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General brava 1.2 16v 2001 advice

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General brava 1.2 16v 2001 advice

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ramiuk1

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hi folks im new here so go easy please.
as title says i just got a new car.

how is the 2001 1.2,are they any good,whats the thing with the heads,are they really that bad?
cars done 61k so any advice on things i need to look for immediatley.

im wanting to get an induction kit and a better exhaust to help with the cooling,but wanting to know if it will make a big difference,like helping keep the engine cooler or something,i dont want a induction to make a really loud noise so i imagine enclosed is the best for me,any ideas.

cheers folks
 
induction kit and exhaust does not help with engine cooling at all. it help with the air flow through the engine, which improved performance.
cooling is performed by the cooling system using a waterpump, radiator, and coolant. this sytem is more than able to maintain the correct temperature.
the head gasket problem is common on the 1.2, but its nothing to worry about. cost of repair is approx £200 (e.g. i paid £170 including a new timing belt).

check the idle is stable. throttle body issues are also common, but no big deal.
 
well i got a mate who used to work for fiat,so i can call in favours when needed,am i guaranteed to get head gasket failure?
arond what miliage does it happen roughly.

whats throttle body?
is there anything i can do to reduce the risk of head gasket damage,if head does go,what are the signs it has gone or is going.
 
Last edited:
ramiuk1 said:
am i guaranteed to get head gasket failure?
arond what miliage does it happen roughly.
Click to expand...
no, it isnt guaranteed, in fact many if not most examples will never suffer it once in their whole life.


ramiuk1 said:
is there anything i can do to reduce the risk of head gasket damage,if head does go,what are the signs it has gone or is going.
Click to expand...
you could go back in time and get a senior job in Fiat, and then point out the design flaw with all FIRE engines.

you cant prevent it. when it goes you can get a variety of symptoms depending onwhere it leaks. it can leak betwen the cylinders,c ausing a serious misfire. it can leak between a cylinder and coolant, making the coolant dissapear. it can leak between an oil way and the coolant, allowing them to mix until you have oil in your cooling system and water in your engine.

it really is nothing to worry about, simply something to be aware of.

millions of people happily owned an mg or rover with a k series engine, and they are all far more liely to suffer head gasket failure than a 1.2 fiat.
 
JoskeJTD said:
Not being rude, but if your mate worked for Fiat, can't he answer all your questions or was he not a mechanic?
JoskeJTD said:
yes he is a mechanic but he is always busy and seen as though this is a fiat forum,why not ask here???????????
its what its all here for isnt it???
its mainly the reason i have joined and bought a set stickers and donated within 30 mins of joining


thanks for your help jug
just one more question,if the head does go,its possinle to get home so far isnt it,having a 3 year old kid i dont want to be stuck in middle of knowhere,
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Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
ramiuk1 said:
JoskeJTD said:
Not being rude, but if your mate worked for Fiat, can't he answer all your questions or was he not a mechanic?
JoskeJTD said:
yes he is a mechanic but he is always busy and seen as though this is a fiat forum,why not ask here???????????
its what its all here for isnt it???
its mainly the reason i have joined and bought a set stickers and donated within 30 mins of joining


thanks for your help jug
just one more question,if the head does go,its possinle to get home so far isnt it,having a 3 year old kid i dont want to be stuck in middle of knowhere,
Click to expand...

Carry a 2ltr bottle of water in the car, that will get you a few extra miles. Never drive the car with no coolant though. But driving it with HG failure should be avoided.

However i wouldn't worry about it happening to you its not THAT common. You'll prob need a new gearbox before a HG failure.
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Click to expand...
 
[Hi i have a brava 1.2 16v and head gasket went, it had slight misfire and gurgling of water being heard in the heater matrix inside the car as soon as the car fired up, on checking the coolent on a test chemical test it showed as yellow indicating head gasket gone, this cost £500 with a new cambelt but i still have a slight misfire , i have had new coil pack but still have problem, my milage was 53,000 when it went wrong.
 
Brava34 said:
this cost £500 with a new cambelt
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ouch! next time shop around. £200 would be a fair price.

Brava34 said:
i still have a slight misfire
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do a compression test to see if the new head gasket is sealing. if the ehad had overheated and warped, and then they didnt skim the head, it means the gasket repair wont work.

its also possible that your HT leads are the problem. they are easily damaged when removed.

its also possible that a significant amount of coolant entered 1 or more cylinders, causing damage to the piston ring. a compression test would also spot this.
 
Brava34 said:
[Hi i have a brava 1.2 16v and head gasket went, it had slight misfire and gurgling of water being heard in the heater matrix inside the car as soon as the car fired up, on checking the coolent on a test chemical test it showed as yellow indicating head gasket gone, this cost £500 with a new cambelt but i still have a slight misfire , i have had new coil pack but still have problem, my milage was 53,000 when it went wrong.
Click to expand...


the gurgling of water,im sure i heard that noise today,oh **** i hope its not gone,will take it to the garage this week i think and get it looked at,is the water noise the sign of head gone then?
 
ramiuk1 said:
the gurgling of water,im sure i heard that noise today,oh **** i hope its not gone,will take it to the garage this week i think and get it looked at,is the water noise the sign of head gone then?
Click to expand...

no, the noise means there is air in the cooling system. it could be there for many reasons, such as it was not bled out correctly the last time it was replaced, or ther is a leak in the cooling system.

if the engine temperatue remains stable and the interior ventilation vents have plenty of heat and the coolant leve is not dropping then you have nothing to worry about and you can simply bleed it (or ignore it if you want).
 
jug said:
no, the noise means there is air in the cooling system. it could be there for many reasons, such as it was not bled out correctly the last time it was replaced, or ther is a leak in the cooling system.

if the engine temperatue remains stable and the interior ventilation vents have plenty of heat and the coolant leve is not dropping then you have nothing to worry about and you can simply bleed it (or ignore it if you want).
Click to expand...


yah the temps are fine mate,i will try bleeding the air system,there is 2 am i right,1 at rear right of engine and one on the otherside
 
you will only need to use the bleed screw on the hose that goes to the heater matrix. (thats the one at rear right of engine). make sure the engine is running and the interior ventilation is set to full heat when you bleed it.
 
jug said:
you will only need to use the bleed screw on the hose that goes to the heater matrix. (thats the one at rear right of engine). make sure the engine is running and the interior ventilation is set to full heat when you bleed it.
Click to expand...


hi mate,update,i did the bleed thing,it did have a bit of air in it,whats the pipe that goes up and stops(valve at top) just next to it,still got a rattle noise coming from engine,driving me mad,wish i had never got the car now,although i love the styl and comfort i just want to burn it to the ground at moment
 
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