Hi all. My Croma 2.4 2006 is sometimes totally dead when parking over night and also shorter periods. Now it has even died during driving! All lights out and not a sound when turning the key. Then if I just touch the (new) battery it works just fine again for a shorter or longer period. No battery cables loose. No blown fuses. Could it be a bad ground cable? Any idea?

Sounds just like a bad connection, take the contacts off the battery and clean the clamp and the battery pillar.
The fact that you get a "return of power" by simply touching the contacts seems to rule out an earth lead strap anywhere else .

Sorry for my late reply, the only time I've got a absolutely dead Croma was during replacing the supply cable for the "pas" system. The cable that runs direct from the battery to the steering motor. I am sure the bad connection between cable and motor was the reason of a dead Croma. It is known, this cable connection, (running between engine and bulk head) often creates problems (intermittent) during driving and engine starts. It is possible to press the plug fully home from above.

Thanks for the answer! And replacing the "pas" cable will solve the promlem? Easy job? Expensive part?

lilliehorn said:

Thanks for the answer! And replacing the "pas" cable will solve the promlem? Easy job? Expensive part?

Click to expand...

Somethimes the automatic steering stopped working for a few seconds, after reading on the forum I found the cable from battery to steering pump could be the reason, there is a lot of info concerning the pas problem on here. I ordered a new cable p/n 51844351-1 about € 55. During replacing I felt the old cable connection was loose. I fastened it as good as possible with my bare hands (difficult place to develop much power), hereafter the car was dead as a dodo. Then I took a piece of wood and pressed the plug fully home, this solved the problem.
You have to find the steering pump (see picture) situated between engine and fire wall or bulk head. There you wil find the connector, part of a thick red cable who is part of a loom or cable tree, this cable runs direct to the battery. If there is a need for replacing, the red cable only needs to exchanged, the rest of the loom can stay.

Hhttps://www.fiatforum.com/members/lilliehorn/i if your Croma is completely electricly dead even itermitantly it could well be the multi conector plug behind the plastic trim on the steering column left hand side. This thing caused me some stress when i got a bit exited with the up down in out feature.To get at it remove the top and bottom column trim look down the left hand side and push the thing back in. Worth a try
https://www.fiatforum.com/members/lilliehorn/