Upgrade the final gear

I tried upgrading the final gear to improve the torque at low rpm but failed. Details can be found here. I got another used gear box from a scrapped 2004 156 selespeed model. The new final gear ratio now is 3.73 vs 3.56 in the original box. According to Automobile Catalog, the 2 boxes are the same except the final gear. Provided that the 2003 model comes with higher power and more torque with its direct injection engine, Alfa Romeo still put a higher ratio final gear. To me, it seams that it is a reification to a weak spot of the series I 156.

Spec. of alfa romeo 156 by Automobile Catalog

Dismantling 2 gear boxes to upgrade the serie 1 box

Getting the gear box off the car and putting it back is just not a piece of cake and requires a lot of physical strength. Thanks to my mechanic, he is already 70, what a man!

While the increase of the final gear ratio seems insignificant, the impact on daily driving is quite obvious. Hesitation from static to moving is much improved. As a result, it reliefs a lot of anxiety of entering roundabouts and static start from upward slopes.

Replacing tie rod end

My mechanic told me that one side of the tie rod end needed replacement and showed me the movement of the wheel. Yeah, replacing the tie rod end was the original, the must-have task, upgrading the final gear, on the contrary, was an “additional” job on top.

Replacing exhaust mount

Since I upgraded the exhaust system, I kept hearing “knocking” noise from the muffler.

I reckoned that it is the muffler hitting the rear anti-roll bar. Following the recommendation from an Alfa specialist, I decided to replace all exhaust mounts with the proper ones.

Until I watched the video, I thought the six mounts were the same. They are not.