job for another time my friend !!!! Some problems are a little bit annoying but if all ends good ...its all good again !!! I love your lift, it makes the job much more easier !!!!
Afternoon Jethro. What a shame you got that oil leak 🙈 But better finding it out then than on the road 👍🏻 So it was good intuition starting up the motor too check the oil pressure........😄 The cars looking fantastic. Cheers Stevie 😎🇬🇧
Button head bolt might be a better solution as is lower profile? Hope you have enough clearance when engine, bolt and flywheel expand when hot, A silicone gasket sealer like Loctite SI 587 should be able to seal the threads anyway.
Good job Jethro ! I was going to suggest looking at the engine's rear seal. Happened to me on my car. After many checks on the engine, my mechanic and decided the big thing, remove the trans. Not an easy job on a compact front drive car, but there it was, a 10$ engine seal leaking ! Darn thing, on very low milage car. 😡
@@JethroBronner Any chance you might have some photos of the end result? I'd be interested to see what you did and replicate it on my 116 resto which is due to commence this year. It sounds like an excellent solution.
Try and try again. Good video. Can you detail more on the electric oil pump set up to prime the engine. I am about ready to do the same and have been contemplating how to prime the engine using an electric pump. Thank you in advance.
I'll do an in depth video about it when I do the engines for the Ti and the GTV. But basically it's just an electric fuel pump plumbed into the oil pressure sender unit thread, and then left to empty a 5 litre oil container into the engine.
I like your oil pan protector. Is that stock or did you build it yourself? Have you had an occurrence when it absorbed a potentially devastating impact?
A lot of these alfa's have these protectors from the factory. If you lower them to where the stance is just right you wil hit the ground on every high speed bump if you don't slow down to 1st gear (at least where i live)😂
I think it's a dealer made one from the 1970s. I have a couple of them. I had one on my 1964 Sprint GT and it saved me a bunch of times. Here in South Africa the roads often have big speed bumps and stones in the road.
Seriously though, say the word and I'm flying over there to be your assistant/floor sweeper/camera man/editor/computer repair, that's about all I have to offer, excellent writer but I'm not sure how that would assist you...oh and apprentice because I would learn so much from you so you could totally make me do all the lake work. Even just for couple years. I have nothint else to do....I had been taking care of my mom 24/7 (Parkinson's) for years and she recently passed and it wasn't expected and I have no idea what to do with myself now
I'm sorry to hear that man. I hope you're doing ok. I would definitely appreciate a little help, maybe one day this channel will allow me to take on a little help.
question, I am looking at a buying an Alfa and the aluminum valve cover has lots of micro cracks and pitting in it. Is that normal? should it be replaced?
Some valve covers had casting defects in them, i think these cracks you are looking at are just that. You could strike it with a rubber mallot and if it stays in one piece you are good. These covers are quite a thick casting
Like Tycho said, there are a lot of casting artefacts that look like cracks. If it's actually cracked you'd see a lot of oil weeping out in that area. But after all it's a fairly easy thing to replace, I wouldn't let it put me off buying a good car.
Hey mate , smash out a tech vid on 105 steering wheel removal pls ! I bet there’s a few out there including myself that would like a proper guide . All the stuff in the forums is not clear which is why it’s asked so often despite a huge amount of threads
Ugh I hate it when things like that happen. I have a leak from the timing chain cover on my car I am living with............it's just enough to be annoying, but not enough of a leak to suffer the work to try an fix it. 2 steps forward, one step back...rinse, repeat. That's just the way of it.
I personally try not to get upset by these sort of things. Its all part of the process. You take some steps forward, then one back, then forwards again.
Thanks, Jethro! I'm trying to figure out the most efficient way to accomplish this....was it media blasted, done with a hand held grinder, or dipped in something like an acid bath/wash? 🤔
You work under conditions I used to dream of, as a half-century ago as I lay on my back at three in the morning in a Hampstead roadside gutter replacing the shells of an Austin A30, with the rainwater pouring in at my neck and out at my ankles, to get me and my new wife to a wedding three hundred miles away at noon the same day. Er - romantic. . . .
I'm super envious of Jethros garage as well. I did a fair few years on my back in a badly paved driveway on my projects out in the weather, used to drive me insane and sap my enthusiasm until dad explained how his friend who builds hotrods learned to fix army tank engines in Africa in worse conditions faster, because there were people coming to kill you if you didn't. It really changed my attitude to the work. I mean I wasn't any faster but I did complain less 😂
MP: You were lucky. We lived for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. When we got home, our Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt! GC: Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY! TJ: Well we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o'clock at night, and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for fourpence every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife. EI: Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, (pause for laughter), drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing 'Hallelujah.' Credit: 'The Four Yorkshiremen' - Monty Python
@@soaringvulture That's really confidence inspiring... I always wanted a Ducati but luckily stuck to Yamaha. My brother in law had a Ducati and reported it as problem free. Norton was well respected here in the USA.
In terms of working on vintage Alfa's and bring them back to original condition you simply cannot beat your channel. I rate it A++.
The soothing way you describe this setback is therapeutic. I know *I* would not be that calm. Great job!
Right !! tonight I was feeling a little sad, for other reasons, but I clicked on your link and I just saw one guyn still making good job on a beautiful car. It goes right through my little heart, thanks a lot and keep on doing Jethro ...
Thanks so much for watching! I'm glad it was able to cheer you up!
You approach this with a great attitude, well done on the fix and thanks for sharing great content
Fraser Poole Thanks for watching! Yeah there’s no point getting upset, the only thing to do is get stuck in and fix it!
Love your ingenuity Jethro! Glad you found a solution to this!
Well done mate, I had a similar moment recently when rebuilding my Busso V6 where all the cams, pulleys and belts had finally been refitted and correctly tensioned (2 days work for me) but I suddenly noticed that the cambelt covers (which MUST be fitted first) were winking at me from a box on the floor!
It's a pleasure watching you work, Jethro. There are lots of car restoration videos on UA-cam, but I really enjoy your approach and execution. This Alfa must be getting quite close to being finished now.
Thanks! Yeah it's really close now, maybe 2 or 3 weeks.
It is with great sadness that I come to the end of your current videos Jethro. I think I got through them all over two weeks or so. I'm not usually much of a vlog viewer but I loved the mix of visuals slowly cut together between narrative, and the stories behind the projects, it's rekindled my enthusiasm to carry on resurrecting my Toyota RT72, which is buried behind four of the old man's Alfas and I've been pestering him all week to get going so I can move it to the shed 😅 Thanks for sharing all this and please keep going with it - I think we all want to see you and your cars on another great journey 👍
Thank you! I'll have some new videos up over the next few weeks. What Alfas does you dad have? Good luck with your Toyota project!
@@JethroBronner Cheers man, it's out and under way, rust, spiders and all 😁 He's got a 33 1.5 and a 164 2.5 now for parts, then a series 1 33 wagon, a series 1 33qv, a 16v series 2 33qv, a 1980 1.8 Giulietta, a 2.5 75, a 2.5 116 gtv6 and a 916 twinspark spyder. Strangely he was never crazy on the earlier cars, but mum did learn to drive on a Giulia like yours. He actually grew up Cape town, camps bay, and mum was in Jo'burg. At one point her brother actually had a duetto, the wonders of hindsight hey 🙂 Keep up the good work 👍
So frustrating to have to go back and redo work you had already done, but at least you got a very crisp looking video out of it. Nice work.
Yeah but I'm sure you understand! No use getting frustrated with it.
@@JethroBronner Definitely not worth throwing your toys out of the cot over. It is not done until it is done ;)
"Some times you have to spend three days to get to where you 'Thought' You were". So painfully true. This is the test of a man. LOL.
What's wrong with a test of a woman?
@@Heinz1zwei Was there a woman working on the car? What's wrong with Midgets? Was there one working on the car? Talk about hang ups!
I've recently come to believe that you can just the size of a man's character by the size of the things that upset him. So your car's leaking oil and you have to take a couple of days to fix it, no point getting upset.
And still I believe that it's not a matter of sex or gender whether you can prove that kind of perseverance.
@@Heinz1zwei Tell me you're not actually trying to turn this into a gender war or something, or are you? When a 'person' says 'man' in the sense that Jethro (Buddha) did, it is for the intelligent audience to be able to decipher that 'man' is merely an synonym for all mankind, irrespective of gender. If you can't work that out for yourself, not only is it a reflection on your lack of understanding of the vernacular, it helps the rest of understand your perceived need to comment in the fashion that you have. BTW, you can believe whatever you want; doesn't necessarily mean you need to express it on every forum on YT, particularly an Alfa restoration forum which, I suspect, is highly male dominated; and, probably, by males that, for the purposes of being here, really don't give a flying rat's arse about gender fluidity. Perhaps it would be better for all if you would find some LGBTZDFYZ forum and go vent over there. I know they will care.
Trying to stop an oil leak numerous times is daunting. I had the same problem with my Alfa 156 selespeed pump. After numerous efforts to stop the leak from my pump hose I eventually put some thread tape and after nervously turning the pump on I ran with anticipation to see if oil was still leaking but it wasn’t. So I know how you were feeling trying to stop an oil leak. Well done
Your patience amazes me! I would be very frustrated with that little leak haha
It was fun to relive my experiences with my Veloce, my beloved Spider Veloce which I sold in frustration because it always had an oil/water mix for lubrication in the engine, had just been rebuilt (with insufficient attention paid to the seals of the liners to the block). Getting a knowledgable mechanic is a problem with Alfa owners in the US. The car was as much fun to drive as any I've had and still looks dashing after fifty years but, alas, I moved on because young adulthood is fraught with expense and frustration. I do miss Alfred, a lot.
Great skills and perserverence Jethro - a real perfectionist. I've just accepted the oil leaks from my 105! Looking forward to the startup.
Your patience paid off. Well done !
Nice work. It's always heartbreaking when you see something like an oil leak when you think you are done. Your attitude is bang on. The only thing to do is pull it and see what is leaking. No use throwing a temper tantrum. I can't believe you started to re install before you tested again on that last try. I was holding my breath for you! Thanks for sharing. Always enjoy your videos.
Vince and Theresa Thanks for watching Vince!
Well done Jethro! Great that you stay so calm under it. I usually use some f-words. Great project and thank you for letting us watch.
The lift made things so much easier. Imagine if you were doing this on jack stands? Madness would set in, wrenches thrown... ;)
John McDonald yeah that lift was the best investment I’ve ever made.
Jethro Bronner I'm trying to figure out the best route for a cracked driveway. Jack stands it is I guess. I need a garage
You have to love Italian cars. Even when they're fixed, they're still broken....
That's one thing British cars have in common, especially old Jaguars. Whenever I fix something on my old 83 XJ6 something new and exciting breaks. It's a labor of love, there is a popular saying with jags, "if it's not leaking oil, it's out of oil".
@Brian Allen But that's what some people love about them. They force you to get to know the car inside and out.
😂😂Man you nailed it, but aren't they just the nicest things to drive when they do!!
@@johannviljoen64
A friend has an '85 Spider. He bought it set up for racing and almost immediately converted it back to "civilian" use. It is fun to drive: I guess I'm in third... I guess I'm going 50...I guess it will stop...
@@01AnthraciteXJR There is also a saying about old Jags "if it does not burn oil strip it down and find out why" lol
Excellent, you've got long patience. Looking forward to seeing it completed.
Jethro. thank you for taking the time to make these videos. they are both useful and informative
Thanks for taking the time to watch them!
I have used PTFE plumbing tape on the taper fit bungs and never had a leak. Also when removing/replacing the gearbox on the ramp a prop under the front of the engine to tilt it back helps with clearance and alignment of the input shaft. The car is looking great, crack on!
Hi Phil, don't know if you know this but regular PTFE tape is not rated for oil unfortunately. I have seen and fixed quite a couple of leaks where this PTFE tape had started to dissolve. There is in fact special thread seal tape rated for these oil applictations. Most times it has a blue colour. The PTFE will hold up quite a long time but it sucks to have to take it all apart a couple of years later hence the heads up. Most of the time i like to use loctite for hydraulic systems, this kind hardens and seals even when there is a bit of oil left in the threads. 👍
Never had a problem, RS states PTFE tape is suitable for oil and fuel fittings due to being chemically inert.
I looked it up and you are right! It is indeed chemically inert. Im starting to wonder why i come across leaking fittings with this white tape 🤔
@@tychosteuten the temperature. Some parts will heat up and regular PTFE tape isnt designed for ultra high temp, but im sure high temp one exist. I might be wrong tho. Also some peoples simply can't apply it correctly
All PTFE tape may not be equal, the Chinese probably make it from rat fore skins or some other nonsense.
I don't think I've ever seen a car video this relaxing... That was so good to watch. Thanks for your hard work!
Great! I was going for clam and relaxing!
Good stuff, love a simple story like this from the everyday struggles of a car restorer
Nice work Jethro, Bella machina!
Grazie mio amico!
The next time I run out of patience, I'll watch this video. Any one who works with his/her hands run into situations like this -- but this was a tough test. Good work
The acoustic music was definitely a nice touch.
I'm glad it worked out. I'm going for a more chilled out style.
Although for this situation Adele would have been more suitable...
So your block was modified to clean the oil galley out. Normally, that is plugged up, but many drill and tap that hole out to clean the galley, and also drill oil feeds to #2 and #4 main bearings instead of relying on 1, 3,&5 to feed those bearings. When I've seen it done, the tap is typically a pipe thread, so it's slightly tapered and ends up with a slight interference fit. Which makes the sealant more effective, or the PTFE tape.
Agreed - I´m not familiar with these engines but normally manufacturers wouldn´t be tapping oil gallery drillings - they just bung in a gallery plug. Enginer restorers & tuners often drill & tap these for easy fitment & removal of plugs for cleaning. Generally these are tapered either BSPT or NPT (& generally 3/8") so yep, it looks like that´s what´s been done here so I suspect the wrong plug perhaps or maybe a wee bit of teflon tape would´ve worked if the plug was actually the correct size / taper...
alfamaize even with a tapered pipe thread, you can still end up with a spiral leakage path because the crests of the threads are truncated, so some form of thread sealant is usually still necessary.
@@emmajacobs5575 Yeah but no. The seal is created by the male thread V´s binding & locking against the female V´s, not by the their crests. But yes a sealent is normally necessary - main use of the sealant though is to prevent galling between stainless or other like metal threads. As soon as the metal picks up & starts galling it´s often not possible to create sufficient radial force for a seal and if you somehow do, they´re not coming apart again. A steel plug in a cast ally block though should work without galling which leads me to suspect an incorrect plug. I´ve built many an engine with steel plugs in cast iron blocks & nary a drop of thread sealant - just a dab of engine assy lube and never seen an issue.
@@emmajacobs5575 Right, and people I know who drill and tap this hole using a tapered pipe thread still do use a thread sealer. I did mention that.
alfamaize I know exactly what you are explaining and agree 100%.
Good job man, can't wait to hear it running...
I find it hard to manage the disappointment of fixing something a third time BUT if I had your garage, that might improve my outlook. I'd trade a kidney for a well lit garage with a lift
Good for you and the car looks great in white
It was disappointing for sure, but it's nothing that can't be fixed. Not worth getting upset about.
Thanks for sharing this moment man. I know perfectly the sensation whan big effort and step forward in a restoration are stopped by an oil leak and forced back with dismantling what you have just mounted, sealed, torqued correctly. Share this kind of video is a very strong demonstration of willing and importnt for everyone leading a resto projects: forward and backward, winning and losing...so demotivating when tired after hours of garaging...
Yes but it's all part of the process. I'v come to be okay with things not going according to plan every time.
How many times I almost set up fire on my cars, due to issues like that one! Patience and vision of the result make the thrill. Well done!
Had a sort of comparable situation where I replaced a rear main seal after doing a clutch change. Had to do it again because me not seeing the wear groove on the crankshaft from the old seal. Didn't make it easier being a tranverse mounted engine with the only way to get the gearbox loose is to drop the subframe. Not so fun without a lift :)
Yeah I can imagine that's really tricky. This is lift is one of the best investments I've ever made.
@@JethroBronner When the time comes that I own a house with a big enough garage the first thing I'm spending money on is a proper lift :P
Not that much fun even with a lift, I'd reckon. Just had a similar PIA job working on a Ford Falcon AUII wagon (stop laughing, please) where, to get the sump pan out, I had to drop the subframe. Fortunately, I had it on a hoist (lift) and it made it do-able, as otherwise, I think all my spanners would have found their way over the boundary fence! Cheers guys! And great work, JB!
Man, your frustration was almost palpable, but you handled it really well. That would have been super annoying and worrisome, not knowing if you could actually solve the leak. Well done!
Oh man you should see what happened after this...
Jethro, love your videos and the quality production. Thanks for all the hard work. I would love to see you go through step-by-step restoration instructions. Heck, I would pay good money for this kind of information. Thanks again.
We all hit a problem from time to time Jethro.... Great to see you solved it brilliantly. I'm thinking....before the instalation of the engine, creaking the engine on the stand could have revealed that leak....
Pierre Lataillade yes. I’m going to build an engine stand for 105 engines so I can test them before fitting them now.
Your still a good mechanic.... This could have happen to me...... Hold you head up. ..
Wow what a difficult fix but your skills ultimately saved the day with the Alfa twin cam now almost ready to fire up with fingers crossed 🤞
It's so close now. The video about firing it up should be up on Friday.
Hi Jethro
Do you know of someone in RSA who can do a repair job on an Alfa 105 differential.
I need bearings replaced and shimmed up properly.
Hi Wouter. I haven't come across someone with the correct tools and manual (and attitude) to do them locally. So I just do them in house.
Love you channel but today was my first time ever seeing it. Your workshop is my dream
Certainly a love/hate relationship! Nice work through.
Thanks. Yeah some days it can be!
Bugger...theres always one...Never had anything to do with Alfas, just Old Fords....so I know about frustrating oil leaks....You need a beer ..or two...love the videos...cheers from NZ.
Haha thanks. After this it was definitely time for a little reward.
Ugh 😩 I feel your pain, I think I would have walked away for a few days
I did for about a day. Cleaned the garage up a bit, then just got back to it.
Keep at it Jethro. Really enjoy your content.
Will do!
Νice job for another time my friend !!!! Some problems are a little bit annoying but if all ends good ...its all good again !!! I love your lift, it makes the job much more easier !!!!
That lift was some of the best money I've ever spent. I don't know how I would get anything done without it.
Afternoon Jethro. What a shame you got that oil leak 🙈 But better finding it out then than on the road 👍🏻 So it was good intuition starting up the motor too check the oil pressure........😄 The cars looking fantastic. Cheers Stevie 😎🇬🇧
Thanks Stevie! Yeah better find it in the shop than on road.
Rectifications never too painful in a well equipped workshop.
Love the video. I wondered why you didn't try high temp PTFE or Teflon tape in the grub-screw thread?
Button head bolt might be a better solution as is lower profile? Hope you have enough clearance when engine, bolt and flywheel expand when hot, A silicone gasket sealer like Loctite SI 587 should be able to seal the threads anyway.
Hi Jethro, where I can buy your alfa t-shirt (black one with red logo, in the video)? It looks great!!
Useful bit of knowledge!
Good job Jethro ! I was going to suggest looking at the engine's rear seal. Happened to me on my car. After many checks on the engine, my mechanic and decided the big thing, remove the trans. Not an easy job on a compact front drive car, but there it was, a 10$ engine seal leaking ! Darn thing, on very low milage car. 😡
Yeah on this one I had that part of the crank resurfaced and then installed a double lip seal to make extra sure.
@@JethroBronner Any chance you might have some photos of the end result? I'd be interested to see what you did and replicate it on my 116 resto which is due to commence this year. It sounds like an excellent solution.
Great videos, thanks for making them.
Grandissimo meccanico, serio é perfetto.
Where are you Jethro? Missing your videos
Try and try again. Good video. Can you detail more on the electric oil pump set up to prime the engine. I am about ready to do the same and have been contemplating how to prime the engine using an electric pump. Thank you in advance.
I'll do an in depth video about it when I do the engines for the Ti and the GTV. But basically it's just an electric fuel pump plumbed into the oil pressure sender unit thread, and then left to empty a 5 litre oil container into the engine.
I like your oil pan protector. Is that stock or did you build it yourself? Have you had an occurrence when it absorbed a potentially devastating impact?
A lot of these alfa's have these protectors from the factory. If you lower them to where the stance is just right you wil hit the ground on every high speed bump if you don't slow down to 1st gear (at least where i live)😂
I think it's a dealer made one from the 1970s. I have a couple of them. I had one on my 1964 Sprint GT and it saved me a bunch of times. Here in South Africa the roads often have big speed bumps and stones in the road.
I like the style of video got a good thing going
Seriously though, say the word and I'm flying over there to be your assistant/floor sweeper/camera man/editor/computer repair, that's about all I have to offer, excellent writer but I'm not sure how that would assist you...oh and apprentice because I would learn so much from you so you could totally make me do all the lake work. Even just for couple years. I have nothint else to do....I had been taking care of my mom 24/7 (Parkinson's) for years and she recently passed and it wasn't expected and I have no idea what to do with myself now
I'm sorry to hear that man. I hope you're doing ok. I would definitely appreciate a little help, maybe one day this channel will allow me to take on a little help.
question, I am looking at a buying an Alfa and the aluminum valve cover has lots of micro cracks and pitting in it. Is that normal? should it be replaced?
Some valve covers had casting defects in them, i think these cracks you are looking at are just that. You could strike it with a rubber mallot and if it stays in one piece you are good. These covers are quite a thick casting
Like Tycho said, there are a lot of casting artefacts that look like cracks. If it's actually cracked you'd see a lot of oil weeping out in that area. But after all it's a fairly easy thing to replace, I wouldn't let it put me off buying a good car.
No oil leaks
Hey mate , smash out a tech vid on 105 steering wheel removal pls ! I bet there’s a few out there including myself that would like a proper guide .
All the stuff in the forums is not clear which is why it’s asked so often despite a huge amount of threads
Ugh I hate it when things like that happen. I have a leak from the timing chain cover on my car I am living with............it's just enough to be annoying, but not enough of a leak to suffer the work to try an fix it.
2 steps forward, one step back...rinse, repeat. That's just the way of it.
Does teflon tape work?
I feel your pain, Jethro. All that work that you have to undo. How do you remain so calm, or did you throw your toys out before making the video?
I personally try not to get upset by these sort of things. Its all part of the process. You take some steps forward, then one back, then forwards again.
Bloo-goo is wonderful.
PTFE plumbers tape?
Dude where are your helpers? 😂. Steel toe shoes 👞. Stay frosty.
I could definitely use a little help from time to time.
My Goodness! The underside of the Spider is immaculate! How did you get it so crisp? 👍
Thanks! I took it down to bare metal and painted it, it’s all brand new like the top side.
Thanks, Jethro! I'm trying to figure out the most efficient way to accomplish this....was it media blasted, done with a hand held grinder, or dipped in something like an acid bath/wash? 🤔
@@eddiegerlach7121 it was media blasted, but I did spend a lot of time scraping it down by hand before I sent it off
👍🏻
You work under conditions I used to dream of, as a half-century ago as I lay on my back at three in the morning in a Hampstead roadside gutter replacing the shells of an Austin A30, with the rainwater pouring in at my neck and out at my ankles, to get me and my new wife to a wedding three hundred miles away at noon the same day. Er - romantic. . . .
I'm super envious of Jethros garage as well. I did a fair few years on my back in a badly paved driveway on my projects out in the weather, used to drive me insane and sap my enthusiasm until dad explained how his friend who builds hotrods learned to fix army tank engines in Africa in worse conditions faster, because there were people coming to kill you if you didn't. It really changed my attitude to the work. I mean I wasn't any faster but I did complain less 😂
MP: You were lucky. We lived for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. When we got home, our Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt!
GC: Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY!
TJ: Well we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o'clock at night, and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for fourpence every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.
EI: Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, (pause for laughter), drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing 'Hallelujah.'
Credit: 'The Four Yorkshiremen' - Monty Python
@@historyrepeatscubed726 Yep. It nearly killed me the first time I heard this.
The British may have invented the short circuit, but the Italians invented the leak.
The Brits invented both : remember Lucas, the Prince of Darkness !??
@@marcryvon How could I forget?
I've experienced the opposite. My Ducatis didn't leak much but the electrical systems were dreadful. And Nortons leaked oil pretty good.
@@soaringvulture That's really confidence inspiring... I always wanted a Ducati but luckily stuck to Yamaha. My brother in law had a Ducati and reported it as problem free. Norton was well respected here in the USA.
It’s only a matter of time that bolt will leak again.....
🇫🇮
That's just plain annoying.
this channel dead or what ?