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Technical problems with my 1.2

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Technical problems with my 1.2

B

Bravicssimo

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Mar 11, 2006
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Only had the car for 2 days now and I am still testing it and discovering some problems.

The Car is behaving strange, yesterday while driving it started shaking heavily as if it was misfiring, the last time I experienced something like that was when I had a VW golf with a failed Coil ignition lead.

Also when I switch the ignition on, the injector light sometimes flashes once and remains on until I start the engine and then it goes off ... this could perhaps indicate a fault in the fuel injection system ??
 
The injector light is meant to come on, stay on for a few seconds then go off once you start the engine, that's normal. Misfiring isn't normal though - was the car a private sale or a garage? If it was a garage, take it back. If it was private, I would go get it plugged in to a diagnostic at a garage to find out what's wrong. If it hasn't had a service lately, could be plugs, leads or even just need injector cleaner. But if that's all up to date, and especially judging by your other post about the ECU, I would be tempted to look back at the service history and get any faults checked out.
 
Yeah looks like this car is going to keep me busy in the next few days ... maybe longer :(

yeah, The car will have to be serviced first ... something I do with every Car I buy, I am going to write to the previous owner and ask him about few things.. like the missing Red key for example and on some of the history of this car.
the history book shows that the car wasn't serviced since 2003.... this could mean that he has done it himself ?? but the mileage was just over 15k in the past 3 years.
the car drives extremely smooth when its behaving well so I am hopping it could be just a simple problem
 
The Fiat owner handbook says "when the ignition key is turned to the MAR position , the light comes on but should go out after a few seconds, if the light stays on or comes on while the vehicle is moving this means that the injection system is not functioning perfectly"

so I assume there could be an injection system problem.
i heard people using additives into the fuel, is that a good action to take? or is it a case of curing a symptom rather than the problem ?
 
I thought you said it went off once you start the engine? :confused: As in my post above, there's no harm in trying cheap things like a basic service and bottle of injector cleaner (such as Redex) to see if it cures the problem, before moving onto more costly things.
 
you should really check through all the paper work etc before you buy a car, like helz said, go to a dealer get the car plugged in so the problem can be pin pointed. I wouldnt get the work done at a dealer though. Just use them to locate the problem.
 
Helz said:
I thought you said it went off once you start the engine? :confused: As in my post above, there's no harm in trying cheap things like a basic service and bottle of injector cleaner (such as Redex) to see if it cures the problem, before moving onto more costly things.
Click to expand...

what I meant was that the injector light stay on while the ignition is on ( position mar) and it will go off once the engine is started and reved few times.
The temperature counter too is behaving strange... when the car is started and the engine starts to warm up it will quickly hit maximum Temperature, I checked the engine and the cylinder head is only warm and comfortable to the touch, I tried banging on the dash but no success, the fan works fine and comes on when the car heats up.

Another thing the rev counter behaves funny before starting the engine .... it keeps going up all the way to max rev and come back to zero a few times and once the engine is started it starts behaving normally ...

But there is a good Development :) before using the car early this morning, I removed the Engine heat shield and checked all the electrical connections I can see by making sure they are well pushed in.. I even did the electrical connection in the clutch .... Surprisingly the car hasn't given me any juddering today?? could it be that the problem is solved ? I hope so .. I'll keep you in touch with future development.
 
No Joy :( the juddering started again, Strangely enough it only happens when the engine is hot, I am now even suspecting the Clutch/transmission?.. although I must admit there are no unusual noises and the gears are changing without problems............. also discovered a flat battery when starting it this morning ... Now I am beginning to suspect the Alternator as well .. although the Battery light never comes on when the engine is running.
I added Redex to the tank and got new ignition leads that I will put in tomorrow.
The fact that I don’t know much about the history of this car makes it difficult to diagnose the problem…. One tends to suspect almost anything
:confused:
 
sounds exactly like a stuck thermostat. thats why it overheats so soon, and the juddering is a sign that its got too hot. if the radiator is still cool when the engine is hot then thats your problem. try getting the car to judder and then feel the radiator, if it aint very hot its time to get a new thermostat, they're cheap and easy to fit, but remember to use antifreeze when you refill the coolant, and flush the full coolant system out when you're changing the thermostat. its a fairly common problem and your symptoms are typical of a stuck thermostat.

if the rev needle jumps to max when you start the car there is usually a short circuit behind the stereo, this is also a fairly common issue on the mk2 bravos. try removing the fuse for the stereo and interior light. if that fails try removing the stereo.
 
jug said:
sounds exactly like a stuck thermostat. thats why it overheats so soon, and the juddering is a sign that its got too hot. if the radiator is still cool when the engine is hot then thats your problem. try getting the car to judder and then feel the radiator, if it aint very hot its time to get a new thermostat, they're cheap and easy to fit, but remember to use antifreeze when you refill the coolant, and flush the full coolant system out when you're changing the thermostat. its a fairly common problem and your symptoms are typical of a stuck thermostat.

if the rev needle jumps to max when you start the car there is usually a short circuit behind the stereo, this is also a fairly common issue on the mk2 bravos. try removing the fuse for the stereo and interior light. if that fails try removing the stereo.
Click to expand...
Hey Jug
I Certainly hope it’s a thermostat, but knowing my luck .. I think that’s very unlikely:)
Having said that maybe my luck is changing… who knows?

I drove the Car this morning from cold for a short trip of about 5 miles, the temp gauge started moving at about 1 minute drive and it reached normal operating temp at about 1,5 min and then all the way to the maximum in about 3 minutes, the car then Gave me one heavy Shake when I started revving it high… ( not as far as red rev though).
After that the car will shake whenever I rev it high..

Earlier I called it (shake or juddering) what I actually mean is the Car throws me forward and then back …
This will ease if the car is driven very slowly.
When I stopped the engine I opened the bonnet but there is no real sign of bad overheating the engine was hot but won’t burn your fingers and the Radiator was a warm.
I also know the fan works because I’ve seen it working a couple of days ago.
 
Hi there, can anyone help me?

I have just recently bought my brava so im just getting to know it!! I went to check the coolant level after the car had been stood for approx eight hours and there was a small gush of water out of the top of the cap. After it had settled, there was like a foam sitting on top of the water level. Can anyone tell me what this is? Anti-freeze? Took it to a garage, the mechanic said it could either be an air pocket or that my head gasket was on its way out. Ran car for a further five mins with cap off, water rushed out of the top and then seamed to settle at a normal level. Checked water level later on in day and it was low, topped up with water and then seamed to be fine, however, before all this the temp guage took a good few miles to reach normal running temp, but after all this it only takes about 1.5 miles to reach normal. I have also noticed that when at normal running temp it seems to drop off a bit and then goes back to normal. Is this normal or am i being over-cautious? For some reason have a very bad feeling about the car!
 
chrisforbes said:
Hi there, can anyone help me?

I have just recently bought my brava so im just getting to know it!! I went to check the coolant level after the car had been stood for approx eight hours and there was a small gush of water out of the top of the cap. After it had settled, there was like a foam sitting on top of the water level. Can anyone tell me what this is? Anti-freeze? Took it to a garage, the mechanic said it could either be an air pocket or that my head gasket was on its way out. Ran car for a further five mins with cap off, water rushed out of the top and then seamed to settle at a normal level. Checked water level later on in day and it was low, topped up with water and then seamed to be fine, however, before all this the temp guage took a good few miles to reach normal running temp, but after all this it only takes about 1.5 miles to reach normal. I have also noticed that when at normal running temp it seems to drop off a bit and then goes back to normal. Is this normal or am i being over-cautious? For some reason have a very bad feeling about the car!
Click to expand...

I too bought my Brava about 9 days ago so I am still trying to find out what condition it's in.... my Temp gauge too is behaving strangely but unlike yours it mostly going up to the maximum... this could be due to a faulty thermostate.., as to the foam in the water .. I am not sure, it could be that you're having a blown gasket where the gases are pushed into the cooling system, try and look for white vapor smoke in the exhaust when the engine is hot, this could indicate the presence of water due to blown gasket....
Give youreself time to make sure what the problem is ....
 
if your temp gauge is reading high after only 3 minutes then it is definately not reading correctly, it should take 3-5 mins to get up to 2 bars from the bottom, mine takes 15mins to get near the top of the gauge. the fact that your radiator was warm and the fan works is all good news. i think the gauge problems are both electrical and you should definately try removing the stereo fuse.

as for the judder, i think this is a different problem and sounds like a misfire, so to find the problem you should start the car and then remove the spark plug leads one at a time, remove one, see if it makes a difference and then replace it before trying the next one, if removing one of the leads makes no difference to engine speed you have found the problem, exactly what the problem is depends on further tests. if you find a plug lead that makes no difference try swapping that plug and lead with another. now start the test again, if the same thing happens this time then its probably the coil, if the problem moves to a different cylinder its the sparkplug or HT lead. not a perfect test but a quick and easy way to find the dodgy cylinder. give it a go and get back to me
 
jug said:
if your temp gauge is reading high after only 3 minutes then it is definately not reading correctly, it should take 3-5 mins to get up to 2 bars from the bottom, mine takes 15mins to get near the top of the gauge. the fact that your radiator was warm and the fan works is all good news. i think the gauge problems are both electrical and you should definately try removing the stereo fuse.

as for the judder, i think this is a different problem and sounds like a misfire, so to find the problem you should start the car and then remove the spark plug leads one at a time, remove one, see if it makes a difference and then replace it before trying the next one, if removing one of the leads makes no difference to engine speed you have found the problem, exactly what the problem is depends on further tests. if you find a plug lead that makes no difference try swapping that plug and lead with another. now start the test again, if the same thing happens this time then its probably the coil, if the problem moves to a different cylinder its the sparkplug or HT lead. not a perfect test but a quick and easy way to find the dodgy cylinder. give it a go and get back to me
Click to expand...


HI Jug

I posted a new thread tonight and it has all the latest developments.... Basically I have done the test of the spark plugs and and all 4 cylinders were equally affected each time I remove an HT lead... but now as things stand, all the sypmptoms we've discussed, misfiring, temperature gauge, rev counter, Alternator.. etc .. I now know they are all related to one problem..... Its all explained in my new thread "give me a clue"
 
As I mentioned in the other threads my problems have been solved :)

All the problems were caused by a corroded transmission/clutch earth spot, the reason it was corroded so badly was because of a leak from a clutch slave cylinder:(
All I had to do is clean it and position away from the corroded spot and all the problems disappeared :)

Thanks to all of you Guys for your Feedback and thanks to Jug for guiding me straight to the solution(y)
 
Hey very good to hear that, can you post some pictures?
Thanx.

Bravicssimo said:
As I mentioned in the other threads my problems have been solved :)

All the problems were caused by a corroded transmission/clutch earth spot, the reason it was corroded so badly was because of a leak from a clutch slave cylinder:(
All I had to do is clean it and position away from the corroded spot and all the problems disappeared :)

Thanks to all of you Guys for your Feedback and thanks to Jug for guiding me straight to the solution(y)
Click to expand...
 
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