I have a twin air 4x4 three years old and stop/start stopped working recently. I disconnected the quick release on the negative side of the battery and also what appears to be a connection on the negative side of the battery for the stop/start. This is a plastic plug with small tab you press to disconnect the sensor cable. Left both disconnected for 10 mins. Reconnected by plugging sensor connector in again followed by reconnecting the quick release connection. Drove car for around 5 miles to ensure engine warmed up and then stopped to check if system working. Bingo.....working again.
NB...because battery disconnected you need to reset clock and date etc etc

Don’t worry, it’ll stop working again soon! After 3 years I’d reckon your battery needs replacing if you want SS to work properly, all you did was reset the intelligent (oxymoron) battery sensor so it’ll work out soon enough that the battery isent up to scratch

I often wonder about reliability on SS cars. Surely starters and batteries are under a lot of stress. Also ring gear wear has to be greater. If I was unfortunate to have a car with SS id disable it, a pound saved a month is nothing compared to batteries, starters and a new ring gear.

murphyv310 said:

I often wonder about reliability on SS cars. Surely starters and batteries are under a lot of stress. Also ring gear wear has to be greater. If I was unfortunate to have a car with SS id disable it, a pound saved a month is nothing compared to batteries, starters and a new ring gear.

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Starter motors are beefed up.

Have a look on here - how many with SS are posting about having to change their starter motors?

Most Easterly Pandas said:

Starter motors are beefed up.

Have a look on here - how many with SS are posting about having to change their starter motors?

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They are - I thought the batteries were too. I agree that certain components will experience heavier use. I don't have mine 'deployed' all the time - especially driving through tailbacks in the winter for example - for me it was less about saving fuel and more about not idling unnecessarily in towns and cities (and the effect that it has on air quality).
The aspect I was most worried about was the turbo - I'm quite careful to never let it deploy if I've been working the engine hard without a 'warm-down' period of driving.

JCarp16 said:

I thought the batteries were too.

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They are, but still only seem to last 3-4yrs, even when kept in optimal condition. IMO the extra cost of battery replacement alone is likely to exceed any fuel saving benefits for most drivers.

JCarp16 said:

The aspect I was most worried about was the turbo - I'm quite careful to never let it deploy if I've been working the engine hard without a 'warm-down' period of driving.

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That would worry me also. Not allowing the engine to shut down immediately after brisk driving would seem a wise precaution and it it unfortunate that the car does not do this automatically.

I have to admit, on Turbo engine's I'm also slightly wary for the same reasons you've both mentioned.

Most Easterly Pandas said:

I have to admit, on Turbo engine's I'm also slightly wary for the same reasons you've both mentioned.

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Same here, when stopping at a motorway/autoroute/autostrada station it concerns me that the engine stops immediately.

jrkitching said:

IMO the extra cost of battery replacement alone is likely to exceed any fuel saving benefits for most drivers.

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I suspect that if you're a motor manufacturer with older-tech engines or newer-tech engines with questionable real-world economy, your focus would be on trying anything low in manufacturing spend to achieve better lab emission results.

The long-term implications and real-world gains would be a matter for the consumer to assess and evaluate.

Needless to say, I don't use S/S. I also don't free-wheel down hills with the engine off like my dad used to years ago though.

AB100 said:

I suspect that if you're a motor manufacturer with older-tech engines or newer-tech engines with questionable real-world economy, your focus would be on trying anything low in manufacturing spend to achieve better lab emission results.

The long-term implications and real-world gains would be a matter for the consumer to assess and evaluate.

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:yeahthat:

Exactly.

Hi.
Well my Dad also freewheeled as the Rover P4 he had was equipped with it. All well and good till one time with yours truly in the car he was running out of road to slow in time for a roundabout, to engage fixed wheel the revs have to be brought up and a wheel rotated below the dash, he managed it and slammed it in to second as well as standing on the brakes and bending the steering wheel. Quite a feat and I lived to tell the tale. Shortly after he bought a Singer Chamois.
That was interesting as it would happily do 55mpg, 875cc so we really haven't moved much on fuel consumption in 50 odd years.

murphyv310 said:

Shortly after he bought a Singer Chamois. That was interesting as it would happily do 55mpg, 875cc so we really haven't moved much on fuel consumption in 50 odd years.

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Ah, memories! I had a lovely dark green Sunbeam Stiletto in the 70s which was an absolute hoot to drive, except at speed and in the wet, when it was often terrifying (even with a bag of sand under the bonnet to weight up the steering and improve the straight line stability).

I always thought it was aptly named - Stiletto - because in the wrong conditions it would metaphorically knife you silently between the shoulder-blades without warning. But it was much more fun than my Cross TA (and it felt a lot quicker too, although I see that its official 0-60 was a leisurely 16 seconds lol!!).

Back on topic, today my Cross hit the 30k mark - and it's still only had one brief outing in the snow! So far, nothing's broken or fallen off, it's not needed any warranty work, and it still looks very smart when washed (which happens very rarely). I still find the seats and driving position (and the cupholders!) abysmal, it's unacceptably raucous through the gears, and the fuel consumption continues to disappoint. It hasn't (yet) inspired my affection in the way that our mark 1 & 2 Pandas did, although it has earned my respect.

And it's yellow, which helps to compensate for its faults.

gar074 said:

Ah, memories! I had a lovely dark green Sunbeam Stiletto in the 70s which was an absolute hoot to drive..

Back on topic, today my Cross hit the 30k mark - and it's still only had one brief outing in the snow! So far, nothing's broken or fallen off, it's not needed any warranty work, and it still looks very smart when washed (which happens very rarely). I still find the seats and driving position (and the cupholders!) abysmal, it's unacceptably raucous through the gears, and the fuel consumption continues to disappoint. It hasn't (yet) inspired my affection in the way that our mark 1 & 2 Pandas did, although it has earned my respect.

And it's yellow, which helps to compensate for its faults.

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The engine in the Stiletto/Hillman Imp was designed by Coventry Climax, makers of firepump and Grand Prix motors.

It's odd, isn't it - my 4x4 TA has been satisfactory in every way - apart, perhaps, from mpg - but it hasn't wormed its way into my affections either, unlike the preceding 100HP. The subjective issues around cars are a mystery.

I love 'carton of milk' holder that allows me to stow a litre of milk in front of the stubby handbrake. It's probably not for that... but it complements the 'loaf of bread' holder on the passenger-side dash perfectly.

I used to own an Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 Veloce Multi Air with S/S technology, it was just out of warranty when I bought it and the S/S practically never worked and that drove me bat****. In the end I replaced the battery that was fine in every other aspect and spent a few bob on a top of the range Yuasa battery and it was fine after that. You have to bear in mind what others have said, the system is sensitive to load etc, so if the engine is still cold it will not kick in or if the outside temperature is too low or if the heating fan is on max or the other systems are drawing a lot of juice such as heated seats and front window etc, it's all part of the intelligent circuitry.

It never worked on my two Panda's 85 Lounge, and i do no longer bother to get it working.

Bumping an old thread. Noticed in my 2013 4x4 it hasn't worked since I got it even when switched on. Not a major problem, but I'll try pulling the "F90" fuse in the engine bay and clean it up. Not checked how old the battery is since I got the car on hogmany so this could also be an issue. It will be getting a health check anyway when my new front tyres are fitted tomorrow

Mouse1903 said:

Bumping an old thread. Noticed in my 2013 4x4 it hasn't worked since I got it even when switched on. Not a major problem, but I'll try pulling the "F90" fuse in the engine bay and clean it up. Not checked how old the battery is since I got the car on hogmany so this could also be an issue. It will be getting a health check anyway when my new front tyres are fitted tomorrow

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Are you getting the Yellow (!) on the dash after about 5 mins along with it just not working?

atronic said:

Are you getting the Yellow (!) on the dash after about 5 mins along with it just not working?

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No yellow warnings at all

You don’t generally get a warning if stop/start isn’t going to work.
There is a voltage sensor connected to the battery. Under many circumstances this wil prevent s/s from operating. First up - if there’s a high demand on the battery (eg headlights on, heated screen or seats, only just started after a cold night, several previous starts… etc). Second - temperature. The ability of a battery to hold a good charge drops with lowering temperature. And thirdly of course, if the battery is not in the best of health. My three and a half year old diesel 4x4 now does many fewer miles that it used to (I retired from a 50 mile daily round trip commute - now maybe 100 miles a week). Previously it stopped and started every time the car was stopped. Now maybe three out of five. And often it will restart while sitting ‘off’ in traffic as it senses the battery voltage is dropping too low while stationary. On a cold dark night with the blower going, it doesn’t turn off. The system that is there to protect the battery (to be sure you always can start again) is doing its job. If the car is not being used daily and doing 20 miles or more a day, the stop/start system is very likely to reduce the number of times it turns the engine off and will in time deactivate altogether. A new battery (making sure it’s tbe right stop/start version) will bring it back into operation but unless the car sees daily use it will deteriorate again in time. This is not a Fiat thing - all s/s cars work (or don’t!) this way.