Hey peeps,

Am sure the regular FF - Cinq/sei section are definitely starting to see a common pattern with faults that comes with our beloved little cars. I guess, I'll make this thread and name several faults and feel free to add in any I miss.

Handbrakes -
Symptoms: Hand brake not holding the car –

Solutions: Usually requires a overhaul of the system including: Cable, shoe, elbow or actuator and drums.

Cooling problem –
Symptoms: The car tends to over heats in traffic or driving on motor way. –

Solutions: First bleed the system, if problem persist, it could be water pump, radiator problem and thermostat at fault and this could lead to head gasket to blow!

Head Gasket –
Symptoms: Mayo like substance around the oil cap or strong smell of oil in header tank. Or pressure test the engine and check if it returning similar pressure across 4 pot (Not sure about this, someone can confirm)

Solutions: New head gasket and skim the head, while you at it might as well change the water pump, timing belt and tensioners.

Headgasket - https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecento-seicento-guides/136702-cylinder-head-gasket-remove-refit.html
Cam belt - https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecento-seicento-guides/100553-cam-belt-change.html
Water Pump - https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecen...quecento-sporting-water-pump-replacement.html

Clutch cable –

Symptoms: Hard to get in gear with constant adjustment of the cable. Really when it snaps the peddle will be to the floor

Solutions: New cable, but this also implies your clutch is on the way out so start to save up prepare for a clutch change in the near future. Or possible the triangle plastic could of snapped as well.

https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecento-seicento-guides/56093-899-clutch-cable-replacement-guide.html

Earth lead problem –
Symptoms: There are just too many, to name a few, car dies soon after it starts, headlight flickers, cars dies when brake is applied. (Again good to have more opinions on this)

Solutions: Undo earth lead; give it a rub with sand paper, then cover with Vaseline.

Rear Arch rust –
Symptoms: Your boot will start to get wet real quick causes by the hole you may find.

Solutions: Nothing you can do, get someone to weld it!

Sunroof Leak:
Symptoms: Wet passenger seat

Solution: Not an idea! Someone fill in

https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecento-seicento-guides/101784-sunroof-removal-leak-fixes.html

Key problems:
Symptoms: Key light does not go out, and you can’t start the car

Solution: Try to start with your master key or red key, or get Mckritc Chip, this will decode the ECU

Rear Wheel Bearing

Symptoms: Squealing sound from the rear, jack the car up spin the wheel then you will hear the sound

Solution: change the rear wheel bearing; you will buy the whole unit including the hub. And must change the hub nut.

https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecen...cinquecento-rear-hub-bearing-replacement.html

Rear bushes

Symptoms: Hard to identify, will usually hear it when driving slowly or speed bumps

Solution: Take the arm off, and cut/press the bush out. Or can create your own tools as people have one

Rear Engine mount or the gearbox mount

Symptoms: Will hear a rattle under acceleration at low speed

Solution: Chane the mount, not a diffcult job

Cam cover leak:

Symptoms: Oil everywhere on the engine block

Solution: Change the gasket and making sure both the cam and engine surface are clean!

https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecen...val-refit-cam-cover-gasket-1108cc-engine.html

Ming

sigh! 90% of above - theyre all in the FAQ's and guides, maybe should just add to guides and FAQ's what is missing instead?

people never use them tho

Yeah i know, but the FAQ only covers little of the most common faults! Is defo alot of weird stuff there!

ming

Brooky said:

people never use them tho

Click to expand...

this thread will disappear into obscurity when everyone stops replying to it as well

Perhaps making the guides/FAQ's more obvious at top of cento page?

AppleSei said:

this thread will disappear into obscurity when everyone stops replying to it as well

Click to expand...

True that, hopefully will be someone somewhere that will search for common fault or something

ming

Hello, I'm new to forum.

Had my sei for 6 months now, been punishing the poor thing by doing a roundtrip to work of 70 miles a day.

I think the effects of this sustained abuse are starting to show.

I found this thread looking for a fix on my 2000 sei... glad I found it but also tastes like a poisoned challice now I see I might have to cough up for a new clutch.

Had to get RAC out to tow me home, 35 miles from the sliproad joining the M60, J23 last night. Clutch pedal dead to the floor, it felt like something had snapped.

Replaced the rocker cover gasket last week using forum info, many thanks.

hoping that repairing this one will be as straight forward.

clutch cable snapped or the quadrant snapped to be a bit more precise

if it happens again pretty quickly its new clutch time

Replaced the cable... it was the hook that pokes through the triangle plastic link that had snapped. is that bad? (apologies if that's not a very useful description - i once tried to fix a mountain bike pedal with an hammer )

anyway it's replaced and works fine.. just hope the next time it goes it isn't on the motorway at rush hour again.

Cheers

new clutch time im afraid. your cables snapped at the L end. Thats where the cables normally break tbh. only really do iyt when under strain when the bearings in the clutch go. was there much weight in the clutch pedal?, it should be super light.

Once they start snapping cables and quadrants, they will keep doing so until the clutch is changed. for reliability and peace of mind, change the clutch.

Yeah, I was guessing that was going to be the case (Karma is out to get me), should start looking around for prices.

The clutch does feel a lot lighter now though... is this still normal when on the road to clutch replacement?

I'm probably asking how long a piece of string is but i'll ask anyway... if this was the first clutch cable replacement how long should I expect to wait for the new one to break?

It's a 2000 W reg, it had 47,000 on the clock when I bought it last August. (currently 57,000)

How much should I expect to pay for full clutch replacement?

(Reaches for cold bottle of stella, slumped shoulders and sad face )

hmm tbh, i once had a snap cable changed it and it was fine for 3 years afterwards. It "might" be the clutch or you drive alot in town which the cable gets over used~

It is more than likly the clutch is on the way out but is not 100%.

Ming

if you've done 10,000 on that cable,who knows how long its been on before, so it "could" just be the cable has failed as ming says ,(the L end has been known to corode and fail) so it might not be all bad!!!, even though it could be the first signs of clutch death, i'd leave it tbh, if it goes again or if the clutch feels heavier again very soon, then change the clutch

as for how long they last if the clutch is dodgy... it varies hugely!!, i changed my clutch cable 3 times in 1000 miles a few years back, although the release bearing was totally shot on that one, lol, car had many other faults and i was squeezing what i could out of it before i got rid, or else i would have just changed the clutch.

sometimes youl feel a slight bang a bit before it goes, my cinq had this today, so i know its a matter of time till the pedal hits the floor and stays there! so its new clutch time for me too

EDIT- the fact you say its lighter now suggests to me though there was a bit of weight in the pedal? looks like it was under pressure before the cable gave up. if their is weight in the pedal, the clutch is going, a good cento clutch should be just off feather light

Cheers.

Thanks for the advice.

At least Ive got RAC cover now, 132quid to get home yesterday.. fairly cheap for a years cover and emergency extraction from the hard shoulder.

Apart from weekend & evening town driving I'm going to manchester every day down the M66/60 so I guess it is over-used sometimes, in stop start traffic/gridlock.

As advised, I'll just keep my eye on the pedal weight for now.

I hope it's not on it's way out (Rocker Cover and clutch cable in two weeks).

Most people take the mickey out of me at work, 6ft 1" lad drivin a Seicento but I love it. Out of all my previous cars (bar the subaru justy)it's the one I feel the most in control of and the most fun, like a go-cart with that turning circle - better than the justy. The clutch does seem a little unforgiving - I dont unintentionally wheel spin it much anymore

again, thanks for the help.. brilliant forum.