[charlie2005]

i have just bought a P reg Bravo I got it quite cheap as it has a problem,when the car has been run up to temperature then switched off the car refuses to start,the only way it will is if its either bumped or jumped started.It seems like the battery is flat when you try to start it with the key,but it cant be as ive charged the battery.I have noticed that when it ticking over theres an annoying sound coming from the engine bay which disapears when you rev the car,sounds like a fan belt squeaking but i cant find the alternator on the car and i have had to order a haynes manual which i get on monday so i cant check where it is situated.Any one have any suggestions????
By the way Hello all

[fiat_-_bravo]

Hi what engine is in it?

[Helz]

Hello and welcome I'll go with the idea of a slipping fanbelt if there's some squealing from under the bonnet. As above, if you can tell us which engine you have, someone will know exactly where it is

[charlie2005]

Hello its a 1.4 sx,After i got the car up to running temperature and switched it off i left the engine to cool right down and went back out and tried to start it and i did no probs so the car will start when cold someone please help

[jug]

hot starting problems are often due to a faulty lambda sensor. however if the starter motor seems to turn the engine more slowly when this hot starting problem occurs (like battery is flat), it usually means the wiring between the starter motor and battery has a corroded connection that has increased resistance when hot. to fix this you need to clean up the connections on the battery, starter motor and earth strap. the earth strap is the mos tocmmon cause of this problem. your haynes manual will help with this.

[charlie2005]

The engine wont turn at all when the car is hot and all the lights on the dash disapear when you turn the key,like the battery is completly flat.I.ll check all wiring on the car cheers mate

[jug]

in that case it sounds like your earth strap is severely corroded, often due to the clutch slave cylinder leaking fluid onto it.

[charlie2005]

Cheers mate gives me a place to start i've noticed a horrible noise coming from below the inlet manifold now , like a knocking noise which gets quieter the more the car is reved

[jug]

Originally Posted by charlie2005 Cheers mate gives me a place to start i've noticed a horrible noise coming from below the inlet manifold now , like a knocking noise which gets quieter the more the car is reved

on a 1.4 thats very common, and due to a lack of oil circulation around the head. eventually the camshaft lobes will wear down and the tappets will fail and it'll sound like a bag of hammers. to avoid the inevitable you should clean up the oil flinger bar, and the oil pick up pipe, and change the oil regularly, using engine flush at every change.

[charlie2005]

Having looked through the service history that came with the car i have a receipt from May this year for 500 quid for a new camshaft and oil spray bar that seems to have been replaced by a garage,im gonna start by changing the aux belt and maybe the autmatic tensioner as it appears the belt is rubbing on the plastic casing surrounding the belt.If i can sort it i'll have myself a bargin for 100.00 quid if not i guess i'll be breaking the cars for spares

[jug]

Originally Posted by charlie2005 Having looked through the service history that came with the car i have a receipt from May this year for 500 quid for a new camshaft and oil spray bar that seems to have been replaced by a garage,

thats excellent news, it makes the car worth keeping because the camshaft issue is by far the biggest problem with the 1.4.
however if the camshaft died i bet they didnt clean out the oil pick up pipe, so the new camshaft wont last long as little or no oil will be getting to it. that lack of oil will probably be causing the hydraulic tappets to tap.

[charlie2005]

Is the pick up pipe located in the sump? and does it travel the height of the engine or am i on the wrong lines?

[jug]

yeah the pick up pipe is where the oil is sucked up in the sump by the oil pump. if you can give it a good clean out with some parrafin it'll be well worth the hassle. do a forum search for "pick up pipe" and you should find posts from someone who has done it a few times (i remember their posts), ask their advice as i've never done it before so i cant say exactly how to do it.

[charlie2005]

Ok will do mate hope it makes the noise disapear
Once again thanks for your help

[fiat_-_bravo]

The engine is'nt to bad if you service it regularly. Don't get me wrong it's not the best.

What i done is I bought a new oil feed pipe which is in the head. I keep one in a bath of parafin and one in the car and alternate them when i service the car which I do every 6,000 miles.

Every week i get the car warm and take off the oil cap to make sure oil is splashing abouth the head.

If you look for a 1.4 in th scrap yards you can guarantee the first things to be removed off them is the cam and follwers always so you may have to search for an oil feed pipe because they always get damaged when people remove the cam etc.

If I knew what I know now about the 1.4 to be honnest I would never have of bought it. I was going to swap for the 1.6 but i have done my maths and with a bit of saving just after next christmas I'm swapping it for a Stilo so I am more than happy to keep it.