hi, i have fiat punto 1.2 (R Reg) Manual. recently it had some problems, its was loosing antifreeze and than heating up because of no antifreeze. so i used BARS RADIATOE SEALER, to stop any minor leaks, so for it was good. untill today a light came on dashboard, so i checked owner handbook. which says that light means FAULT IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION(red)
i checked engine oil level and it was quite low, so i added more engine oil(about 1 litre) but that warning light still comes on. (it flashes doesnt stay on for long)
and it doesnt come on when engine is cold,only flashes when temperature is half way(when fan normally cuts in) car it doesnt overheat, when car starts moving than temperature falls down and that light doesnt flash aswell.
apart from that light everything else is fine i mean car doesnt loose power or misfire etc.

Anyone got any idea what could be the problem?
and should i just carry on and ignore the light, fiat dealer are so expensive so i dont think its worth going to them for 600 pounds car

Please if somebody knows what could be the problem please let me know.
Thansk in advance

fiat-punto said:

hi, i have fiat punto 1.2 (R Reg) Manual.

FAULT IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION(red)

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i think there is your problem lol


but take it to any garage and get them to plug it in to the computer just in case. mite cost 30-40 quid just for the peace of mind!

mark16v said:

i think there is your problem lol


but take it to any garage and get them to plug it in to the computer just in case. mite cost 30-40 quid just for the peace of mind!

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i know what you are saying, but thats what owner hand book says.fault in automatic transmission. and yeah car is maual(thats why i clearly mentioned that in first post

take a pic an upload it what dose it look like?

ok i will try t take pic

did it used to be an auto? has it got a selecter badge on the boot.

mark16v said:

i think there is your problem lol


but take it to any garage and get them to plug it in to the computer just in case. mite cost 30-40 quid just for the peace of mind!

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you were right. i was stupid.
oil pressure too low and faults in the automatic tansmission warning light look bit similar(not exatly though.) since i m new driver and owner manual was on 3rd floor. so i thought its the transmission thing.
but now i actually took the maual with me in the car and it turned out to be oil pressure too low light.
because engine oil was too low i toped it up. but that light still flashes sometimes when its idle. although it goes when accelerate.
so now i think i dont need to worry about anything

you need oil change or if that antifreeze was just going and you didnt see any leak your head gasket is gone

dave said:

you need oil change or if that antifreeze was just going and you didnt see any leak your head gasket is gone

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do i need to change oil? i just added 1 litre.
and i dont think there is any antifreeze in oil. becaus whatever oil was left. it was in good condition, and no mayonaize like thing.

but is it serious problem? should i have the oil changed immediatly?
that fiat manual says if it goes when you accelrate slightly, its not seroius problem.
What do you think?

where did the missing litre go? when did it last have an oil change?

dave said:

where did the missing litre go? when did it last have an oil change?

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last oil changed was in october 2007. and there is minor leak(gasket rocket cover. or whatever they call it) but this is very common and not that serious, unless you loose all your oil

and also do you think it could be oil pump:bang:?
light started flickering when oil was really low. so as far as i know its not that pump. or atleast hope its not

how many miles it done since oct 2007?

dave said:

how many miles it done since oct 2007?

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i normally dont drive too much. i think about 120 to 140miles per month.
and bytheway light only starts flashing when temperature gauge goes half way up(when fan cuts in)

oil should be ok then, i would be worried what the BARS RADIATOE SEALER is up to inside the engine though

dave said:

oil should be ok then, i would be worried what the BARS RADIATOE SEALER is up to inside the engine though

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had the oil change,filter and sensor and that problem has gone.
but the oil colour is kind of white like water when its on dipstick. but when put it on tissue it has very light brown colour.the one i put in myself had very dark brown colour the one which are available from halfords, 10 40w something.

any ideas where can i get this oil from if i need to top up in future?

dave said:

oil should be ok then, i would be worried what the BARS RADIATOE SEALER is up to inside the engine though

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That's not true dave. The oil should be done every 6 months regardless of mileage.

fiat-punto said:

but the oil colour is kind of white like water when its on dipstick.

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Ask them what oil they used?

White oil - never heard of it in my life. Normal oil + water = white mayo.

Maybe worth compression testing to check for a failed HG.

Water should not be in the oil, sniff test to check for hydrocarbons in the cooling system. If there is no water colled oil cooler and hydrocarbons are present in the coolant 9/10 its the headgasket. If there is a water cooled oil cooler it may be the culprit.

P.S. usually when the oil light shows on the dash damage has already been done to something, usually main bearings or shells causing low oil pressure.

Ffoxy said:

Water should not be in the oil, sniff test to check for hydrocarbons in the cooling system. If there is no water colled oil cooler and hydrocarbons are present in the coolant 9/10 its the headgasket. If there is a water cooled oil cooler it may be the culprit.

P.S. usually when the oil light shows on the dash damage has already been done to something, usually main bearings or shells causing low oil pressure.

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there is no water in oil. and there are no problem aswell with the car. i was just talking about that oil which i have never seen before. just had oil chnged today so obvoiously its not water. just that colour.
but i will ask him which oil he used

richie.guy said:

That's not true dave. The oil should be done every 6 months regardless of mileage.



Ask them what oil they used?

White oil - never heard of it in my life. Normal oil + water = white mayo.

Maybe worth compression testing to check for a failed HG.

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no its not like mayo.and there is no water in oil.

richie.guy said:

That's not true dave. The oil should be done every 6 months regardless of mileage.

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on an 8v with modern oil you can go a year with no worry.


this oil is normal it just looks clear because all the crud from engine has gone with the old oil, because there just a thin layer of the new oil on the stick it just looks clear, tis normal