Year of Manufacture *: 2002 ( Optional ) Engine Code or CC: 2000 TS
Hi all I have an Alfa 156 with a selespeed gearbox issue. The fault only occurs once in a blue moon but when it does it's always in the most inconvenient place. The car drives reasonably nicely most of the time ( as much as one of these can be nice), but every now and then the selector position indicator on the dash will flash, the red gearbox warning lamp comes on and a chime is heard. The car continues to drive in the current gear until you slow down. When you decelerate the car will sometimes change down and slip into neutral, and there it stays. Switch the engine off for around 15 minutes, restart it and off you go again. It has happened to me ( yes it is my own car) only a handful of times in the last 10 months of owning it. Time for the car to go but I can't bear the thought of passing the problem on to someone else. I bought the car knowing it had this fault from a friend of mine who is also in the motor trade. He has replaced the actuators with NEW ones, has stripped and rebuilt the gearbox, replaced relays, pump and even the control unit albeit with a secondhand one, all trying to sort this same problem. I have checked earths and feeds but the fault is so random and has no real pattern so I never know till much later whether anything I have done has had an effect. Any help or thoughts would be grateful, and that doesn't include suggestions using the words matches , petrol or clifftops. I've already considered those. Thanks in advance Wayne http://www.sintechsolutions.co.uk
Re: Alfa Romeo 156
Posted by Tony Ludford on January 19, 2017, 7:26 am, in reply to "Alfa Romeo 156" Tony Ludford
Do these drop into neutral if a door is opened whilst driving? (Hence the chime is heard) Perhaps you're looking in the wrong area and it's not a gearbox fault, but the result of a logic issue. Of course being an Alfa, wiring is going to be suspect.
Re: Alfa Romeo 156
Posted by Wayne King on January 19, 2017, 8:55 pm, in reply to "Re: Alfa Romeo 156" Wayne King
I'm not sure about the door thing but I know there is a link there somewhere. It's the gearbox warning light that comes on though and I would think that the car would go straight back into drive if the door was opened and shut. The chime is also a different one to that when the door is open.
Re: Alfa Romeo 156
Posted by aidan birley on January 19, 2017, 10:01 pm, in reply to "Re: Alfa Romeo 156" Aidan Birley
Hi Think the connection with door open is to prime the hydraulic pump/system Aidan
Long time since I have looked at one of these so cannot remember the layout and I could be way of the mark here
But had a similar problem with a 1999 V6 Laguna Auto quite a few years back, it would randomly bring up the gearbox light and bong, go into limp, when you restarted it was fine again for a week or so
Long story but the outcome was that it had been into Renault for full service, they replaced the plugs with Renault plugs (reboxed NGK's) not their own brand any more. It clearly stated on the slam panel a Bosch Plug. We changed them for the correct Bosch and the problem resolved, never happened again, the dodgy NGK's had randomly spiked the ECU mounted on the engine.......just a thought
How bizarre, worth a punt I suppose. I'm going to check all wiring again as soon as I get time and the weather warms up a little, and I'll pop a set of plugs in too.
Unfortunately I didn't have time in my life to investigate this fault any further and have the car on ebay this week for sale. It is going as it is and who knows, one of you lucky chaps may get the pleasure of seeing it come through your doors some day.
) only a handful of times in the last 10 months of owning it. Time for the car to go but I can't bear the thought of passing the problem on to someone else. 
on January 19, 2017, 7:26 am, in reply to "