No problems with meters etc been doing electronics for 50 years lol. but thanks for info. the trouble is as I have said . as the fault is only there in the worst places ie. at busy road junctions etc. and we can get the car started again then it may be ok for weeks . but we know it will FAIL just dont know when! So when it is ok there are no faulty parts to test . and I dont fancy changing the wiring loom and icu's etc on the off chance one or other is intermittant. it now sits on our drive like a naughty girl and my wife will not drive it any where just incase it gives up on her again.

Intermittent electrical gremlins are indeed hard to trace down and fix and the impact on reliability is enough to present a safety issue. I also would not let a family member drive a car that was unpredictable. I had a 1965 Triumph Spitfire that had the uncanny knack of stranding me at the worst possible time in the worst possible weather conditions lol. So BTDT. When it drove right, she purred like a kitten and was an extreme babe magnet. When she misbehaved, I wanted to part her out and leave it in a junk-yard. It was the qunitessential love-hate relationship.

mrgondo said:

If you can buy a simple analog or digital $25.00 VOM (Volt Ohmeter) from Radio Shack, It will assist you in diagnosing electrical troubles on FIATs. Just set the DC reading meter to 12 Volt range. Electrical ignition troubleshooting 101 for any car is really the process of elimination. Swap good parts for suspected bad parts one at a time until the defective one is identified. Test the defective part on a bench when possible and carefully inspect for cracks, or short circuits. If you follow this methodology, you will be able to identify the defective part or component.

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If your car was made this century, this is no longer the case I'm afraid. Sure, a few things can be checked, but most things are indicated by the integrated systems and often relayed on the dash as well. ECUs control EVERYTHING on a modern FIAT.

yep not the easyest things now . not like in the days of the 127's and 128's so simple then