Anyone? C'mon Stilo peeps - someone must have an idea?

Should I buy a new battery and see if it's voltage related?

It's worth getting the battery properly checked as a battery that's on it's way out can cause the problems you're having, same thing happened on our daughters 1.2.

Hi,

Thanks for the advice - someone mentioned to me that Stilo's are evil battery drainers and the ECU can throw up numerous faults if not getting the right voltage.

Anyone recommend a good battery type?? I saw on threads here that people recommend type 096 which comes as spec with the 2.4 Stilos. Would this be too powerful for a 1.2??

My current battery is type 012.

All opinions gratefully received!

I've had a 096 in my 1.2 for 4 years now, no problems at all.

I don't find my Stilo to be an 'evil battery drainer'. It has just been sitting for a month, and fired straight up with no faults.

The engine fault sounds like a faulty throttle body. Is there a throttle relearn/adaption you can run for that version?

It also seems you have an OCS fault (the "passenger weight sensor") so taking it out and smoothing out the mat may help. Do a search on this forum for OCS and you'll find much discussion.

-Alex

alexGS said:

I don't find my Stilo to be an 'evil battery drainer'. It has just been sitting for a month, and fired straight up with no faults.

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But not at single figure temps down under though

Most Easterly Pandas said:

But not at single figure temps down under though

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Correct all days have been over 20 degrees. Plus, I think it has quite a good battery in it, proper DIN55 size and no more than two years old.

To answer a question earlier in this thread, in my opinion there is never any harm in fitting a larger battery to a car that originally had a smaller battery. There is no risk of the alternator not being strong enough to keep a larger battery topped up. Instead, the reason that cars with bigger batteries have higher-rated alternators is because such cars are usually fitted with more electrical accessories. The alternator must be strong enough to supply all these accessories while the engine is running - things like climate air conditioning, Selespeed pump, fog lights, Connect Nav+ etc. - without the need to take power from the battery.

Incidentally, if a modern calcium-type battery runs flat, the car's charging system will rarely restore the battery to full capacity in my experience, even if the alternator is high-rated. This is because, as part of the charging cycle, the battery needs pulses of high voltage (~16V) at low current (the alternator can deliver high currents but only at 14.4V). It's worth investing in a multiple-mode electronic charger, such as one of the CTEK models. Although it costs as much as a new battery, it will pay for itself in avoiding the need for future battery replacements.

A large battery helps keep enough residual capacity to power items that are live at all times - like the alarm, body computer - and also enough cranking current so that voltage does not drop while the engine is starting. Most of the false alarms are caused by this voltage drop; therefore, fitting a larger battery is a good idea.

-Alex

Thanks for the input guys. I have heard from other Stilo guys that due to the number of live circuits when ignition is off the batteries can drain and the Stilo ECU doesn't like a less than full battery and can start throwing up random faults?

As it happens I think the engine fault was due to low battery. After charging I've had nothing and engine checks ok, so fingers crossed It may simply be a slightly duff battery.

Now I have to work out why the manual door unlock doesn't work. Much fun!