General My First Car/Punto

[Nicky Swans]

So yeah, I had my first car a few months now and I only passed my test in April and I have run in to endless problems with my MK1 Punto so far..

- Head Gasket blew had to be sent off and skimmed.
- Timing Belt needed changing

Those are fixed and these are the current problems

- Sometimes the car makes a really loud screeching/yelling sound when it starts and it wont start unless the car is rocked (my dad said it sounds like starter motor, he is a mechanic, will be fixing it for me)

- The fan needs replacing

- The Dash warning lights seem to be useless

- Engine temp light seems to come on after being idle for 5 mins at a very cold night yet it doesnt come on for a while being idle on a very very hot day.

Other than them, I love the car. Anyone got any suggestions or reccomended places to styling parts?

Here is a pic of the car now, I had alloy wheels put on the other day

 

[karbineftw]

Other than them, I love the car. Anyone got any suggestions or reccomended places to styling parts?

If you look at my car thread on my signature
I will give you lots of styling advice, the stages I've gone through and good tips
Hope that helps. Dann

 

[plummeh]

From my experience, they're not very good on the reliability front. However you see more old Fiat Punto's on the road then any other hatchback of the same year..

 

[Papa P]

- Head Gasket blew had to be sent off and skimmed.
- Timing Belt needed changing

Head gaskets go unfortunately and are common on the Mk1 Punto. The Timing belt should have been done when the HG was replaced since it would have had to come off anyway.

- Sometimes the car makes a really loud screeching/yelling sound when it starts and it wont start unless the car is rocked (my dad said it sounds like starter motor, he is a mechanic, will be fixing it for me)

Sounds more like the fan belt or the water pump to me.

- The fan needs replacing

How do you know this? It could be the switch for the fan is knackered...or the thermostat

- The Dash warning lights seem to be useless

In what way?

- Engine temp light seems to come on after being idle for 5 mins at a very cold night yet it doesnt come on for a while being idle on a very very hot day.

Sounds like it could be the thermostat is sticking and allowing the car to overheat. All of the above problems could be what caused the HG to go previously. But it could also simply be caused by an airlock in the system...have you bled the coolant system since the HG was done?

Was the thermostat and water pump replaced when the HG went before? Have you flushed your coolant system? Have you checked your radiator for bent fins etc? Are you losing coolant at all?

 

[Nicky Swans]

Sounds more like the fan belt or the water pump to me.

My father said the fan needed changing and we will be doing it tomorrow, when the fan spins it makes a really bad clicking and clunking sound really fast.

How do you know this? It could be the switch for the fan is knackered...or the thermostat

The thermostat has just been replaced with the HG

In what way?

The other day the oil light kept coming on even though there was enough oil in there, there seems to be a hose pointing downwards and water spraying out when engine is starter but it goes off after a few seconds.

Sounds like it could be the thermostat is sticking and allowing the car to overheat. All of the above problems could be what caused the HG to go previously. But it could also simply be caused by an airlock in the system...have you bled the coolant system since the HG was done?

I am bleeding the coolant tomorrow, but the answer is no I not done it yet.

Was the thermostat and water pump replaced when the HG went before? Have you flushed your coolant system? Have you checked your radiator for bent fins etc? Are you losing coolant at all?

Yes thermostat replaced but water pump is fine. Not flushed it yet and the coolant needs topping up weekly now you mention it.