Hi all,

I've seen a couple of threads asking similar questions lately, so apologies if I seem to be overlapping with those.

I'm having a bit of trouble with my '00 Mk.2 Punto.

A couple of months ago, it started running rough, misfiring and losing power (not cutting out though). Took it to my mechanic who replaced the plugs and leads, which needed doing anyway. It didn't solve the problem, so I took it back to him and we discovered mayo in the radiator- the head gasket was gone. He replaced that, which, again, needed doing. That didn't solve the problem either and, after a chat with a main dealer mechanic, neither did replacing the coil with a secondhand one.

I think I can rule it out as being a sparking issue, which leads me to think it must be a fuel problem. The mechanic seems to think that given my tendency to let the tank run to near empty, I might have damaged or clogged the injectors in some way. I was wondering if he was on the right track with this idea?

From some of the other threads I've read, it sounds plausible, even if it's a rare enough problem. I haven't hooked the car up to a diagnostic as the mechanic doesn't have access to one. Could it be many other things, or would I be right in going ahead replacing the injector rail with a secondhand one? Would anyone know how likely that would be to solve the issue?

Thanks,
Dave.

The car is OBD2 compliant. Any old code reader will get you all but the manufacturer's codes.

Start from there, report back.

Running fuel tank low might clog the fuel filter, could be a starting point to check fuel pressure at rail.


injectors could be checked with multimeter and listen to each down a screwdriver shaft

I strongly suspect that the clogged filter is a red herring...

Tbh
Modern fuel is somewhat quiet clean, i suspect there isn't enough to clog a filter...

Plus punto's are designed to have 1 fuel filter built into the pump to outlive the car
as many many many do

Have we check the ECU is actually telling the coil packs to spark?

Ziggy

The engine warning light came on for the first time today, so I'll get the car hooked up and that checked out post haste and find out what my problem is then.

Mechanic had another quick look at it today and one of the sparks was very weak, so he now, again, suspects that the secondhand coil I got was a dud, but the diagnostic will tell all.

Auteur91 said:

The engine warning light came on for the first time today, so I'll get the car hooked up and that checked out post haste and find out what my problem is then.

Mechanic had another quick look at it today and one of the sparks was very weak, so he now, again, suspects that the secondhand coil I got was a dud, but the diagnostic will tell all.

Click to expand...

Dont bother with 2nd hand coils - its a waste of time usually

Buy 2x new genuine versions - not White boxed items from the local parts shop

Unless you find 2x original magnitelli versions on a scrappy, again tho, they could fail at any point

Ziggy

The mechanic figured it out without having to get the car hooked up. It was a problem with one of the injectors- no power going to it, so he replaced the rail and I'm running as right as rain now. Think I might need a new clutch now though...

Hey how much was injectors ?