Well hello all this is my first post, Im usually a bit more giving to begin with on a forum so please excuse my first post being so long winded OK here we go.......

I have purchased a W reg 2000 Fiat Marea 1.8 ELX, it was an out and out bargain but has come with a huge list of problems I could do with some advice about:

1/ Engine rattle on top end (I presume) This is a bit of wierd one, the cam belt and tensioner was changed by the previous owner about 5 months ago when I collected the car and drove home I noticed a rattle but only if you accelerate quite hard when you let off the accelerator the rattle is more noticeable. Next day I checked the oil and t was low so I threw in a carton of STP for good measure and about a litre and half of oil still rattles. Any idea Im presuming a cam issue? was thinking of just looking out for a complete head? Will this gradually get noisier but keep on running?

2/ BOY RACER MOBILE No offence to anybody but my word how teenagers can destroy cars!! A full through exhaust de-catted the lot sounds quite nice to me a bit like a rally car but not ideal for the kids taxi!! Managed to source new cat and exhaust for about £120 delivered I take it this is good?

3/ Injector carrot light on on dashboard and also a bit of a blubber when cold presume this will be mainly t do with that dam exhaust!!??

4/ Car wanders all over the road literally mainly when accelerating or braking. After reading the forum I understand it is probably bottom arms?

5/ Head lining goosed been ripped in the back for some reason, I live in the sticks in Pembrokeshire so cant source one locally anyone any idea of a good web based scrappy?

6/ SUre there is an alternator or battery fault again under load (lights, max demist so air con and rear demister) the lights fade a little and this evening the petrol gauge plummeted and the petrol warning light came on even though ther is at least 20 quid in the tank. Then when restarted half hour later all back to normal?

7/ Car doesnt get warm radiator fan constantly on. Im presuming this isnt normal anyone have any idea how I can rectify this?

8/ Gearbox/clutch noise everything normal until you touch the clutch pedal you only need to literally touch it and there is a whining sound when you release the pedal it is gone. Thrust bearing?? If so will it just continue to be noisy? Can I then just replace it when the clutch goes whenever that may be?

Im sure there are probably another couple of points but I cant think of the top of my head these are the important ones anyhow.

This is my first FIat and I have always been a fan of the Marea for looks etc so Im still happy it was cheap so cant complain top much. I think its more a case of this one being abused to be honest.

Any help or advice you can give me in resolving these issues would be greatly appreciated

Thanks In Advance


Chris

The fan is controlled from the ECU, it looks at an input from a thermistor on the thermostat housing. Even with fan jammed on t stat should close and water should get warm. The fan on my car hardly ever cuts in unless I put the air on, then you will hear and feel it kick in at a standstill. I did post some pics of a missing 1/2 speed resistor, (on a 1.8) so have a look at my threads. We have had our Weekend for 7 years now and it has lasted better than a lot of silver painted German metal around here. The top end may be little end bearings, you may be best with replacement engine from a scrapper.

Hiya Renegade thanks for the reply, I will take a look at your other posts now to try and find that pic, Im really pleased with the car on the whole I did buy it knowing about 50% of the problems the other 50% were a free bonus I suppose

Little end bearings? Sorry Im a bit mechanically minded not much though would a head replacement cure this?

Thanks again

Chris

Anyone else have any other comments?

1.. take off the oil filler cap whilst idling, if the rattle gets louder you can assume its from the top end. pull the cam covers and inspect the valvetrain.. head replacement wont cure little end bearings, they are on the pistons/conrods - and unlikely to be a problem anyway.

2.. sounds an ok price - you'll have a problem with MOT's if the cat is missing.. noise is nice though

3.. are plugs/leads/coilpack in good condition ?. any bad misfiring could cause the light, but best to get a diagnostic done to see whats wrong.. local garages with good diagnostic gear may be able to help if FIAT dealership not nearby..

4.. wishbones and track rod ends/tracking

5.. eh...

6.. is the battery light coming on when this happens ?. get a multimeter and measure voltage at the battery whilst idling and headlights/fan switched on (not AC). should be no less than 13V and no more than 14.5V. If not ok, check connections to alternator and battery. also battery to engine and body earth leads.. if ok then replace or recondition alternator.

7.. disconnect the fan and see what happens (be careful, keep fingers away). If temp rises to halfway on the gauge, go for a drive and see if temperature is stable. If it drops while driving, the thermostat is probably past its best.. fan being stuck on may be caused by stuck relay or sensor/ECU/wiring problem. swap with another relay and see if it goes off..

8.. release bearing. will eventually disintegrate and wreck the clutch fingers if not replaced.. might as well do clutch at the same time..


Its been abused a bit alright :bang:

Owen.

Thanks Owen you have given me plenty to try there, I will do all of that today and report back later tonight

Are the clutches difficult to do on these? Any specialist tools needed?

Thanks

Chris

http://www.digest.net/alfa/archive/v8/msg11302.html

Rather than type a lot about little ends. I'm not saying it is that, just that its another candidate at the top of the engine.

1/ tapping noise would suggest a dry tappet, clicking noise would suggest a faulty relay or a spark to the head from a faulty coil, rattle would suggest something loose or a cambelt related issue.

2/ £120 is a good price if it is in good condition. it would cost you more than 3 times as much new.

3/ injection light should be thought of as the engine management light, it means the ecu is detecting a fault occuring. a diagnostic will give you the faul code(s) to identify the fault(s)

4/ yes probably bottom arms.

5/ ebay, find someone breaking one, it'll be much cheaper, but i dont know how they'll post it so the closest scrapyard may be a bettter option.

6/ i think the fuel gauge issue is sepereate, and due to a dodgy connection behind the instuemtn cluset, a thump sohuld fix it. the dimming lights could be alt or batt so get your multimeter out and do some tests.

7/ this is 2 problems, 1 is your heater matrix is dry, which is usualy due to a leka in the cooling system, especially the ehad gasket. the cooling fan is staying on because someone has wires it up to the ignition, which is often done to combat coolant leaking (again usually head gasket) overheating problems.

8/ Thrust bearing. usually they last for years when noisey, but occasionally then can suddenly fail, leaving you stranded. the clutch plate usualy doesnt last much longer than the thrust bearing so expect a clutch change soon.

Wow thanks for all your replies there is some really useful info there, I havent had chance to look at the car any further yet due to the weather, we are having some terrible winds here in Pembrokeshie at the mo and apparantly we are all to be covered with snow soon!!!

@Renegade, thanks for the link I will check that out now

@Jug Thanks for all the info much appreciated, the exhaust and Cat is new for £120 Good old Ebay lol from some place in Germany that makes them lol, Im thinking now maybe a battery problem for 2 reasons, it all dims fantastically when the engine is switched off and the battery is tiny looks like something of a mini!! SO I have a heavy duty one thats only 3 months old on my Astra so Im going to do a swap. I dont have the red key do you think I will be OK disconnecting the battery?

That exhaust HAS to go asap, I have put 20 quid in it this week and so far it has returned a grand total of 77 miles and the petrol light is on!! Presuming something to do with the exhaust mainly.

I know its a bit of a long shot but......... Do any of you think that this rattling noise could be down to this silly exhaust that is on it at the moment? Excuse me now I dont have the greatest mechanical mind really but I know engines have pressure in them and without the cat and the silencer boxes wont the pressure be affected?

Im trying to weigh up in my mind if this is worth repairing or breaking, it only stands me at £280 so was cheap as chips for a 2000 W reg, I see it as being worth a grand with all the work done and a full MOT (it is still MOT'd until the end of March) so I have a bit of space to move before I end up with it owing me a fortune.

What do you all think?

Should I break it or repair it? Having a load of trouble sourcing a cylinder head the the moment so I dont know what to do.

Is it worth breaking? Do these parts sell for anything worth all the trouble? Should I just throw it in the paper or on Ebay and get rid of it?

I do love the car and it is a shame but to repair it completely Im going to have to commit to it fully what do you all reckon?

Thanks in advance

Chris

dont worry about red key, fit the battery and exhaust, then see where you stand. i'm sure you can fix this car up cheaply, and then either keep it or sell for a profit, either way its worth it.

My exhaust came from Germany, it was a steal but a pig to fit so if you get it on without putting the car on a lift you are a hero in my eyes. Actually I think fixing up this car is a good idea, Marea weekends are just terrific workhorses and have very high quality fittings and trim, and a galvanised body that lasts very well. If you fix it up for £500 and run for 2 years and then sell it for £300 (has to always be worth that at auction if it looks and goes OK) then you have done pretty good
Re exhaust, I had to use my good friend Dave's lift, and it took two of us plus a a large piece of gas pipe and some nerve to bend those mounting prongs you can see to get the exhaust to lay nicely and not foul the heatshield on bumps. Once on, no prob at all.

Hi all

@ Jug thanks for the heads up I had a funny feeling it may turn out to be a nightmare being so cheap!

UPDATE: I have the chance of buying another 2000 W reg Marea, 2 injectors have failed and allowed fuel through to the cat and middlebox and ignited it so still needs a new cat and middle box, still starts but runs like a lawnmower apparantly, my thinking if its easy enough to do (advice needed on that) what do you think to me taking 2 injecotrs of mine jumping on the train and getting this other marea, replacing the 2 knackered injectors with the 2 off mine (or all 4 if that would be better) then driving it home?

What do you all think to that? Could a mechanical "noviceish" do sucha thing?

This other marea is mot'd till aug so I would then use that one and strip mine for a load of spares???

Advice needed

many thanks

Chris Broadhurst

Ignore my last post the donor was a 1.6 huh

Never mind back to plan A better dust me socket set off!