Well we're beyond logic right now, to be honest. I couldn't do much else so I just took it to a local, supposedly trusted mechanic. Couldn't find anything himself but we did discover a very slightly torn brake cable (once again, excuse my lack of knowledge of the correct term in English), which I'm going to replace tomorrow, have him readjust the handbrake and take it from there.

It's really bumming me out because it's pretty temperamental. After I slightly slackened the handbrake from the lever side adjuster, it doesn't get that hot anymore. At times, it gets really hot again, other times, cool as.

Ah well, it's a used car I guess, I'll keep replacing stuff since I do love the bugger!

And by the way, still no luck finding wheels! For God's sake!!!

Just an update...

Three different mechanics could find... nothing! On the rolling road brake tester the thing showed absolutely nothing. Both sides brake equally and release fine. Nothing else could be detected and the only problem right now is that it only gets sliiiightly hotter than the other one, but still within normal.

Is it just being Italian? No one knows! I'm going to keep an eye on it and leave it alone for the time being.

Still no luck finding rims in any of the nearby breakers and buying from another place means the price skyrockets considerably adding the shipping expenses. And by the by, the rims are 7j after all. Still huge for my liking but, yeah. That.

If you jack the back end of the car up, is that wheel noticeably harder to spin by hand than the other? If the brakes are testing OK, it could be the bearing.

Nope, no difference whatsoever, other than just slightly hotter. No noises, no squeals, nothing else. The handbrake line seems busted on that side, that much I know, but for now it doesn't seem to be doing anything to it so I'll leave it be until I have enough to replace it.

Hey guys, quick question. I think it's about time for a little service, oil change, plugs etc. I'm also thinking about changing the tranny oil as well.
Now, I know FIAT recommends selenia 20k 10w40 (it's semi synthetic, IIRC) but, it's 2017 and we have a plethora of different ones to choose from!

So, question is, what do I go for? Is the Castrol GTX or Magnatec a good choice? Should I perhaps go fully synthetic 10w40? Any tried oils for the 1.2 16v?

Same goes for the plugs. They recommend Champion and NGK. I'm thinking NGK for this one.

The transmission fluid I'll probably leave to the mechanic. Same for the antifreeze, can't seem to find the plug to flush the system and I'm not a fan of pulling hoses!

Many thanks again!

I'm not a fan of Castrol as they are overhyped and overadvertised in my opinion... the GTX was always a budget mineral oil that may have been upgraded slightly to part synthetic in lighter, more modern grades, and Magnatec is only able to be called "part synthetic" or "synthetic technogy" rather than proper "semi-synthetic". I avoid Castrol (though Magnatec 10/40 will be fine for you), I prefer Valvoline or Mobil for good value top spec semi-synth (and specifications vary a lot along with prices for this type of oil).

I'd be very surprised if you find a fully-synth 10W/40, you might in 5W/40 which is what modern 1.2 FIRE Fiats are now meant to use and that would be fine for you in sunny Greece.

Gearbox oil is 75W/80 (Tutela recommended), changing it is easy and worthwhile.

NGK plugs are the ideal choice, otherwise Bosch or Denso.

If one side of your car has a completely cut handbrake cable then applying the handbrake will put all the effort onto the other side, this might make something either jam or not release. My 1.2 Brava (with the bigger rear drums) has a funny feature during the winter months where something in the right rear drum mechanism sticks slightly when parked overnight (on a slight backwards slope)... when you take off the handbtrake in the morning and reverse out something in the brake releases with a "twang" and then all is OK. I've poked around and cleaned / sprayed everything but never identified the cause!

Thanks bluejohn, you've been extremely helpful and I appreciate it!

I got around to changing the oil today, put Valvoline semi synth 10w40 in it, so far can't see much difference but the oil it had before wasn't that old or that bad, so it was to be expected.
Also drained the gearbox oil and put fresh in. Gear changes seem a little more "fluid" after the change but still not exceptional. I'm thinking I'm going to have to keep baby-ing it until I get around to fitting a 6 speed in it, rebuilding is pretty much out of the question here, even in my most trusted mechanic. I'm pretty positive the mk1 sporting gearbox fits right in.

I've still got to flush and refill the paraflu and change plugs and of course the damn wheels but my wallet's empty for now!

Many thanks again!

Another little update, FWIW, perhaps this will act as a personal journal!

I changed the plugs today, damn near shredded my hands trying to get the previous ones out, god knows how much they've tightened them and how long they've been in there! According to NGK, my Brava being a mk2, the DCPR8EN was the right one, although the ones the PO installed were EKC.

Also, it never dawned on me to gap them until now (a few hours after I'd already installed them...) but I had no problems in a quick test drive so I guess all is dandy. In any case, the car seems to run better now, so I'm not poking it! Here's hoping it won't be an issue further down the road...

Also changed the air filter. Don't know what the previous one was but it was pretty filthy. I installed a magneti marelli one and Bob's my uncle!

All in all, I believe throttle response has improved and there seem to be less vibrations across the rev range. Also seems to accelerate more freely, for some reason. The old plugs were ok mixture wise but damn, those electrodes were absolutely knackered!

And of course, still can't find wheels. Which is bad, as the tyres need changing posthaste! I'm contemplating just changing them on the existing rims but I just can't get over the fact they're so damn wide (7 inches for god's sake!) and the 195/50/15's are really stretched, as I believe the minimum those 7j's take are 205's. Damn, damn, damn! Why on earth would someone put such wide rims on this car?!?

Glad things are moving on, they always say that modern plugs are always gapped correctly from new and don't need checking / adjusting.

I agree that changing plugs and air filter always seems to make a car seem smooth and eager, in the last year I did it to a 500 1.2 and a Rover 75 1.8. Just changed the oil and filter in the Rover too so that one should be sorted for a while.

Oh the Rover 75!!! I SO adore this car - most Rover cars, actually, ever since I was a little kid I wanted one! I was actually going to get a 45 instead of the Brava but it was suspiciously underpriced, it was one of those doubtful K series 1.4 and not the civic 1.6 and the seller was too far away and I couldn't leave work at the time. Ah well, someday I'll get one!

Hey guys, quick question.

I've found steel wheels from a grande punto pretty much for free. Now, from what I've seen (I haven't measured them in person yet), those are PCD 100, while the Brava is 98. Question is, will wobble bolts work the same on steels or should I go for something else?

Don't buy them, as you say they have a different PCD so you would have to bodge them with wobblebolts and maybe a centre spigot? Pointless effort for steelies, if you're doing that fix then there are all sorts of alloys that you can make "fit" the car.

Underneath the Grande Punto is the same as a Corsa (same "platform") but I really don't understand why Fiat couldn't make the effort to do their own standard hubs... they've sold millions of those cars.

For the same reason the new Ford Ka has the 98mm wheel centres as the Fiat 500... same factory in Poland. Fiat engines also as far as I know.

Thanks John, guess I'll have to keep looking.

In any case, the problems continue. It seems the car is slightly overheating, and I can't get to the bottom of it. The needle will sit happily in the middle and even somewhat lower when just cruising on an open road but as soon as a I get to suburban traffic, jumps upwards of the middle, between that and the next line.

I bled the system both from the two bleeder valves and by adding some coolant and squeezing the lines but to no avail. While bleeding from the radiator valve A LOT of air was let out and that made things better but only for a very short while.

I filled the tank once more (it's hard to find the golden point exactly, I can't see the level through the old plastic so I kinda wing it with a flashlight), took a ride, parked, opened up the (fizzing/hissing) cap and "blrfrfutt", spat out (what I hope was) excess coolant.

Didn't take another ride, been on it all day and it's getting on my nerves!

I doubt it's a HGF, I have no other indications towards that and I could find no leaks anywhere. Stumped, again!

Aaaaand, since problems never come alone, it was pointed out to me today, while I had the radio off that there's a whistling noise, matching the RPM. I accelerate, it sounds like a turbine spooling up. Decelerate, spooling... well, down, I suppose! It's pretty faint, but it's certainly there. Suspected the air filter but I changed it last week and could find no leaks in its path. Don't know what else it might be. Checked the belts, they're fine as well.

Seriously thinking of selling and cutting my losses by this point...

Hmm.. overheating is a bit strange, it doesn't seem critical although you indicate that the expansion is overpressuring, or is that just because everything is hot? I don't think it should blow much out except for perhaps an initial burst.

You mentioned previously wanting to do a refresh on the cooling system, presumably you haven't done this yet? You'd need to drain the system from the bottom hose and preferably stick a hose up there, otherwise fill with clean water and circulate with the engine (and heater) on for 10 minutes, then repeat using a flushing additive. Or do two flushes each with a half-dose of additive (usually enough supplied for a bigger engine / capacity). Then change the thermostat as a matter of course. Actually for the flushes you could memove the thermostat completely (don't damage the gasket) to be sure that the circulation gets to the radiator, since overheating implies that the rad maybe isn't doing enough.

Make sure that you don't have a leaking heater matrix, there will be a smell in the car and damp / condensation as well. They are a real pain to replace. Also the heater should be on when you are draining / filling the cooling system.

My leaking matrix allowed a lot of rusty sludge to clog up my radiator and thermostat, it took a long time (a lot of flushing) to clear.

Your whirring noise sounds like one of the belt-driven anciliaries on the engine.. water pump (?), alternator, PS pump. Or there may be an idler pulley on one of the belts that has a bad bearing. You can disconnect each one to check or use a stethoscope. Modern practice seems to be to replace the water pump when you change the cambelt, seems OTT to me but the argument is that the extra cost / hassle is very small. Removing the belts should identify any roughness or looseness in any bearings.

I had a replacement alternator on my Tipo fail (bearing) after only a couple of years (sounded terrible), and a recon PS pump (hydraulic) sounded quite rough from the start, I still may swap it under warranty.

Good luck...

Many, MANY thanks John!

Well, I couldn't leave it alone because it kept bugging me so last night I found the culprit! There was a crack in the overflow tank that, while relatively minor and barely detectable (it was right between the two plastic ridges that run along the upper side of the tank), it wasn't keeping pressure in the closed system and hence the temperature fluctuation. I've already ordered a new one, hopefully this will be the end of it.

Just to be safe, I'm keeping the car parked until I can replace it, seems like a HGF wouldn't be too far away if I keep running it like that!

By the way, what kinda coolant does the Brava take? I found green stuff in the tank before. And how much does it take? Also, isn't there a drain plug on the radiator? Lots of questions, I know but it'll be the first time I do this procedure!

Now for the whining, I did find a leak in the PS pump. It's minor but since that's the only thing I found, must be it. Still, I won't replace it yet, I neither have the money right now nor do I deem it serious enough. At least for now!

green stuff is fine, red is for newer engines and should last the lifetime of the engine, you should avoid mixing them, the whole subject is awash with mixed option, even among different manufacturers, if the car came with green, stick with green.

note to the uninitiated, ethylene glycol is seriously toxic, and has a sweet smell and taste. Do not under any circumstances ingest, or allow children or animals to ingest the liquid. Do not drain into the soil or sewage system, catch all the old liquid in a bowl, and transfer into the empty container of the new coolant once finished, for transport to your nearest recycling centre. Wear suitable hand protection if you have broken skin.

the drain plug is on the bottom left of the rear of the radiator when standing at the front, facing the car, its a small fragile thing.

Yes the green coolant is correct, as far as I know it is an improved version of the traditional blue, you can leave it in the engine longer due to improved formulation.

PS pumps are a bit of an issue on these cars, I've swapped a couple and my current one does occasionally squeal and groan a bit.

There is no radiator drain, you have to cut off the original factory clip on the bottom hose (I hope yours isn't still the original ) and replace it with a Jubilee clip.

Radiator drain depends on the car. So far the ones with A/C seem to have it. Some without A/C have it.

Thank you everyone for your input, much appreciated!

While I'm waiting for the replacement tank, I decided to give it a shot kind of bodging the existing one. I thought what the hell, it's plastic after all, so I took a soldering iron to it and melted stuff around the crack, adding a bit of melted tie wrap on it. After I was done, filled with new coolant and took it for a ride.

And well, quite the successful bodge it was! Temp was never lower after quite a long ride and max was at about mid point. I popped the bonnet after the ride to see if there's still boiling and hissing and nope, everything was fine this time!

I'm expecting the new tank tomorrow or the day after and I do intend to replace it but it's good to know that, that was indeed the problem! Plus, it serves as a cautionary tale, what a tiny little crack can do to a pressurized cooling system!

Well s#&@!

Just changed the tank, bled the system EXTENSIVELY and god damn it, it still sits just a millimeter above the middle mark! How in God's green earth did it work at a lower temperature with pretty much water and a bodged tank and overheat now, with fresh coolant and a new tank?!?

:bang: