Right, where to start?

I've had my Bravo for about 3 years now, and so far I've loved driving her besides all of the problems. I'm on my 2nd Clutch and Gearbox for a start, and I've replaced the CV joints, radiator, track rod ends, brakes at least 3 times (every time I have an MOT they tell me the discs are pitted and worn, even if they're only a year old) front pipe, rear box, several sets of plugs and leads, and numerous other small things.

My current issues are as such:

- The clutch jumps when pulling off. Now this upsets me, as I only had the new one fitted about a month ago, and although I know the mechanic well I'm sure he hasn't put the whole new clutch in (if that makes sense). This I can live with for the moment, but ideas are welcome.

- Erratic idling. This I think is caused by a blow in the exhaust above the oxygen sensor, as today I patched it up with a bit of sealant and it cured it, although it is still blowing slightly.

- A clinking noise when I go over bumps, coming from the front drivers side of the car. I'm fairly sure that this is since I've done the brakes recently, but I'm sure I did it correctly (by now!) any ideas?

- Finally, and most importantly, is the noise coming from the engine. Both when accelerating and whilst idle there is a loud rattling noise coming from under the bonnet. This was mixed in with some other noises, such as the blowing of the exhaust and the alternator squeaking, but having cured them somewhat this noise is still there. It gets louder as the revs increase, but doesn't seem to be affected by clutch movement., just engine speed. I can't seem to pinpoint the noise, but its fairly central if not a little towards the exhaust manifold, but take that with a pinch of salt as it's very difficult to tell. Now I've generally been fairly good when it comes to fault finding, and if I've been stuck TFF has usually provided me with the answer, but I'm struggling now. I've got to the point where there are so many little things that need fixing that I'm considering getting rid of her unless I can cure, or at least understand, this rattling noise. I do plan to take her to the garage at the weekend, I'm lucky enough to live near to a decent indy fiat garage, but I'm pulling my hair out and I'd really appreciate some help on this. My MOT is coming up at the end of may too.

Thanks in advance to anyone that is bravo enough to take on my plea.
JB.

I've got quite a few rattles etc. from my 1.2SX. Originally thought it was either a wheel bearing, then I thought it was the clutch, now possibly the gearbox. I've just had it in the garage and they said they couldn't find anything wrong (which made me feel a bit mental!) - but I'm sure something is kind of grinding / vibrating.

Let me know if you get to the bottom of it!!

BTW - How much did a gearbox replacement cost??

The labour is more than the box itself, and source your own parts otherwise it'll cost you an arm and a leg if you're lucky.

My recon box cost around £170 with a 6 month warranty, from partsgateway or a similar site. They're quite quick with getting back to you. The labour was about £300, so all in all it's a fairly balance destroying thing to happen.

With mine it almost sounds like theres something loose, and as the revs go up it sounds like it's shouting at me. They wouldn't necessarily find anything wrong, as I now think mine might be the tappets, and I guess unless you know exactly what it is you wouldn't find anything.

I saw your post on the same thread, I'll be trying it tonight and I'll let you know if it solves it. I just realised I haven't had an oil change in..well...a while, so it's sounding more and more like an oil related issue.

Wish me luck.

Good luck.

I'll keep everything crossed.

Think I'm going to get the Fiat garage to have a look over mine and hopefully sort it out.

Keep me posted how you get on.

Godspeed.

Duggers

is the rattling noise just a loose heatsheild or exhaust bolt? they can make a lot of noise for no real problem!

Arc - you may have hit the nail on the head for my problem. I've been thinking the exhaust sounded rough for a while - maybe the 2 are interconnected. Hmmmm - I'll get it checked. Thanks

I managed to get somewhere last night. Did an oil flush and change, added some Wynns super charge oil additive, and hey presto, half of the engine noise has disappeared. It no longer rattles and clonks when idling, which is a godsend, but I've discovered that it may just have been part of the noise as it still rattles and buzzes under acceleration.

I think you might be right Arc with the exhaust suggestion, as it's still not related to the clutch only the revs, and only whilst accelerating. Is is common for the manifold itself to blow? Or is it more likely to be the front pipe joint? After trying to tighten one of these nuts it just started spinning round and round without tightening. Any ideas how to fix this?

Cheers!