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Technical 1.3 mjt 4x4 feeling sluggish after service

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Technical 1.3 mjt 4x4 feeling sluggish after service

oyumurtaci

oyumurtaci

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So, I got the 50k kilometer service done yesterday at the dealer (their prices are good and I have a good relationship with them). Beyond the typical oil and filter changes and usual brake pad and disc wear checks, gearchange was feeling stiff so gearbox oil was changed, and a level check on the rear differential showed it to be low so it was drained and refilled as well. That being said, it feels noticeably sluggish now. It would usually gain speed briskly enough once the boost pressure from the turbo spooling hit peak at around 1750 rpm, but now it feels like it's dragging a trailer well into 2200rpm. I'm thinking they either mucked things up with the wrong spec differential lubrication, or there's a clearance issue with the brake pads (though they weren't overtly hot after a drive so I'm less inclined to think that). From what I can gather from the owners manual, the proper spec lube for the diff is SAE75 Tutela Transmission Gearforce, though it does not indicate if this is also true for the rear diff it just says mechanical gearbox and differential. Also, either I don't have the 4x4 supplementary handbook, or the 2012-onward didn't come with one so I'm going by the information at hand.

Am I just being paranoid, or is this worth looking into further, and if so am I looking in the right direction considering it would be hard to much up anything other than this on a routine service?
 
I'd have thought any drop in performance is more likely to be down to a change in the engine management settings. The dealers do so love plugging cars that are functioning perfectly well into their rinky-dinky little computers, and b*ggering everything up, while charging you for the privilege.
 
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Very much doubt that a change of oil spec in the rear diff would make any noticeable difference in performance (by the way, apart from needing a new battery, an oil leak on the rear diff is the only issue my 4x4 TA has had). Unless something like a sticky wastegate on the turbo happens to have coincided with the service, I'd be pretty sure the dealer has altered some setting/s, or something weird, like a cleaning cloth blocking the air intake/filter.
 
I really can't put it into words, but somehow it seems like while on one hand there's less turbo lag (it picks up from 1300rpm better without bogging down and waiting for the boost to build) but it doesn't kick you in the pants above 2000rpm and instead just steadily revs up without any urgency throughout the middle of the rev range. I might be wrong, but it simply feels like it struggles to get to 70mph on the highway.

I'll poke around some more (check the filter etc.) but essentially it feels like a 5psi reduction in maximum boost pressure, and I really don't have a way to check other than take it back to the service center and say 'something's wonky'.
 
oyumurtaci said:
So, I got the 50k kilometer service done yesterday at the dealer (their prices are good and I have a good relationship with them). Beyond the typical oil and filter changes and usual brake pad and disc wear checks, gearchange was feeling stiff so gearbox oil was changed, and a level check on the rear differential showed it to be low so it was drained and refilled as well. That being said, it feels noticeably sluggish now. It would usually gain speed briskly enough once the boost pressure from the turbo spooling hit peak at around 1750 rpm, but now it feels like it's dragging a trailer well into 2200rpm. I'm thinking they either mucked things up with the wrong spec differential lubrication, or there's a clearance issue with the brake pads (though they weren't overtly hot after a drive so I'm less inclined to think that). From what I can gather from the owners manual, the proper spec lube for the diff is SAE75 Tutela Transmission Gearforce, though it does not indicate if this is also true for the rear diff it just says mechanical gearbox and differential. Also, either I don't have the 4x4 supplementary handbook, or the 2012-onward didn't come with one so I'm going by the information at hand.

Am I just being paranoid, or is this worth looking into further, and if so am I looking in the right direction considering it would be hard to much up anything other than this on a routine service?
Click to expand...

No your not being paranoid. I have to say I often feel that the car goes worse after service. I do not know why though.

This sounds a bit too extreme to be ignored and I would ask them to check again to see if there is something up. The 4x4 diff oil issue is worrying as I am sure its vital to use the exact right oil. A dealer should however know which to use. Good luck
 
Well, somewhat ironically the diff threw a code the other day, but the code indicated an electrical surge disabling the diff solenoid, esc, and hill holder. Since they couldn't diagnose the issue beyond telling that a diff error caused everything to freak out, they cleared the code and we're waiting for it to happen again.
 
oyumurtaci said:
...From what I can gather from the owners manual, the proper spec lube for the diff is SAE75 Tutela Transmission Gearforce, though it does not indicate if this is also true for the rear diff it just says mechanical gearbox and differential. ...
Click to expand...
This may help here...
From the handbook that came with my 2018 4x4 (which has 2 and 4 wheel drive versions described in the same book)


  • Rear differential uses Tutella Transmission Cross, listed as SAE 75W-85 grade synthetic lubricant.
  • It also lists 'Drive transmission idler unit - PTU' (which I guess is the link from front drive gearbox to rear drive shaft?), and states for that Tutela Transmission Multiaxle, listed as 75W-85 grade synthetic lubricant that exceeds API GL5 specifications.
  • Front differential and gearbox (as you also said) uses Transmission Gearforce, fully synthetic 75W lubricant. (Note this is for the Multijet - it shows different spec for the TwinAir version).
 
oyumurtaci said:
So, I got the 50k kilometer service done yesterday at the dealer (their prices are good and I have a good relationship with them). Beyond the typical oil and filter changes and usual brake pad and disc wear checks, gearchange was feeling stiff so gearbox oil was changed, and a level check on the rear differential showed it to be low so it was drained and refilled as well. That being said, it feels noticeably sluggish now. It would usually gain speed briskly enough once the boost pressure from the turbo spooling hit peak at around 1750 rpm, but now it feels like it's dragging a trailer well into 2200rpm. I'm thinking they either mucked things up with the wrong spec differential lubrication, or there's a clearance issue with the brake pads (though they weren't overtly hot after a drive so I'm less inclined to think that). From what I can gather from the owners manual, the proper spec lube for the diff is SAE75 Tutela Transmission Gearforce, though it does not indicate if this is also true for the rear diff it just says mechanical gearbox and differential. Also, either I don't have the 4x4 supplementary handbook, or the 2012-onward didn't come with one so I'm going by the information at hand.

Am I just being paranoid, or is this worth looking into further, and if so am I looking in the right direction considering it would be hard to much up anything other than this on a routine service?
Click to expand...



I don't have a Fiat - I am a prospective purchaser. However, a few years ago we bought a nearly new VW Fox - only a handful of miles on the clock. It had just reached a VW dealer some miles away via the dealer transfer system they had. I bought it on the spot.

We had had several 8v 1.4 VWs. This was a 16v. It did not want to accelerate, but was really good when it got moving. I thought it was just the nature of the engine set-up. Not too long afterwards, I took it to our local dealer for a service. When I collected it, I only drove a couple of hundred yards before I realised that the performance had been transformed. It was so remarkable that when I got home - around 20 miles - I phoned the service manager. He said it was part of the service to put it on the computer and the engine management system would have been reset.

Oddly enough, took it in for its service a couple of weeks ago. I can't say that I had noticed it was getting sluggish. However, on collection it was noticeably better. There were hills that it now flew up.
 
I have a distant recollection that when we had our 1.9 diesel Mulitpla serviced at the dealer one time (many moons ago) , it came back very sluggish. I called the garage who said 'bring it back - we've left the computer in 'service mode'. Certainly, after a very quick visit to the workshop it came back right as rain. Maybe worth asking?
 
Post oil change my TA 4x4's ecu "unlocks" after 400-800 miles. It flies in comparison. There will be a reason for this am sure.
 
Latest situation: after the diff threw a code and disabled ELD, hill holder and ESC, took it back in. Since the code didn't specify the issue properly, they just reset the ECU, cleared the code, and told me to come back if it repeats. In the mean time, something funny was happening with a clunking sound under braking. Took it back, the cleaned the calipers and reseated the pads. Im thinking the poorly positioned pad messed up the abs sensor readings, causing an improbable wheel speed sensor input making the ECU freak out. Still sluggish though...
 
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