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General Fiat 500

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General Fiat 500

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eve 40

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Hi
I have just got a new Fiat 500, Yesterday! I have looked in the handbook etc but just wanted to make sure, do you put normal diesel in the Multi jet engine? Also, when you start the engine I have read you have to put your foot on the clutch??:confused:
 
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Normal diesel would be fine.

Also, you should really put your foot down on the clutch on EVERY car you drive; this isn't specific to the 500.

Time to change your driving habits :)
 
Thanks. I didnt actually mean I dont use the clutch to drive!!! It says in the handbook to put your foot on clutch when you turn the ignition on??
 
Ok thats fine. Ive never put my foot on the clutch to start it but understand its good practise. Just thought it was a special multijet thing!
 
I have read this before about depressing the clutch when you start, can anyone explain why? Surely if the car is in neutral the engine and clutch are disengaged, how does pressing the clutch help?
 
Theres a big thread about this somewhere concerning always leaving it in gear when parked as well (stops it rolling away, and yes it can do this even with the handbrake on). Im sure some mech head will be more precise, but its something about not turning over as much of the engine bits so puts less strain on the starter etc. This is the laymans version obviously :ROFLMAO:
 
It really does make a difference to starter and electrical system on turning the engine over. When you turn the key, especially on a cold morning, your battery has to summon up the electricity and provide enough ooomph to starter motor to spin all the heavy metal bits in the engine - with the cold gloopy oil - fast enough to get into the right place at the right time to compress the fuel air mix for firing. Asking a lot really! If your foot isn't on the clutch it has to spin the clutch plate and all the metal bits that lead to neutral in the gearbox as well. A significant extra load.

My previous daily transport - a morris minor - gave me the extra option of using a starting handle. Sometimes through necessity, flat battery or problems with starter and sometimes showing off. If I had someone to sit with their foot on the clutch it would start at my first or second effort. If not the process would be very long, very tiring and sometimes fruitless. Fiat 500 bits will be lighter but the same principle applies.
 
franksplace said:
It really does make a difference to starter and electrical system on turning the engine over. When you turn the key, especially on a cold morning, your battery has to summon up the electricity and provide enough ooomph to starter motor to spin all the heavy metal bits in the engine - with the cold gloopy oil - fast enough to get into the right place at the right time to compress the fuel air mix for firing. Asking a lot really! If your foot isn't on the clutch it has to spin the clutch plate and all the metal bits that lead to neutral in the gearbox as well. A significant extra load.

My previous daily transport - a morris minor - gave me the extra option of using a starting handle. Sometimes through necessity, flat battery or problems with starter and sometimes showing off. If I had someone to sit with their foot on the clutch it would start at my first or second effort. If not the process would be very long, very tiring and sometimes fruitless. Fiat 500 bits will be lighter but the same principle applies.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. It was very helpful. Thats really what i wanted to know. Im not mechanically minded and just wanted to understand the logic in pressing the clutch in to start engine.
The car is lovely by the way. i have a bossa nova white with ivory ambience. i picked it up on Thursday. Its already getting dirty:yuck:. Dont think its a car wash car type so thinking of looking up one of those jet washes you can buy??
 
Sorry, I may not have been clear, lots of things can affect a car's willingness to start, minors were good as they have an electric fuel pump which, if given time would push fuel to right place before you had to spin the engine. (I believe the same effect can be achieved in the 500 by waiting for most of the warning lights to go out before turning the key all the way?) My old vauxhalls which had a fuel pum driven by engine rotation all took a few moments of 'cranking' before starting.

My intention in this case was to illustrate that when manually turning the engine, not having the clutch depressed made the work much harder!
 
franksplace said:
Sorry, I may not have been clear, lots of things can affect a car's willingness to start, minors were good as they have an electric fuel pump which, if given time would push fuel to right place before you had to spin the engine. (I believe the same effect can be achieved in the 500 by waiting for most of the warning lights to go out before turning the key all the way?) My old vauxhalls which had a fuel pum driven by engine rotation all took a few moments of 'cranking' before starting.

My intention in this case was to illustrate that when manually turning the engine, not having the clutch depressed made the work much harder!
Click to expand...

This approach (waiting for all the lights to go out) also allows the computers to all do their stuff too and might reduce the chance of getting a flashing dash
 
eve 40 said:
Thanks for this. It was very helpful. Thats really what i wanted to know. Im not mechanically minded and just wanted to understand the logic in pressing the clutch in to start engine.
The car is lovely by the way. i have a bossa nova white with ivory ambience. i picked it up on Thursday. Its already getting dirty:yuck:. Dont think its a car wash car type so thinking of looking up one of those jet washes you can buy??
Click to expand...

Same colour combination as mine and yes it does get dirty quickly. The roads are particularly bad at present but I bought mine in August and it wasn't an issue until the recent weather.
 
I have Aglaze protective coating. It seems to have helped , the rain seems to have washed off the dirt! I have another question!:confused::D Does anyone have any ideas how to get the text message to work on Blue&Me? i have a samsung G600 mobile. seem to have got the phone bit worked out but the text message just comes up with No Messages on the car? Is it a common problem?
 
However, and we have had this arguement before, putting your foot on the clutch can force the crank against the thrust washers causing premature wear.

Its an Elf and safety method starting with foot on clutch, but us old gits were taught to always check the car is in neutral before starting anyway.

In the MTD, I put the igntion on, then make sure its in neatral, by which time the lights have all gone off and its time to start, foot off the clutch.

Cheers

SPD
 
Bit confused with all the clutch business now!! The fiat 500 manual does say after turning to MAR to put foot on clutch to start engine?? Surely it must be right??!:confused:
 
rallycinq said:
Yes, they are right for these elf and safety times.

I am an engineer, I choose to to diferent.

Cheers

SPD
Click to expand...

I must admit that's how we understand it, just incase you've left in it gear, you're covered! Hubbie said the bits of the gearbox that are released when you push in the clutch can be easily turned with your fingers, so would pose hardly any extra load. Who am I to argue :worship::rolleyes:
 
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