Technical 57 1.2 Eleganza - Jerking/kangarooing/flat spot
- Thread starter Honda Owner
- Start date
Currently reading:
Technical 57 1.2 Eleganza - Jerking/kangarooing/flat spot
Honda Owner
New member
To bring this thread to a conclusion, I am pleased to say that my father's car is now running smoothly again, following some apparently minor attention at his local Fiat dealer a couple of weeks ago.
He visited this dealer to obtain some of the specified fluid for the gearbox/clutch system and, while there, decided to ask for advice. He was told that the solution was likely to be simple and agreed to let them take a look a few days later. The fluid level was found to be correct (apparently it is only possible to check this properly from underneath the car, with the vehicle well up in the air) but - as described on the invoice - the dealer then undertook a 'system decompression' and also carried out an ECU 'configuration test' which has resulted in the clutch now operating smoothly and able to hold the car on an incline.
It is not clear to me exactly what 'system decompression' and 'configuration test' means! I assume the former means that air was bled/purged from the system and the latter could mean that the ECU software was upgraded... can anyone confirm this?
Including a 30 minute test drive carried out by the mechanic, the total bill was only 50 something pounds, so it seems very reasonable. I would therefore suggest that anybody having similar clutch engagement problems should consult their local Fiat dealer!
He visited this dealer to obtain some of the specified fluid for the gearbox/clutch system and, while there, decided to ask for advice. He was told that the solution was likely to be simple and agreed to let them take a look a few days later. The fluid level was found to be correct (apparently it is only possible to check this properly from underneath the car, with the vehicle well up in the air) but - as described on the invoice - the dealer then undertook a 'system decompression' and also carried out an ECU 'configuration test' which has resulted in the clutch now operating smoothly and able to hold the car on an incline.
It is not clear to me exactly what 'system decompression' and 'configuration test' means! I assume the former means that air was bled/purged from the system and the latter could mean that the ECU software was upgraded... can anyone confirm this?
Including a 30 minute test drive carried out by the mechanic, the total bill was only 50 something pounds, so it seems very reasonable. I would therefore suggest that anybody having similar clutch engagement problems should consult their local Fiat dealer!
Correct, configuration is the ECU relearning the gearbox / clutch (wear) parameters, not a software update. All can be done with multiECUscan software also if needed in the future
Honda Owner
New member
In that case, I'm assuming that the 'test configuration' is exactly what varesecrazy (Charlie) did when he visited my father and connected up his version of MES, but unfortunately this made little difference.Correct, configuration is the ECU relearning the gearbox / clutch (wear) parameters, not a software update. All can be done with multiECUscan software also if needed in the future
So it seems likely that the 'system decompression' (purge?) was what really fixed the problem.
Last edited:
Yep, it would have removed any air from the system which was probably causing the clutch bouncing.
Honda Owner
New member
That sounds reasonable... Charlie was unable to undertake this procedure as they were unable to check the fluid level beforehand (and had no fresh fluid to top the system up with).
But how did the air get in?
Possibly low fluid, or if its sat for an extremely long period of time and the system lost all pressure, then when repressurised air may have been reintroduced, as the reservoir isn't an air tight one if that makes sense?
Honda Owner
New member
Actually, the fluid was found by the dealer to be at the maximum level. It's a mystery!
I should really give proper credit to the dealer... Eden Fiat, Basingstoke.
RE-READING THIS.. IT REMAINS A MYSTERY , AS "LORE" HAS IT THAT THE SYSTEMS ARE not filled FROM NEW, JUST ABOVE THE MIN-LINE APPEARS THE NORM..,
:idea: maybe this level was taken BEFORE purging the air..??
Honda Owner
New member
Maybe.RE-READING THIS.. IT REMAINS A MYSTERY , AS "LORE" HAS IT THAT THE SYSTEMS ARE not filled FROM NEW, JUST ABOVE THE MIN-LINE APPEARS THE NORM..,
:idea: maybe this level was taken BEFORE purging the air..??
Have you been pondering this for over a year?
My father's car is still running fine, by the way.
Last edited:
Good to hear..give John my best wishes.
Id only looked again. Looking for details for another member..with a related issue.
Thanks for the reply
Charlie
Id only looked again. Looking for details for another member..with a related issue.
Thanks for the reply
Charlie
Honda Owner
New member
Hi Charlie - I have also been messaged several times during the last year by someone with a similar problem who had been reading this thread. He's in the north east and had visited his local Fiat dealer to no avail. After discussing my father's resolution with me he returned to them to discuss the problem in more detail and they then seemed to effect a repair... however this was short-lived. Last I heard, he was planning to make the trek down to the same Basingstoke dealer who sorted out my father's car.
Hi, just been updating on this thread. I'm the one from the North East. Still having trouble, but I find that if I keep the handbrake on a little while accelerating ,the jerking disappears. i.e. putting some load on the engine as I set off seems to cure it. Hoping to do a tour of England and visit places I've never been to , and call into the afore mentioned Basingstoke Fiat dealer .Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Honda Owner
New member
Hi David. It's good that you've found a convenient work-around, but I really do hope your visit to Basingstoke brings about a full and permanent repair.
bob1969
New member
- Joined
- May 17, 2013
- Messages
- 85
- Points
- 24
Get the map sensor checked. It allows some much more clutch control in tight spaces, than the old one we replaced in our dualogic. They are a common problem with the 1.2 fire engine and can lead to flat spots and bad MPG. Mine showed no error messages but was out of tolerance. It should read the same air pressure as outside when the engines cold give or take a couple of mpa. Worth a try as about £20.00 from a motor factors.
Last edited:
Hi all
I had a call from John today
He has 'retired' from driving.. and the panda is now up for sale
Basic details:
Its a 57 plate 1242cc duologic
Dynamic IIRC..
Has got MOT til december and has @20k on the clock
To be sold from Basingstoke- Reading region (Tadley)
Classified ad will go up before the end of June
Charlie
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2009
- Messages
- 19,492
- Points
- 3,294
Duologic Kangarooing is quite possibly a clutch issue. These systems are hard on the clutch. A worn out clutch overload the actuators and upsets the calibration.
