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Technical Fuel question

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Technical Fuel question

TheCROW

TheCROW

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Sep 19, 2005
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Hey guys, I noticed that whenever my Brava is a bit low on fuel (a bit above the last white dot on the guauge, I never let it go below), the car sounds a bit rough and sluggish a little bit, slightly noticeable. When I put in more fuel and wait for a little while before I start it again, everything gets back to normal and the car runs as usual.....
From time to time I put in a bit of Redex, and all is normal, no injector light on the dash or anything..... Do you think I should think about changing the fuel filter? The fuel quality is crap here..... I don't know where on earth is the fuel filter in my car.... (99 100SX 16V Brava Manual Fuel not Diesel)....
What do you think?
Thanxall.
 
the 100sx (1.6 16v) has a fuel filter in the fueltank, its with the fuel pump. you access it by removing the plastic cover under the rear seats or boot lining, cant remember exactly where. when i asked about changing it fiat said it shouldnt ever need changing. if you get a new fuel pump it will come with a new filter on it but i dont think you can change them seperately. you could remove the fuel pump and try to clean the old filter yourself. or maybe fiat are wrong and there is another filter somewhere, haynes doesnt mention one for the 1.6 but the 1.4 has one under one of the plastic side skirts, my 1.6 does not have one there i checked
 
As usual, Jug to the rescue.....
So I guess I'll take your word for it and forget about changing it....
So what would you recommend me doing in this case? I don't want to mess up my injectors.... What should I do?
 
if it was me and i was absolutely sure that a low fuel level was causing rough running i would access the fuel tank and inspect the pump to see if the filter is visible, if it is i would look for any obvious blockage or dirt build up. if there is a lot of dirt on the filter i would use the old trick of reversing the wires on the fuel pump to make it blast the filter clean and then drain the fuel tank to clear all the dirt out. to reverse the pump you should depressurise the fuel system then remove the fuel outlet pipe near the engine and place it in a container filler with clean petrol. turning the ignition on should activate the pump, it will pump constantly in an attempt to build up pressure, this will clean out the filter. i havent tried this method on a bravo/a before but its worked on other cars. then again you could avoid all that trouble and just keep the tank full :)
 
jug said:
if it was me and i was absolutely sure that a low fuel level was causing rough running i would access the fuel tank and inspect the pump to see if the filter is visible, if it is i would look for any obvious blockage or dirt build up. if there is a lot of dirt on the filter i would use the old trick of reversing the wires on the fuel pump to make it blast the filter clean and then drain the fuel tank to clear all the dirt out. to reverse the pump you should depressurise the fuel system then remove the fuel outlet pipe near the engine and place it in a container filler with clean petrol. turning the ignition on should activate the pump, it will pump constantly in an attempt to build up pressure, this will clean out the filter. i havent tried this method on a bravo/a before but its worked on other cars. then again you could avoid all that trouble and just keep the tank full :)
Click to expand...
Thanxalot for the info..... I guess I'm gonna go with the second option :) Haven't got time for all this plus I don't have experience to do it myself.... So I'm just gonna refuel everytime the gauge hits the half mark.....
 
jug said:
if it was me and i was absolutely sure that a low fuel level was causing rough running i would access the fuel tank and inspect the pump to see if the filter is visible, if it is i would look for any obvious blockage or dirt build up. if there is a lot of dirt on the filter i would use the old trick of reversing the wires on the fuel pump to make it blast the filter clean and then drain the fuel tank to clear all the dirt out. to reverse the pump you should depressurise the fuel system then remove the fuel outlet pipe near the engine and place it in a container filler with clean petrol. turning the ignition on should activate the pump, it will pump constantly in an attempt to build up pressure, this will clean out the filter. i havent tried this method on a bravo/a before but its worked on other cars. then again you could avoid all that trouble and just keep the tank full :)
Click to expand...

Hey JUG I've been meaning to ask you.... 6000 KM ago my car was behaving sluggish sometimes so the mechanic told me I had to change the lambda sensor which I did but I didn't reset the ECU then.... The car was back to normal, but sometimes I experience the behaviour I told you about in this post, if I turn off the engine and then back on in 5 seconds, the car would be normal again.
My question is, do you think this is due to the fact that I hadn't reset the ECU after the sensor change? SHould I reset it now or no need?
Thanx.
 
you can change the fuel filter...it is on the place that jug mentioned..ive changed mine without pulling out or touching the pump..just take off the plastic cover under the rear seats,at rear right wheel..you must to stop the pipe from pump..block it with something..and then just unscrew the screws and take filter out and change it with new
 
I'll quote you from the Haynes book what it says

"On later 1.6 Models and on All 1.2 models an inline Fuel filter isn't Fitted (Even though the plastic cover panel still appears under the Car)

It also says " ON These Models, the only Filters are fitted to the base of the fuel pump/sender unit inside the fuel tank- these are not routinely replaced."

so if your car is a 1.6 and 99 then there will be no inline filter as Jug as said earlier .. its all integrated in the fuel pump.

I too am having an annoying whistle noise from the back of the car each time I go heavy on the throttle... it could well be the pump... let us know how you get on if you ever decide to remove the pump.. I just want to know if the filter is easy to clean.

cheers :)
 
johntra said:
you can change the fuel filter...it is on the place that jug mentioned..ive changed mine without pulling out or touching the pump..just take off the plastic cover under the rear seats,at rear right wheel..you must to stop the pipe from pump..block it with something..and then just unscrew the screws and take filter out and change it with new
Click to expand...
hey John, thanks for the reply..... What is the model of your car? What year?
Maybe it's not the same as mine.... Also can you post some pics of the location and exactly what screws to remove?
I'd really appreciate it.
Thankyou again.
 
Bravicssimo said:
I'll quote you from the Haynes book what it says

"On later 1.6 Models and on All 1.2 models an inline Fuel filter isn't Fitted (Even though the plastic cover panel still appears under the Car)

It also says " ON These Models, the only Filters are fitted to the base of the fuel pump/sender unit inside the fuel tank- these are not routinely replaced."

so if your car is a 1.6 and 99 then there will be no inline filter as Jug as said earlier .. its all integrated in the fuel pump.

I too am having an annoying whistle noise from the back of the car each time I go heavy on the throttle... it could well be the pump... let us know how you get on if you ever decide to remove the pump.. I just want to know if the filter is easy to clean.

cheers :)
Click to expand...


Hey Bravicssimo, thanks for taking the time and consulting the Haynes manual, I've searched all around for this book and cannot find it, so I told my bro who lives in France to get me one from the Uk and send it to me.....
In my car I don't have any whisteling noise whatsoever so I know the pump is perfectly OK especially that it runs smoothly, but sometimes it gets sluggish like the fuel filter is choked or the lambda sensor needs replacing, but if I turn off the engine and back on in 5 seconds everything is normal again.... I have changed the lambda sensor 6000KM ago but didn't reset the ECU, do you think it matters?
Thankyou again.

PS: Does anyone knows exactly if and how I can remove the fuel pump myself and clean the filter without going to a garage? Is it complicated? Does Haynes have anything to say about this ?:)
 
Last edited:
braviccismo is right..i mean the haynes is right..mine brava is 1.6 but is mk1..98 model..that is why i can change the filter on my own..but that is very stupid from fiat or clever..one more instrument to take money from innocent owners..very sad..
 
OK, so here's where we're at: Fuel filter cannot be changed. Darn Fiats :mad:

Can anyone show me a way, I need to clean the filter myself. Can I do it alone or do I need a mechanic or special tools? Does Haynes say something about removing the fuel pump?
Can anyone help?
 
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