Hi all,

I used to have a Fiat Stilo Arbarth from new in 2002, in fact I was one of the first UK owners to post about 9.7 on the old Stilo.org site. I have now returned to Abarth ownership (2002) as lets face it for the money you can't get more toys

I'd only sold the previous car due to frequent visits to the dealers for warranty repairs. I'd hoped that by now any car with FFSH would have had those "teething" issues cured

So three days into enjoying the car I got an ASR/ESP system failure when driving. This is intermittent but will happen most journeys and then leave the warning light on until the ignition is switched off. It doesn't do it with the ASR turned off.

I've also noticed that since this fault the traction control no longer works reardless of whether the ASR/ESP error has been thrown. It recognises the cruise control has activated and I get a message but it stays in M(anual) rather than A(uto) in the display and the cruise can't be set or resumed.

Any ideas please??



Dave

PS. I've done plenty of searching (honest :devil

PPS. Why can't I plug my generic ODBII reader into the Stilo. I've read other posts mentioning a slot at the top of the fuse box. It has the correct 2 rows of 8 slots there but the usual D shaped connector won't go onto it. Am I doing something wrong as I thought OBDII was standard on all vehicles from 1996 ??

Clean the ABS sensor connectors. One under each rear wheel arch and one each side under the bonnet, just near the top of the suspension tower. Also clean the big connector on the ABS pump itself.

I had intermittent ABS/ ASR failure all the time, and have never had it since I cleaned the connectors.

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I ceertainly won't claim to be an expert on this but from I've read on the forum over the past months some area to look at are:

1) battery - is it a healthy battery? Low voltages can cause error alarms with the electrics on the car
2) Tyres - Make sure the tyres are the same all round in terms of diameter and width eg. R17 215/45. Inconsistent tyre siszes make the computer think that there's a problem with it ssensors which track the rotation of the wheels.
3) D4 Connector - This connector handles all of the CAN bus traffic and can get contact corrosion. Have a look in the FAQ's https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo-guides/99828-d4-connector.html which will explain about cleaning this connector up.

Hope this helps as starting point for you and good luck!

Greggers

Are you able to use the auto mode on you Abarth Selespeed gearbox? If you can't change up gears in auto, it's worth looking at the brake light sensor next to the brake pedal. This is a known issue with the Stilo and can cause the problems you've described. Essentially, the car thinks your braking all of the time. You can test it by lifting the tailgate and seeing if the high vis brake light is on even when you're not pushing the brake pedal.

Have a search for brake sensor and you should find everything you need. There's even a guide to replace it!

john55 said:

Clean the ABS sensor connectors. One under each rear wheel arch and one each side under the bonnet, just near the top of the suspension tower. Also clean the big connector on the ABS pump itself.

Click to expand...

Thanks I shall give this a go after work tonight

Greggers said:

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I ceertainly won't claim to be an expert on this but from I've read on the forum over the past months some area to look at are:

1) battery
2) tyres
3) D4 Connector

Hope this helps as starting point for you and good luck!

Greggers

Click to expand...

Thanks I'll get a multimeter on the battery later, tyres are all the right size & I'll look into the D4 connector clean too

Greggers said:

Are you able to use the auto mode on you Abarth Selespeed gearbox?

Click to expand...

Yep automode works fine for going up and down the box.

dave_5150 said:

Yep automode works fine for going up and down the box.

Click to expand...

Even when you get the ABS/ASR failure warning?

Greggers said:

Even when you get the ABS/ASR failure warning?

Click to expand...

Yep ..it's ESP failure and ABS failure I get though. No mention of ABS on the display (yet :devil.

After a lot of people getting rid of there Abarths due to increases in petrol and tax costs etc I was starting to think I had a screw missing for wanting to keep mine and even love the unloved Fiat stilo!!! its nice to see some one buying an Abarth in this current climate.
Good luck with your warning lights and beeps etc!
C'mon on every one be proud of your Abarth's!

nattyfatty09 said:

After a lot of people getting rid of there Abarths due to increases in petrol and tax costs etc I was starting to think I had a screw missing for wanting to keep mine and even love the unloved Fiat stilo!!! its nice to see some one buying an Abarth in this current climate.
Good luck with your warning lights and beeps etc!
C'mon on every one be proud of your Abarth's!

Click to expand...

im proud of mine whooped 1.9 jtd gt 07 plate:devil::devil:,who tried it on early hours this morning down a dual carrigeway. he thought it funny to tailgate and bully me......

Doh

When I'm in full auto mode I can change up the box with paddles or stick but the car won't automatically change up the box

Also my brake lights are all on all without the pedal being depressed so I guess its time to have a search further on the site :bang:

Yep, easy enough fix and a common problem

dave_5150 said:

Doh

When I'm in full auto mode I can change up the box with paddles or stick but the car won't automatically change up the box

Also my brake lights are all on all without the pedal being depressed so I guess its time to have a search further on the site :bang:

Click to expand...

seems like your brake switch £8.00 from fiat and £40. labour.got to get mine done when ive got time...

It's pretty much looking like it's the switch.

Just to add to the symptoms for both clarification and to add to the forum for future searchers.

1) I can start the car without having my foot on the brake pedal
2) Once started my lights are on
3) If I lift the pedal by putting my foot under it they go out
4) If I brake again they come back on again until I lift it again with my foot
5) Once lifted and in gear in full auto, all gears are automatically selected and cruise control works

I've located the guide on this site and I've already got the sound proofing out and I'll be trying to recalibrate in the first instance as that sounds easy

Failing that I'll have to hope my local dealer has a switch in stock tomorrow morning.

But first it's time for tea !!!

Glad to have helped!

Thanks for all the help

Resetting the switch did the trick. I now have brake lights which work, a fully usuable automatic mode, cruise control and so far no random ESP or ASR faults

Just to complete the thread I thought I'd add as I've not seen it mentioned that it is a lot easier to move the brake pedal far enough to get at the switch with the pliers with the engine running !!

Otherwise your just pumping up the brake pedal and making it stiffer.

Obvious really but it didn't occur to me and might help someone else

I'll add that to the main brake light thread too.

Many Thanks to Dave 55 whom after his advice :worship:I cleaned my ABS sensors in the engine bay and the main connector on the ABS pump. ITS A MIRACLE the alarm is away, after 2 months of new brake switch extra earth leads D4 connector cleaning etc etc its now away. just to let people know try this first before any outlay. V Happy