8th Feb 2010, 06:34

Sounds like you may be overfilling it. I have the same problem on occasion and my Selespeed runs fine. Rather put too much in and waste a little transmission oil than put too little in, and cause gremlins, is my view.

23rd Mar 2010, 05:44

I've had my 156 Selespeed for 4 years, and just now seeing problems with the Selespeed unit. My dealer service department is saying they can't see what the problem is being caused by, but the "system pressure" is way too high (oil pressure I assume). Of course they want to replace the whole unit.

The symptoms of the problem are jumping to neutral in 3rd, then when I put it back into gear, it goes straight to 5th, with Selespeed warning light flashing and accompanied warning beeps every 20 seconds or so.

I read tensioner bolt, oil pump, pressure tank ball, engine/gearbox RPM sensors? I'm loathe to replace the Selespeed unit until it is actually shown to be faulty.

Thanks for any help, D.

27th Apr 2010, 14:57

I owned a 156 2.0 TS for 2 years. I did the servicing on time, never had a problem.

Now I'm the proud owner of a second hand 156 Selespeed. I love this car; it's much better than the manual, never had problem since I bought it last year.

I want to answer the problem with the injector light on; please check the MAF sensor, could be gone, and if you have a Selespeed, please read the owner's manual, it will help you a lot; most of the problems with the gear box come because of the Selespeed oil. Have you checked the level of it lately?

30th Apr 2010, 01:49

I'm the writer of the third-to-last comment. You might want to take a look at your relays as well. The little red Bosch units in the relay box next to the battery. I had one that was on the way out and it caused all kinds of havoc with the Selespeed. It was replaced with a new relay for a hundred rands or so (may be more now) and all was well.

1st May 2010, 12:52

Owned my 156 TS Veloce for 2 years. Had no problems with it. Truly a fantastic car.

6th May 2010, 07:38

Oh, yes, the 156 is a lovely car.

You just have to look after it, that's all.

Example: there was a thunking sound coming from the gearbox of my recently acquired (156 2.0 SS) on every downshift from third to second, which was progressively getting louder. After speaking to my mechanic, I drained the gearbox of its oil - or toxic sludge, should I say. I don't think any of the previous owners so much as did a single oil change of the gearbox. No wonder the parts were not happy. With new oil and a dose of that American Pro-something or other fluid, the noise has more or less disappeared, but I fear the damage may have been done. Look after your Alfa and it will look after you.

16th May 2010, 17:29

I just bought a 2001 2.0 156 Selespeed yesterday; already regret it. The Selespeed light came on today and it went to N. Now it won't engage any gears. Anybody got any ideas?

18th May 2010, 05:43

1: Check the relays. The one for the aircon (if I remember correctly) is interchangeable with the Selespeed one. If you swap the relays and it works, then the relay is probably burnt out. A new one is pretty cheap.

2: Are the fluid levels correct? No ATF = no selespeed.

3: Check the wiring. There is a wire (can't remember exactly which one) inside the engine bay that can come loose after a long time. If reconnected, you will be able to engage first but not the other gears. An Alfa shop will be able to reset the computer to run correctly.

I hope it's not the actuator / pump that's gone. That can be pricey.

17th Jul 2010, 23:51

Hi, I bought my Selespeed 2004 156 last September, and have had no problems besides a slight crack in my radiator early in the year (A$650 to fix) - besides that, car has been perfect.

Until two days ago - went to start my car and wouldn't turn over. After a few attempts, it started, but I noticed that my date/time and km had reset. Yesterday I noticed that the car was skipping 3rd gear, and whilst driving it last night, put itself into N from 5th and then turned itself off (lucky it was at night and the road was empty). Drove it today and no problem! Does anyone know what it could be???

22nd Jul 2010, 03:53

This is for sure an electrical fault. I would suggest first of all to check the connections on your battery and make sure that they are tight and free of dirt. It sounds like you have some sort of loose electrical component that is functioning intermittently. Check to see that everything - fuses, relays, connections - is seated properly. Get your alternator checked to make sure it is providing enough current. My 156 did some funny things when the alternator decided to die on me.

8th Dec 2010, 03:44

I bought a 2000 156 Selespeed Veloce a year ago and to date have had no problems with it (I had the cambelt and tensioner belt changed as a precaution).

The car returns an average of 33mpg (not bad for a 10 year old with 95k on the clock!).

The car had two previous owners, and has had a head replacement (due to a cambelt failure, even though the previous owner ignored the dealer recommendation to have it changed!) I would advise any prospective purchaser to walk away from any Selespeed that does not have a full service history. Get one that has a complete history, and you'll own a highly enjoyable car.

David B- Kent