Hi, new to the forum and hoping I can get some help! Have an amazing orange Grande Punto Multijet 2008. For the last year (I've only owned it for 18 months), it has developed a starting problem. It always starts first time when engine is cold, whatever the weather. BUT....when I go to start it an hour or so after doing a short journey, it won't start. sometimes 3 times, but now 4, 5 or 6 goes. Always after a break after a short journey (when it's neither hot nor cold?) Recently too the engine has cut off when I'm turing the key, Ive had a bleep with the message 'excess radiator fluid temp, turn off engine and restart' almost every time. The car went to a Fiat specialist this week and he replaced the EGR valve and the TDC sensor as I also had had the 'injection system failure' dashboard light come on. He found a fault code for the alternator but checked that and it was charging fine. The problem has reoccurred today and now I cannot start the car at all, as its run the battery almost flat. Can anyone help please?

try changing the battery they like them to be in tip top condition or they will act up

Mine is doing the same i put a post on a few weeks ago but no body knows the answer !!!!! Let me know is you find a cure !

Yeah they chew through batterys

hi i have a fiat punto, for afew days now my car seems to be struggling to get power. it wont go above 40mph and struggles to go up hills, then all of a sudden its like i feel a relase of the accelarator pedal and it goes fine again. however maybe half an hour later it struggles again and i have to lower gears and it struggles to gain speed. this used to happen very random for short time, now its every day for longer.

Unfortunately this is a common fault mine does it. (Especially on short journeys) According to fiat this can be fixed by a software update from fiat (around 35pounds)

I find turn everything off, lights, heater, radio.< anything that draws power. Turn it off.

Press clutch in, wait for glow plug light to go off and start the car.

If it stops and gives you the warning, turn off, turn key...wait... Turn off key and then repeat process (but go ahead to start the car)

I find this method helps allot.

You will have to live with it

Also to add to the topic, my car, since having a 'check glow plug warning' on the dash I don't experience the problem as often! (Yes I know I need to replace them)

friend has the computer and when he went to reset the service trip he did the start up update as well but there is no diffrence in the car starting this is really starting to bugg me now as it did not do it to start with have had new bat new plugs and had all the wires looked at and tested and the relay but no anwser still being a B***H to start so got new plugs again after only 3 months going to fiat to have them fitted this time hoping this will resolve the problem will find out on the 9th will keep you posted

Not directly related but I had the "excess radiator temp" warning come up on mine and took it to fiat for the update.

Last week had a brand new battery and the problem is still there.

Basically the software update didn't solve anything, not sure wether this is the same for anyone else.

yep had the update and no change in the way that it starts its turns over for longer then it should hate it when people are looking at you like wft is up with your car and i no abit abouts cars so not going to spend a huge amount of money for fiat to think they have solved the problem

update in the end took the car to fiat for a full test turns out the cars glow plug relay is not working at all so today as its payday went a got a new 116.33 from fiat and after work tonight will find out if it's problem solved fingers crossed. Will let you know tonight

update no change in the starting back to fiat for more testing and the return of the relay will try later but no improvement on normal

Have a look if the radiator fan comes on when you first turn on the ignition. I had a similar sounding problem on a car (not a Fiat) and discovered the fan was coming on as the temperature sensor was faulty and was making the car think it was hit. That affected the air/fuel ratio to the point where it wouldn't start or would start and instantly die.

Eventually tracked it down to the engine temperature sensor which cost about £4 to buy and a fortune to fit, as you had to dismantle half the engine to get to it.

Good luck in finding the fault

You know, reading this thread where people go to the dealer with a specific problem and have expensive parts replaced without curing the problem makes for very despairing reading. I mean, these outfits have all the kit, resources and one would hope, the skill and experience to properly repair the very cars they sell.

One chap above had a glowplug relay replaced at a cost over £100 that made no difference. Why not march back in and say "hey, your diagnosis is wrong and I'm out of pocket because of it. I'd like my money and original relay back please". After all, you've paid heavily for it...

The number of times I read similar stories about main dealer garages- and not just Fiat - seemingly replacing parts on a hit-and-hope basis and levying the customer with high charges and no cure to their problem is very worrying. Skilled mechanics might be very good at stripping and rebuilding engines, but modern diagnostics is far closer to electronics and computers than to mechanical engineering. I do wonder some times if the manufacturers and dealers realise this when it comes to skilling and equipping modern service departments. Yes there are excellent techies out there - and quite a few post on here too - but from reading stories here and my own personal experiences a few years ago with my wife's car in a Ford dealer, there are service departments that struggle to get to grips with what shouldn't be insurmountable problems. I've now invested in my own kit and do my own diagnostics rather than hand over to a main dealer, simply because I don't have sufficient confidence in them. And if I do hit an obstacle that I can't get around then I'll engage the services of an independent who I know is competent to do proper diagnostic and repair, rather than swapping bits in the hope that they've sussed what part is faulty.

I'm probablythe one your on about im taking the relay back tomorrow and the thing I have tried everything that should possible related to causing the issue and I'm going back to the dealer for the final time tomorrowso they can retest the car as I have paid and they said the relay is the issue and its clearly not that at all I love the car but I just want it to start like a modern car should. I really don't no what to do now and can't afford to just keep on trying guessing what it is if any one has fixed it or could provide me with any help other the main dealer glow plugs relay battery egr turning everything off when startingand pressing the clutch as I no this and its not fixing what's wrong

http://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=268&sku=28237

I'd try that for the sake of a tenner.

jake06 said:

I'm probablythe one your on about im taking the relay back tomorrow and the thing I have tried everything that should possible related to causing the issue and I'm going back to the dealer for the final time tomorrowso they can retest the car as I have paid and they said the relay is the issue and its clearly not that at all I love the car but I just want it to start like a modern car should. I really don't no what to do now and can't afford to just keep on trying guessing what it is if any one has fixed it or could provide me with any help other the main dealer glow plugs relay battery egr turning everything off when startingand pressing the clutch as I no this and its not fixing what's wrong

Click to expand...

First of all let me start by offering you my sympathies: there is nothing worse than a car which refuses to be fixed. The relay in your case your should have been easy enough to test in situ without recourse to having to replace it. The dealers scan tool can be used to actuate the relay and test it. Equally, a glow plug or cold start issue with the glow plug circuit and the relay should result in a fault code being logged.

If this were my car, I'd leave the car with the dealer overnight and let them read the live data when cold to see if it is or isn't a sensor issue. It could be something like a clogged fuel filter or something allowing the ingress of air into the fuel system, or something else which isn't electrical or engine management related. Again, not something that should tax a competent service department.

Will find out tomorrow or Wednesday maven ordered it is there a guide for fitting

No, no guide yet. Feel free to write one!

What I can help you with is the part's diagram from ePER (Fiat's Part catalogue).



It's part number 11 and screw's into the thermostat housing (make sure your engine's cold!!).

Also a good idea to disconnect negative terminal due to it being an electrical sensor

new fuel and cold start sensor fitted today but still no change

My 2007 GP Multijet starts as follows:-
1. From cold in morning, turn ignition on, wait for glo light to go out and then the fuel pump noise to stop, ie fuel rail is fully pressurised. Start engine. Goes almost right away. Crank - crank - crank- start.
2. Hot start, turn key, it goes.
Why? Full fuel pressure = more fuel atomisation when engine is cold.
Cause? My guess is a weak fuel pump or battery but waiting for it to do something more.
Note: have replaced 2 glow plugs already in 90,000 km.
Do get the "high coolant temp" warning very infrequently, even when stone cold. I don't worry as it goes away on restart. Could point to weak battery voltage causing a sensor to misread.
Hope this helps.