The sin of lus

Recently I purchased an Alfa 159 Lusso JTDM 1.9 SportWagon. Its lovely to drive in every respect, except after 600 miles (3 motorway journeys) all at normal speeds mostly 4-5 and 6th gear, the car only averages 32.6mpg. It’s done just 16,000 miles. My previous 156 JTD 1.9 SportWagon always turned in 52.4 however I drove it. Does this engine’s injection system need recalibrating or is it likely to be another problem? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Asked on 6 February 2010 by D.R., London SW20

Answered by Honest John
Alfa 1.9 diesels can be delightful to drive, but give a lot of problems: Failed inlet manifold swirl flaps (the flaps can beak and be ingested by the engine). Failed EGRs. Choked DPFs. Failed timing belts, often because the waterpump seized. Belt, tensioner,
pulleys and waterpump need replacing every 40,000 miles. Failed oil pumps. Failed dual mass flywheels. Failed turbos.
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