ALFAGTV6.COM

[alfa nola]

Hi,
I've installed new poly Watts link bushings on my GTV6 which has dramatically changed the handling of the car in a negative way. I was fully prepared for tighter and bumpier... but when I accelerate hard or hit a dip in the road, the whole car shifts violently to one side. I'm hoping that it's because I still have old rubber bushings (which I plan to replace) and that will fix the prob.

I've also noticed that in every picture of a transaxle... very few look the same. Some have end link bars which are straight and some are set up with one straight bar and one curved bar. Mine is the latter - straight & curved... why?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Greg Gordon]

Something is really really wrong here. I suggest bouncing the back of the car up and down and watching the Watts linkage and the body. There should not be any lateral shifting at all. This problem is not caused by the poly Watts linkage bushings, it's something else. You may have assembled something incorrectly, everyone does it sometimes.


The left side (driver's side the the U.S.) Watts linkage arm is curved on all GTV6s to allow for exhaust system clearance. It's straight on the Milano because the exhaust goes out the other side where there is plenty of clearance anyway.

Greg Gordon,
www.hiperformancestore.com

[Bruce]

Does your watts linkage rotate easily on the axle?

[alfa nola]

Thanks Greg,

we looked at the pic from your site and assembled it like in the pic... we realized that the car was jacked up at the dedion tube so it might have a pre-load weight... so we took it down and loosened then tightened the bolts again.

[alfa nola]

But it's still bad!
I'm ordering the rest of the poly bushings and hopefully that will straighten things out. Could the rear end just be that much stiffer and the front end just not able to keep up?

[Greg Gordon]

The picture on this page is a factory picture, so it's right.

http://www.hiperformancestore.com/Gtv6Fiat600.htm

What's the status of the forward DeDion bushing? I have seen this issue caused by problems there, but never by bushing on the Watts linkage.

Greg

[grant]

I have stock rubber everything up front, and full poly everyhting in the rear. I doubt that's your problem. Other than increased noise, there were no ill side effects.

[scott.venables]

Is it possible you left out some or all of the crush tubes from the bushes?

Scott

[sira]

I have polly all over the suspension and no problems, There somethin else go wrong on your car, check the springs and shocks, maybe springs did not sit properly on it's place??

[tonygtv6]

Hi alfa nola wondering if u got a solution to your suspension problem. My wife's alfa gtv does it aswell. The front de dion bush was found worn i had it replaced, aswell as the watts link and the two bars that goes to the body but it still puls voilently left if i go over a ditch in the road i replaced the two shocks at the back and that helped a lot but didn't fix it.

any help will be greatly appreciated