Technical New 150 multijet sport owner:- Lots of questions!

[tonyramponi]

Hi all,

I've just purchased a 2008 Multijet sport Bravo. It's a lovely car but I have a number of questions. Tried searching the Forum for answers but got a bit confused since most of my searches pull up different Fiat models and not sure which answers apply to my Bravo.

1, What is the size of the sump plug key? Tried to change the oil yesterday but didn't have the correct hex bit. Is it 12mm?

2, One of the bulbs has blown in heater light controls. Before I start pulling things to pieces are there any guides for changing?

3, The top of my leather steering wheel has creased up and is peeling a bit, I notice that other people have had similar problems. Short of changing the steering wheel, are there any easy solutions for this?

4, I've had a 'check glow plugs' warning come up a couple of times but the car starts fine. Guess one of the plugs is going down and probably best to get whole set? Or could just be a loose connection?

5, Anybody know where there EOBD socket is? Have an error code reader so will have a go at using this to help debug item number 4 above.

6, Going to have a go at changing the cambelt, tensioners and water pump. I'm assuming the same 1.9 16v multijet engine is used elsewhere in the fiat range e.g. alfa 147, fiat punto. Could anyone point me in the direction of a guide which would also be applicable to my Bravo? Is it difficult to do? Changed cambelts on other cars and there seems to be a reasonable amount of access space. I used to have a Alfa 156 and chickened out changing the cambelt on that car since you needed cam locking tools. Are there any special tools required to change a multijet cambelt?

7, This is the first diesel I've owned, very impressed with it so far but it makes a bit of a rattle on start up from cold. Very smooth and refined when up to temperature. I know most diesels make more noise when cold but is this normal for this car? There is also a bit of a kick you turn the car over, Is this another Diesel feature?

Apologies for the rambling post. Having read back over it I may have been better off asking one question at a time over a couple of weeks . If I get some helpful answers I'll add to the FAQ.

Cheers in advance,

Tony.

 

[Andysan]

Hi & welcome - most of your queries are quite technical and other members will be able to answer more conclusively, but I'll try and field the ones that I can;

2. There is a guide on this forum - try this. My Fiat dealer offered to do it for £40 if that is a preffered alternative. It's worth noting however that these heater panel backlights are always on - i.e. even when the headlights are off, so the bulbs will likely blow again in six months depending on your mileage - I don't bother fixing it anymore for this reason.

3. Believe Fiat give a bit of grace here as a bad batch of leather was used on a lot of the wheels - may be worth writing to Fiat UK or ringing a few dealers in case they will subsidise the repair - to my knowledge there is no quick fix however. Note that some of the Fiat 500/Abarth wheels are compliant I believe (check first!) in case you want a square-bottomed wheel.

4. I had this also - unless it gets to sub -10*C my understanding is you are OK - I had all of my glow plugs replaced under warranty, I'm not aware that there is a known issue with the fault being reported incorrectly as such.

5. ODB connection is behind the little compartment to the right of the steering wheel if your car is a right-hooker - see here.

6. I'm not overly up on this but many people report the job being quite difficult on a Bravo due to the positioning, some saying that you have to take the engine out. I can't validate that, but I'm sure someone will come along and prove me wrong - just had mine done however and garages where quoting like 7 hours labour or something.

7. Yeah, all sounds relatively normal. Drive in 3rd/4th gear along a road which takes you up a slight incline where you have to press the throttle pedal a little harder, but not a hill steep enough to require a downshift. Have a listen for a heavy vibrating noise behind the dash when you do this, as this may indicate a cracked dual-mass flywheel - that's likely to be the most common issue with these engines, if any. It's hard to perceive however.

Enjoy the car - pics please!

 

[tonyramponi]

Thanks for the response and the useful links to the posts. top stuff!

Managed to fix the light in the heater control by giving the dash a thump! Having previously owned a fiat uno (my first car) I should have thought of giving that a try.

Will post pictures once I've given her a wash!

Tony.