Alfa Romeo Repair: Milano Timing Belt, alfa shop, cold chills


Question
Just picked up a 87 Milano with 140,000 miles.  I`ve seen a lot on the web about the timing belt needing to be changed every 50,000.  How much am I looking at to for a timing belt change. What is involved, do the heads need to come off?  I only paid a few hundred for the car... well you know how it goes.
Patrick

Answer
I only paid a few hundred for my first Alfa too, then put a few thousand into it. hahaha
Patrick, I don't know what the flat rate is for a shop to do this job.  No, the heads don't have to come off.  
It takes me about three hours to change the belt, but I work slowly.  If your car hasn't had the upgrade on the belt detensioner (change from hydraulic to spring) then that should be done also.  The hydraulic ones were prone to leaking oil on the belt itself, so they changed them sometime in 89 or 90, to one that uses a spring to detension the belt as the engine warms.  A good number of cars have had the newer style retrofitted.
The belt itself, is about $25 and the new style detensioner is around $60, plus the labor.  If you desire to do it yourself, then you will need to write back and I can give you sources of information and I'll be glad to hold your hand through the process.
It's not a big job, but probably impossible to talk you through it.  You really need a manual.  I have no idea what your mechanical knowledge is.
Timing belt change is mostly nuts and bolts, except for retiming everything.  The timing belt not only drives the cams, but also the distributor.  Everything has to be marked, lined up or otherwise reset so that things happen at the right time.
If you wish to pay someone to do it for you, you need to tell me where you are, so I can see if there is an Alfa shop nearby.  There is very little other than oil and lube that I would trust to anyone not familiar with or interested in working on, one of these cars.  When most get it on the lift and see the Transaxle, inboard brakes and DeDion suspension... they get cold chills of insecurity.
Let me know what you want to do and I'll try to help you.