Milano

Milano Verde Transport to Colorado

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Yet again, I found my judgement clouded by the allure of an Alfa V6.  The proposal: move a buddy’s Milano from Detroit to Denver – twenty hours, if driven in a straight shot.

The outlook was optimistic for this particular car.  Milano Verdes, with their comfortable Recaro seats and long-legged 3.55 final drive, rival country music as companions across flyover states.  And, this was a particularly healthy example, coming from a collection of five V6 transaxle Alfas.  What’s the phrase?  “Wouldn’t hesitate to drive across the country”?

Leaving Detroit at 5PM via I-94 is a failure in planning, unless the plan is to shake down the mechanical systems of a nearly 30 year old Italian sedan.  Coolant temp?  Right on the mark, if the gauge is to be trusted.  Brakes?  If they aren’t sorted, you’ll find out quickly in rush hour.  Fluid leaks?  The rearview mirror is as useful for spotting leaks as it is for avoiding rear-end collisions.

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My Milano is Gone.

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All I had left to address was the 2nd gear synchro, and I wasn’t even sure I wanted to fix that last trace of Alfa idiosyncrasy.  Nearly two years into the most involving, frustrating and absorbing auto ownership experience in my 25 years, I lost my Alfa, my garage, and with them, my GTI and two of my brother’s cars.

I will be perfectly clear.  Alfas are reliable; neglected cars are not.

I had purchased a neglected 1989 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde two summers prior to bridge the gap between the BMW e30 I owned at the time, and the Ferrari 308 that I knew I shouldn’t buy.  The practical exotic.  4 doors and a Busso V6 with an exhaust note that could embarrass any fuel-injected 80s Ferrari V8.  A useable trunk and a rear-mounted transaxle with inboard mounted brake rotors.  Room for human beings and a torsion bar front, DeDion rear suspension.  And, under 3k RPM, you’d be hard pressed to turn any heads in traffic.
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Alfa Romeo Milano Verde Part 2: Disassembly and Diagnosis

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Continued from Alfa Romeo Milano Verde Part 1: Introduction

Understanding why the Milano’s engine had seized so suddenly and ruinously on I-70 required minimal disassembly.  The first bolt revealed metallic sheen of the oil – not good.  17 bolts later, I was staring at a mangled connecting rod cap sitting in a rubble of rod bearing annihilation – oh no, crank is bad.  Then I noticed the coolant lingering in the lower oil pan, and started feeling better knowing that at this point, at least I’d get to meet another Alfisti, because the block was toast.

Now, the root cause of the spun rod bearing and subsequent destruction is more difficult to establish. 10 minutes prior to the excitement, I had checked the oil level, so oil was available, at least to the oil pump. The oil pump seemed to be working too, since the low oil pressure light never came on, and the oil pressure gauge never dropped.  Some cavitation damage was present on the oil pump rotor, but given the adequate oil pressure, not enough to blame for loss of oil film.  The oil itself was in good shape, having been changed 700 miles ago.

Alfa Romeo Milano Verde Part 1: Introduction

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I can blame my middle school bus route past the import auto shop for the recent deluge of Alfa in my life.  Our dad‘s 73 BMW 3.0 CS sometimes sat outside of the shop there, so in between sightings of the classic E9 coupe began a steady exposure to Alfa Romeo.  It’s necessary to note that the school bus never broke down, which at that point would have been the only opportunity, short of breaking down in an Alfa, for me to associate Alfas with a disregard for forward progress.

One Saturday in 2004, we stopped at the import shop  to check out a meet-up underway.  Some classic British, BMW M, and other Euro noteworthies occupied the lot out front.  Taylor and I made our way to the Alfas near the fence and made the following observations:

1. The Spider shift lever position is exceptional
2. The 164 dash is a vast expanse of buttons
3. The Milano Verde has the coolest seats on earth

A.L.F.A: Always Looking For Another

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Only in my case, it would be Always Looking For Another Because One Broke, or ALFABOB.  I imagine somebody already has the as a personalized plate – likely in California, where extroverts seem to thrive.

Now, I’m not the first person to experience a broken Alfa, but both my ’89 Milano Verde and my ’95 164LS both have experienced bottom end failure within their first weeks in my garage.  I am documenting the Verde failure and rebuild, but to summarize, it threw a rod while I was doing 75mph on the Interstate.  Since I missed it so much, I bought the 164LS to have something over-the-top to shuttle me around in while the Verde engine is on the stand.  Well, the 164LS developed rod knock while driving at 55mph on the highway.  Luckily, it will only need new rod bearings, which I can manage to replace with the engine in the car.