I've just been out to start my 06 1.4 Grande Punto & the inside of the car filled with smoke, while I was trying to scrape the snow off the screen. I turned the ignition off & let the smoke clear from inside the car for 10 mins or so, while looking under the hood where I found the alternator belt snapped & the alternator pully wheel frozen solid.I took out extended warranty but like most things it doesn't cover you for design faults. I have ordered a new belt but was wondering if anybody could advice me how to fit it & which way it's routed as I'm a bit skint just now & also the cars become snowed in:bang:.

you got air con or not? 8 or 16V ?

It's got air con & it's the 8v engine

needs alternator, tensioner, belt & drain mod

been trying to find you a diagram (and failed)

the air con version uses a longer belt and has a tensioner where as the the non air con uses a shorter belt with no tensioner as its tenstioned by the alternator on slotted bolt holes

So are you saying that it will need a new alternator, belt & tensioner as well as the mod.

Thanks for your help, I've been looking online but been unable to find a diagram ect..

You shouldn't have to pay for this repair. It's a known fault with the drain tubes from the windscreen that drain the water onto the alternator. They need to be replaced with ones that direct the water away from the alternator. It's affected loads of Alfa MiTos and now some Grande Puntos. Why Fiat havn't contacted owners about it, God only knows.

Speak to your local Fiat/Alfa dealer. The Alfa one will definately know about it, possibly Fiat too. If they don't know, speak to Fiat UK (00800 3428 0000) & ask them about it, because you shouldn't be out of pocket for this.

What they said. It's also possible that the alternator isn't damaged. If it is, and you're out of warranty, they can be exchanged or rebuilt.

If you can handle a socket set, rebuilding an alternator is fairly easy, and new bearings, brushes, and rectifier sets readily available. Exchange units are about £100.00

But the alt. may be fine. When you get it fixed, park the car facing uphill if possible until the water drain mod is done.

Smile! It could have been the cambelt.

Thanks for the advice.Checked the drain tube & yes its draining straight onto the alternator.I phoned the dealer where I got the car from but he wasn't interested & he said it wasn't coverd on my extended warranty & they couldn't come out to the car or collect it but if I got it to the garage they'd repair it. I then phoned FIAT & was told that they didn't know anything about this concern & didn't think I was covered as the car is nearly 4 years old . How hard is it to fit the belt so I can get it to a garage ?

exacily the same thing happend to me today, car filled with smoke, flames under the bonnet, black smoke everywhere and snapped belt.

should this have been a re-call does anyone know?

not happy at all!

check the sticky at the top of the grande punto page

Thanks for the help, just to keep you updated. I've managed to get the car transported to a garage, not Richard Hardies:bang: where I got it from. It needs a new alternator as well as the belt, the mechanic says the alternators gone because of the water running onto & into it then freezing. So it's going to cost me around £160.00 & transportation costs.So much for buying a couple of year old car with warranty from a dealer .

just wondering if eny 1 has had this problem with the 1.3 mjtd vershon and if it needs a drain mod ?

Benn1 said:

Thanks for the help, just to keep you updated. I've managed to get the car transported to a garage, not Richard Hardies:bang: where I got it from. It needs a new alternator as well as the belt, the mechanic says the alternators gone because of the water running onto & into it then freezing. So it's going to cost me around £160.00 & transportation costs.So much for buying a couple of year old car with warranty from a dealer .

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i was only charged £49 for a new belt fitted.

they had to take the alternator out to thaw and dry it out before re fitting.

had it back running for 2 days, all is ok!

id check first you actually need a new alternator.

andysporting said:

just wondering if eny 1 has had this problem with the 1.3 mjtd vershon and if it needs a drain mod ?

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See the Sticky. You can test with a couple of litres of water. I've posted a pic of the current drain on the 2010 car(s).

Benn1 said:

Thanks for the help, just to keep you updated. I've managed to get the car transported to a garage, not Richard Hardies:bang: where I got it from. It needs a new alternator as well as the belt, the mechanic says the alternators gone because of the water running onto & into it then freezing. So it's going to cost me around £160.00 & transportation costs.So much for buying a couple of year old car with warranty from a dealer .

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£160 sounds okay for a new Alternator and Belt plus labour, but i wouldn't be paying an independant to do it. First of all you stand less chance of getting money back from Fiat as the repair was carried out outside of the dealer network and also, an independant definately won't have the modification available to fit to stop the same thing happening again in a few days/weeks.

andysporting said:

just wondering if eny 1 has had this problem with the 1.3 mjtd vershon and if it needs a drain mod ?

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So far it looks like all the affected Grande Puntos have been petrol. All the Alfa MiTos that were affected last winter were also petrol, so i think you should be okay if you have a diesel engine. However, a quick test with as little water as possible poured on the windscreen should confirm it.

Lift the bonnet and after pouring some water on the screen, see whether it drains onto the alternator area or not. Don't use too much water and make sure you run the car afterwards to stop any water settling in the alternator & freezing (if your car has the problematic setup).


Please check the Sticky Thread created right at the top of the Grande Punto Section, as i have phoned the UK Customer Relations Manager about this and am expecting a call back shortly.

Had this happen to me Monday morning smoke inside,belt had burnt out and snapped no permanent damage to alternator just had to be de-frosted and new belt etc all in cost 95£ from fiat

Yes the alternator needs replacing as well as the belt & it's going to cost alot more than £160 . Thanks for the advice but Richard Hardies weren't interested so I had to get another garage to pick it up & do the work, also with me being partially disabled I need the car to get around especially in the bad weather.Theres also the problem of the inside of the car now smells like an ashtray :yuck:.

Jambo24 said:

Had this happen to me Monday morning smoke inside,belt had burnt out and snapped no permanent damage to alternator just had to be de-frosted and new belt etc all in cost 95£ from fiat

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Benn1 said:

Yes the alternator needs replacing as well as the belt & it's going to cost alot more than £160 . Thanks for the advice but Richard Hardies weren't interested so I had to get another garage to pick it up & do the work, also with me being partially disabled I need the car to get around especially in the bad weather.Theres also the problem of the inside of the car now smells like an ashtray :yuck:.

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You should both speak to Fiat (Customer Services, not the dealerships) and seek reimbursement or goodwill as detailed in my post at the top of the Grande Punto section.

If Richard Hardie is a Fiat Main Dealer and they are not interested, can i also suggest you log a complaint about them with Fiat UK, as they have been sent the information about this problem and i've been assured that they were sent a reminder today.

Please follow my instructions in the thread i posted at the top of the section. I have spent quite abit of time finding out info about this & have instructions from Fiat Customer Care in Italy and the Customer Relations Manager for the UK, but if owners don't follow these instructions, i fear it will not get resolved.

With particular regard to Richard Hardie, they might've changed their tune now a reminder has been sent out about the problem. Still not good enough as Fiat told me that all dealerships were sent the info in February, but you never know.