I have two hot issues:

One problem I've had it for 4 years now and nobody can solve it for me so I would love your help before I have to buy a new ECU like I've been advised. Each morning I drive off with my brava with no probs but if I stop and drive off after an hour (and generally this does not happen after 3 hours) the injector lights come on and only 2 injectors work. The injectors are ok and I feel it is not the ECU as if the ECU is damaged I would have erratic problems and not the same problem each day.

I have now another problem the oil lamp light comes on when I brake and stop and goes off again when I drive again. This happens after I drive the car for about half an hour and does not happen when I start driving.

I would love your assistance as I am at odds and am afraid that it's going to cost me a lot!

Carmen Cachia said:

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I have now another problem the oil lamp light comes on when I brake and stop and goes off again when I drive again. This happens after I drive the car for about half an hour and does not happen when I start driving.

I would love your assistance as I am at odds and am afraid that it's going to cost me a lot!

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Sorry I carnt help with your first query, but as for the oil, I take it you have checked it's toped up to the full mark, then it may just be a faulty switch, this would be the first thing to try.

Yes, my mechanic has done the service recently and also checked it and says all is ok but there is something as the light keeps coming on when I've driven for quite a bit and either when I stop or when the revs go down to 2 - in the traffic it flickers.

what has been changed so far?

it sounds like the common crank sensor failure but if you've had it for 4 years and no one has solved it i'd be inclined to think this had already been changed...

Ry

Nothing has been changed as each time I took it to FIAT garage they tell me that they did not detect anything on the computer! I have tried but now I have found a mechanic who works on FIATs and he told me that it needs repairing - he thinks it is the ECU and told me that probably I need to change it - but besides it is expensive I want to try other cheaper possibilities which might work.

Thanks for your interest.

in which case i would point you towards replacing the crank sensor, they cost about £30 and are known for causing issue when the engine is hot.

the common symptom is the engine stalling and refusing to restart until the car has cooled down, this doesnt usually show up on an examiner because the fault is intermittant.

the mechanic that has said you require a new ECU sounds like he taking you for a ride IMO, a worst case senario would be a corrupt ECU chip which can be replaced cheaply.

do you love me now? haha

Ry

I was going to advise the crank sensor as well, that can be an issue not only on Fiat's but many cars (namely Vauxhalls). You possibly could pick one up cheaper on eBay.

And agreed that the mechanic is saying you need a new ECU, they cost alot of money and always go for the most expense sometimes.

Cheaper? They're £30 for a genuine part.

Thanks a lot! Cheers! Luv ya lots coz this is what I'm after - hope it'll work - A BIG THANK YOU

You don't say which engine is fitted to the car, there are loads of possibilities so we're guessing really... Have you tested the injectors, why do you say that 2 don't work? Some problems with plugs not sparking are due to coil failure - they generally work in pairs. Don't know about injectors though...

About the oil light, you say if you brake and stop it comes on - do you mean if you stop and the engine idles then it comes on? And if you just rev the engine without driving off, does it go out? If so then it could be a worn "bottom end" of the engine, or a faulty oil pump. Or the switch.

bluejohn125 said:

You don't say which engine is fitted to the car, there are loads of possibilities so we're guessing really... Have you tested the injectors, why do you say that 2 don't work? Some problems with plugs not sparking are due to coil failure - they generally work in pairs. Don't know about injectors though...

About the oil light, you say if you brake and stop it comes on - do you mean if you stop and the engine idles then it comes on? And if you just rev the engine without driving off, does it go out? If so then it could be a worn "bottom end" of the engine, or a faulty oil pump. Or the switch.

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So the brava is 100 16V - the mechanic says the coil and injectors are ok and the injectors in my car work in pairs. I've just come home and since the car was idle for about an hour as I started the injector light came and the car lost power but then during the drive sometimes it switches off and the car then runs normal! Really I am at ends and I've tried a lot but no one seems to grip the problem here as the computer never detects this fault.

Re the oil lamp light it switches on when I stop like in traffic or lights etc and off again when I drive. If it is idle and I rev it it goes too but if I drive the car slow at 15 revs it flickers and at less the light starts coming on again. This does not happen when I start driving - it does it after half an hour or less if the car is idle for a short time only. I am afraid that no one here will solve this problem too!!

Thanks for your help too and would love having your suggestions

The oil light - you either actually have low oil pressure or the oil light switch is faulty - more likely low pressure because it only starts coming on when the engine warms up, and the oil gets thinner. low oil pressure could be caused by a badly worn engine, clogged oil filter, worn oil pump or clogged pickup gauze, wrong oil or a combination of these. If it has had a good service, and the problem persists, get the oil pressure checked with a pressure gauge, if its within specs when hot and idling then change the switch.

What is the other fault/symptom exactly ?. Does the car lose power intermittently or does the engine stall occasionally when warm ?.

The ECU may or may not be faulty but its much better to prove it before replacing it. If the injector light is coming on, there *should* be a fault code stored. Are they sure they can find nothing ?. They should test drive it until it does happen, and try and scan it there and then.

there's no way problems like these should drag on for 4 years :bang:

If the car starts with no injector light on than I would know that it will not give me trouble - it will only give me trouble if I will really have a hectic drive - a long one with lots of traffic to get through. If the car starts with the inject light on and only two injectors working than I know it will be a rough drive - but generally after say 10 minutes of so the other injectors switch on and the car normally will work good.

I open for more suggestions but I must go to the mechanic and offer him these ideas so that he can check them out and hopefully sove my two problems. Thanks a lot!

Hi!

The ECU control units in many cars, and I suspect Fiat (petrol) ones as well will switch off their outputs if a defect occurs in the coils/HT leads or wiring to them as a precautionary measure and enter LOS (Limited Operating Strategy) mode! I'm assuming you haven't got a code scanner to hand!

1) Fit a ***new*** set of four spark plugs.

2) Remove each coil unit from the top of the engine and examine them *carefully* for burning/arcing on the tubes that fit over each plug, and renew any that look in any way suspect.

3) Have the wiring between the coils and ECU checked, paying particular attention to the large rectangular plug/socket 55 to the right of the engine as viewed from the front of the car - get a car electrician to look at this if you're unsure about attempting this yourself! This plug carries supplies and ign coil feeds to the coils and many of the engine ECU sensors. Also check all the wiring/connector plugs on the engine-sensors themselves for corrosion/breaks etc.

4) Examine all the vacuum/air pipework in the engine bay, renewing any split or perished ones!

5) If the coil units *look OK*, label them 1 - 4 and refit them back to the engine and road-test the car. If the fault is still present and you've done all the above, buy *one* new coil-pack of the correct type for your car and fit it in *each cylinder in turn* & and road test the car after each try - if you have a duff coil pack in any cylinder that is replaced by the new one - the intermittent injector light/low power fault should clear and you can fit the new coil pack permanently. Its possible you *might* have more than one faulty but I think its fairly unlikely!

6) Its barely possible you could have an ECU intermittently dud - many firms have an ECU Test Hire Service or can get yours tested for £30-£50 or so - its worth Googling for "ECU Test Hire".

Hope this helps - do you have a Workshop Manual (Haynes are useless -
you can download Fiat ones in PDF free if you need one!)

Chris Williams

Thank you for your suggestions - I will tell my husband then to have a go before I take it to the mechanic.