Going to be servicing my car soon as it's pretty obvious the previous owners have ragged it and not bothered to take care of it Checked the timing belt and I'm pretty sure it's the original and at 63K it's really due a change - not to mention it looks as though it's seen better days to say the least. Anyway, so far my servcing list consists of:

* Oil
* Oil filter
* Spark plugs
* Cam belt (my dad would be doing this as he's an ex-mechanic - how much should I expect to pay, and is the special tool necessary?)

Along with that I'll be installing a new exhaust (from CAT onwards of course) as the old one has rotted away and I think I need new headlight bulbs because I can't continually use high beam (I can flash though)... at least thats what I've been told.

Also, the running temperature of the car stays at half of the guage (whatever that equates to), is that normal? I was thinking of changing the coolant also.

Cheers for any advice

Edit:

* Cabin filter
* New disks and brake pads (warped disks at the moment)

Half way up the gauge is good.

If the headlamps flash, then its not the bulbs that are preventing you using full beam.

Sounds more like a switch issue to me.

Change the coolant if the history is not known. Flush it out too.

Brake fluid only lasts two years so change that too.

Cheers

SPD

i have a spare swich for head lights mk1 and mk2 air bag wiring actualy i think i have both


i would change coolant and brake fluid too there often overlooked

if you have leads change them aswell as plugs a thermostat wouldn't go a miss if the gauge is running cold there pretty cheap and any auxiliary belts and tensioners also

if the oils looking realy black maybe some engine flush depends how bad

Check the power steering fluid and more importantly the pressure sensor on the pump as people that use full lock with this system shorten the life of this sensor and cause it to burst, causing a major power steering fluid leak

Also take off the drums behind and check the condition of the shoes, springs and wheel cylinders. I have a major problem with the right red adjuster springs, my car ate up 5 new ones in just 20k miles

Check track rod ends, anti roll bar bushes and ball joints, I got my car with just 56k on the clock (more like 256k i think it was clocked) and just about everything was replaced as most bits had either fatigued, failed or perished with poor maintanance...

Timing belt is easy enough, take off the inlet manifold, auxilary belts, cam belt guards then you need the following tools:
Piston marking tools (take out spark plugs and insert, these cars are timed with the pistons in line NOT TDC) Part no 1860992000
Cam locking tools part no 1860985000
The tool to hold the cam sprocket to hold it while you loosen the nut (18mm) Part no 1860831000
The tool to adjust the tensioner (it goes into the 2 small holes under the big hole) Part no 1860987000

Don't forget to always use a new tensioner and new auxilary belts, old parts can and will fail spectacularly, with expensive outcomes!

Hope this was some help!

when car heats up it is normal that you have temperature on middle of scale (around 90°C). If it jumps to middle when you start cold car it is something wrong with coolant sensor or cable.

When you do service do not forget for fuel filter and air filter. Also change brake fluid. Fluid for sevro pump is no needed to be changed.
When changing cam belt, tensioner must be changed to. If you have pre 1999 year 1.6 engine it is recommended to change cogwheel of oil pump, otherwise cam belt could snap.

I wanted to change the fuel filter, but I read it's built into the pump?

Also, the temperature takes a while to get to the half way point and doesn't really exceed it. Seems normal, just wanted to get confirmation of the normal running temperature

Regarding the cam belt, I bought the kit today, which includes the tensioner. The other kit included the water pump, which I wasn't sure about changing... should I change it? It's about £20 by itself.

Changed the oil and oil filter today, along with most of the exhaust. Tomorrow the front part of the exhaust will get bodged.. ahem, I mean fixed (I'm not paying £250+ for a new one). I did try and change the air filter today but 2 of the screws are rounded off, and the remaining 2 appeared to have been tightened up by arnold swartzenager. After I gave up on that I decided to change the cabin filter but... it doesn't exist :idea: The panel you remove to get to it is missing the screws so it seems like it's been bodged in the past:





Help?

EDIT: after some searching I found out that not all models come with the bracket for the filter, nevermind an actual filter. Very odd. How can I go about getting one?

EDIT2: Ok, it appears directly from Fiat is the best option. Searching is useful!

Cabin filter is usually only fitted to cars with air con.

Cheers

SPD

aye but it appears you can still use one if you buy the bracket from Fiat, so I may aswell do that, especially since its summer soon

You have a lot of common issues that need sorting, all the above advice is good as regards changing and checking fluids etc.

Brakes - the rear drums will probably never have been done, mine were awful but now all cleaned and renewed. Brake fluid is probably old and moisture will rot the fragile brake pipes from inside.

Air filter - rusted bolts is a very common issue, the bolts go into a captive nut and it seizes up. cut big slots in the bolt heads and turn with a big blade. Expect a filthy filter inside. A K&N panel filter is a good option.

Coolant - give the system a good flush and swap the thermostat - cheap and easy to do. Nice new antifreeze, and bleed the system properly.

Oil - this has to work hard due to the revvy engine and small capacity, flush it if you want but change it often in any case.

Power steering - the later pumps can leak.

Otherwise they're good cars if you keep them running right.

lots of good advice here I would definatly change the water pump for the sake of £20

Only aircon cars have cabin filters. You can find one at a scrap yard or fiat. I finaly found one. I got it to stop leaves and junk getting in through the vents. Nuts are plastic 10mm

Bracket part number: 46412714
Nut part number: 60502080

Hah! Good timing mate, I was just about to put pictures on of that bracket cause I picked mine up today and wasn't sure it was the correct one. I didn't get the plastic nuts though I also can't seem to get it to fit properly, I'll have another go over the weekend as well as find some 10mm nuts.

There is a see through plastic thing under the scuttle. It gets in the way making it a tight fit, you may have to push it up a bit. I guess its there to keep water away from filter/fan hole

Will get that sorted tomorrow I think Will any 10mm bolts do? I probably have some lying around somewhere.

Got the exhaust fixed the other day and they didn't listen to a word I said, so now it's back to blowing... grr. I'm going to have to live with it until I can find the front pipe and CAT at a scrap yard. I never realised how rare Bravo's are until I got one myself, they are a real pain to find in the local scrappies!

If you can get a bolt with the right thread pitch it should be fine. The originals have a massive base so you may need a washer.

I normaly dont have a problem finding Bravos in scrap yards but two week ago I needed a new headlining. I went to 12 scrap yards and not one had a Bravo. Dont forget Mareas and Bravas will have a lot of the same parts you need. Plus multiplas puntos stilos and lots more have parts shared.

it's a very course screw like threat to bite into specific plastic nuts

no mechanical thread will match or come close

Got the cabin filter, brakes and disks sorted now. Still can't get into the air box though, can get 2 out of 4 of the screws off and the other 2 are rounded off

Also, about the changing the coolant... the clip on the radiator hose looks like it needs a special tool to remove it, any tips?

One of my air box screws is rounded off aswell, the other 3 are fine. What can you do to get it out?

Regarding the lower rad hose clip, you have to get in with a hacksaw blade and cut through the folded bit, and junk the whole clip. Then replace with a suitable new Jubilee clip.

For the air box, try to get some oil to penetrate down the threads, and give the bolts a tap with a hammer to try and shock them a bit. Then hacksaw a slot right across the bolt head and try to turn with a big, flat blade (and a mate with a spanner or some grips). You MAY be able to spray some WD40 up under the airbox into the threaded bolt holes, this is where they rust up.

Thought I might have to do that with the radiator hose, no problem

We tried to get the air box out of the car yesterday and gave up... are there any methods?

Just checked my cars MOT history and it's quite clearly been abused, constant failures etc.

07/2008 said:

Reason(s) for refusal to issue Certificate

Front Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (3.5.1f)

Rear both Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak (2.7.3)

Oil below min Emissions not tested (7.0)

Advisory Notice issued

Both rear brake pipes ,from compensator valve to flexi pipes,corroded

Click to expand...

Then, fast forward to a week before me acquiring the car (from a scrap yard ):

02/2010 said:

Reason(s) for refusal to issue Certificate

Nearside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)

Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2a)

Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.D.1)

Offside Front Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.3)

Advisory Notice issued

Front brakes only just met the front brake imbalance requirements. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.A.2e)

Click to expand...

The braking system thing seems odd, I haven't noticed any problems and neither did the place I got it MOT'd at.

bluejohn125 said:

Regarding the lower rad hose clip, you have to get in with a hacksaw blade and cut through the folded bit, and junk the whole clip. Then replace with a suitable new Jubilee clip.
.....

Click to expand...

Ive found an easier way than using a hacksaw. Use a small flat screwdriver not on the black plastic but but on the bit that is folded over towards each other. You prise those two bits vertical then you can pull the two parts bellow vertical and the clip just falls off.

You might be able to get the airbox out in one piece by taking the wheel arch liner out and dropping it down, though with the lid on it might be just too big.