Technical Bravo 1.6 Eco - DPF problems and Misfire

[Dr Zoidberg]

I'm not going to go into to much detail here as this is getting to a legal situation, but are there any other Bravo 1.6 Eco owners here that have had any issues with the EGR valve or DPF and the car running badly?

Mine has developed a fault where the DPF is trying to regenerate much more frequently than it should do (less than 100 miles between instances) , and this is causing the vehicle to misfire and lose power badly, not to mention use more fuel than it should.

The dealership have accepted that this is a fault , say that they have another customer with the same problem , and admit that they can't fix it.

I'm trying to find out if this is a common problem or not.

Thanks

 

[wreckmaster]

Is this on the 1,6mjet purO2 90bhp? I am just curious simce I am gonna order one next week!

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

No.
In the UK we get a 105 bhp version called the "ECO" instead of the 90 bhp PurO2

 

[Hellcat]

In the UK they are 105/120bhp.

Would be interesting to see why the ECU is trying to perform a regeneration more often - is it not getting upto temp long enough to complete a regeneration cycle?

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

In the UK they are 105/120bhp.

Would be interesting to see why the ECU is trying to perform a regeneration more often - is it not getting upto temp long enough to complete a regeneration cycle?

It should do , as the car is used for a lot of long journeys at motorway speeds and only rarely does short town trips.

As I said though, that's only part of the problem - the other half is that when it does try and regenerate it causes the engine to missfire badly. Last week it wouldn't do more than 45mph!

 

[olly1]

Yep I have the same issue it was regenerating every 100 miles took it to dealer and there was a software update for the exhaust gasses, this has put the regeneration back to every 200 miles but still getting loss of power when it does the regeneration, so it's going back to the dealer. I would say it’s due to fuel starvation with the regeneration using a lot of fuel to produce the heat for the regeneration process and not leaving enough for the engine.

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

Yep I have the same issue it was regenerating every 100 miles took it to dealer and there was a software update for the exhaust gasses, this has put the regeneration back to every 200 miles but still getting loss of power when it does the regeneration, so it's going back to the dealer. I would say it’s due to fuel starvation with the regeneration using a lot of fuel to produce the heat for the regeneration process and not leaving enough for the engine.

Excellent , thanks.
How old is your car?
Mine is 4 months old and this has been ongoing for the last two months.

 

[Racing Nige]

Oooer...

I'm quite close to ordering one of these. Perhaps I'll wait?

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

Oooer...

I'm quite close to ordering one of these. Perhaps I'll wait?

I'd certainly be wary - it's not a one-off problem and fiat don't seem to have a fix for it.

 

[Racing Nige]

I'd certainly be wary - it's not a one-off problem and fiat don't seem to have a fix for it.

Thanks Dr Z, my thoughts exactly. This is quite a new engine, and I'm sure they'll have a fix soon. I shall keep watching this space, as they say.

Overall, from looking at the forum generally, it appears as though the Bravo is a very reliable model with few issues. Fiat won't be wanting to change that impression. It is not a problem for me to wait to order, so that's fine...

 

[bigmike86]

I've had mine for nearly 16 months with out any issues at all, my DPF does its stuff every few thousand miles, i'm nearly on 17,500 miles

When the DPF does do its stuff i find i can't do more than about 70mph which is the legal speed limit anyways! But that only last a Minute or Two and then its fine again.

Sounds like my ECO is one of the ones which is doing the job the way it should be.

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

I've had mine for nearly 16 months with out any issues at all, my DPF does its stuff every few thousand miles, i'm nearly on 17,500 miles

When the DPF does do its stuff i find i can't do more than about 70mph which is the legal speed limit anyways! But that only last a Minute or Two and then its fine again.

Sounds like my ECO is one of the ones which is doing the job the way it should be.

It does indeed sound like that's working as it should , and is how I would expect mine to behave.

That's really handy that you've replied as it gives me an example to compare mine to.

Thanks.

 

[volvo_saint]

Interesting to read about DPF problems.

My Sedici 1.9 Diesel multi-jet DPF filled up so much that the car went into LIMP mode after 2,500 miles of urban traffic. Needed 2 forced regenerations at the dealer to put right.

Sounds like a different problem but the common factor is the DPF....

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

To be fair to Fiat , the DPF is something that's pretty much forced upon them by legislation and they aren't the only manufacturer that's had problems but they are indeed suffering with reliability issues.

 

[Racing Nige]

What exactly does the DPF do and how does it regenerate?

Is it like Dr Who?

EDIT - I feel a bit of a dunce, just found some stuff to answer my own question.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/diesel-particulate-filters.html

1. So, it seems if we use our cars in town, DPF is naff, so we need a petrol.
2. If we use the car on the motorway cruising in 6th gear we need to drive a bit harder (so less economically).
3. Typically, the DPF regeneration takes around 10 minutes, and if we stop part-way through we may get a problem

Can anyone tell me, with the people experiencing problems, do either 1 or 2 above apply? With regard to 3 - how do you know the car is doing a DPF regeneration, is there a light or something?

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

What exactly does the DPF do and how does it regenerate?

Is it like Dr Who?

EDIT - I feel a bit of a dunce, just found some stuff to answer my own question.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/diesel-particulate-filters.html

1. So, it seems if we use our cars in town, DPF is naff, so we need a petrol.
2. If we use the car on the motorway cruising in 6th gear we need to drive a bit harder (so less economically).
3. Typically, the DPF regeneration takes around 10 minutes, and if we stop part-way through we may get a problem

Can anyone tell me, with the people experiencing problems, do either 1 or 2 above apply? With regard to 3 - how do you know the car is doing a DPF regeneration, is there a light or something?

1 is correct , but doesn't apply to me.
2 is also correct and does apply to me a bit , though buying an economical car and then having to drive it harder to avoid problems is just daft.
For 3, you *should* notice a slight loss of power , it will idle at a higher speed and the fuel economy will drop for a few minutes. On a car that's working correctly this should be every couple of thousand miles.

What I have is a car that misfires badly and sometimes won't do more than 45mph about once every 100 miles.

 

[neilshep]

1 is correct , but doesn't apply to me.
2 is also correct and does apply to me a bit , though buying an economical car and then having to drive it harder to avoid problems is just daft.
For 3, you *should* notice a slight loss of power , it will idle at a higher speed and the fuel economy will drop for a few minutes. On a car that's working correctly this should be every couple of thousand miles.

What I have is a car that misfires badly and sometimes won't do more than 45mph about once every 100 miles.

I think I'd be tempted to take the car for a good 15 minute run, keeping in as low a gear as you can stand!

I would think that when its trying to regenerate, the fuel mix is wrong, hence the misfire, and doesnt get hot enough to regenerate properly. That might suggest the ECU has its knickers in a twist, so I'd think about disconnecting my battery overnight to reset things.

I agree with your second point about having to drive an Eco car hard. I bet the test car didn't go through a regeneration cycle during the official mpg and co2 testing.

I'm just glad I've got reliable older technology, without DPF and dodgy EGR valves. Hope you get it sorted soon.

 

[Hellcat]

Oh you will have an EGR valve... maybe not a DPF but deffinetly an EGR.

 

[neilshep]

Oh you will have an EGR valve... maybe not a DPF but deffinetly an EGR.

Note I said DODGY EGR valve, the problems seem to have been on Mjet 150's.
Mines the old 8valve 120

 

[Hellcat]

Will be interesting to see if/when the 120's suffer the same. Not all 150s have got coked up, will have to see if the modified swirl gasket does it's thing.