Drive TrainClutch
The clutch on the Berlina is common to its 105/115 series contemporaries. It is an 8 inch dry single-plate diaphragm type clutch, operated by hydraulic master and slave cylinders. On 1750 cars up through 1969, the master cylinder is under the floor, operated by a mechanical linkage from the floor-pivot pedals. From 1970 on with the introduction of the hanging pedals for LHD cars, the master cylinder is up high in the engine compartment, next to the brake master cylinder. For RHD cars, the clutch master cylinder remained under the floor near the floor pedals for all years.Manual Transmission
The regular transmission for the Berlina was the five-speed manual transmission common to all 105/115 series Alfas of the time. The transmission is aluminum, and splits open in half along its length for servicing. The shifter is a long, substantial, angled lever that sprouts from the center console. The shift pattern is a double-H, with first gear forward on the left. Reverse is back on the right. The shifter action is spring-loaded in the center third-fourth plane. All five forward speeds use Porsche-type synchronizers, though the second gear synchromesh is notoriously weak and may seem not to work.This transmission is based on the five-speed Giulia gearbox introduced of 1962, which was based on the five-speed Giulietta Veloce gearbox of 1959 and the original split-case four-speed Giulietta gearbox. All transmissions are more or less interchangeable, with slight detail differences.
Automatic Transmission
The 2000 Berlina was offered with a ZF automatic transmission in at least European, Australian, South African, and perhaps other markets. The shifter sprouted from the center console where the storage trough is on the manual transmission cars; this is a few inches rearward of the manual shifter's location. Automatic Berlinas had the same 4.3 ratio differential as manual transmission non-US market cars. There were 252 automatics Berlinas built. Currently, there are reportedly three automatic 2000 Berlinas from 1973 or 1974 in Perth, AustraliaDriveshaft
The Berlina shares driveshaft design with the its 105/115 series contemporaries, though the Berlina shaft is longer, due to the longer wheelbase. The driveshaft is composed of two main pieces, supported by a center bearing. From front to rear, the driveshaft assembly consists of a large flexible rubber coupling ("donut" or "guibo") that connects the output shaft of the transmission with the front of the driveshaft. A precision bushing centers the front driveshaft on the output shaft. The front half of the driveshaft is connected to the rear half by a sliding spline coupling and a universal joint. It is supported by a large ball bearing assembly, held onto the driveshaft tunnel by a flexible rubber retainer. The rear half of the driveshaft terminates in a universal joint, and bolts to the pinion shaft of the differential. Early drive shafts use 8 mm attachment bolts; later ones use 9 mm bolts.Rear End
The differential of the Berlina is identical with other 105/115 models. It is a live axle, composed of an aluminum center section containing the differential and bearings, and steel tubeaxle sections bolted to the center section. The hubs and brakes bolt to the outer end of the axle tubes. The aluminum center section has a small finned oil sump to help keep the oil cool. The axle shafts are supported at the outer ends by sealed bearings, with an oil seal for the differential oil inboard of the bearing.For US cars, the only ratio offered in Berlinas was 4.56. For all other markets, 4.30 was the standard ratio, and 4.10 may have been available in some cases. Automatic transmission cars were fitted with the 4.3 ratio. A limited slip differential was standard on all 2000 model Berlinas.
Copyright © 1997 by Andrew D. Watry
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