I've got an 04 plate 1.6 5 door Stilo Dyanimic which is going in for a service next week (36k) and yesterday & today its been acting up... guess it doesn't like going to the garage - like my pet dog hates the vets

I was sat at the traffic lights and had the dash board blinking in time to the indicators. I've also had intermittant 'ABS Failure' warnings which vanish a moment later. These never appear at start-up only when the car is moving! At one point driving home the putting the wiper blades on caused the warning to appear. The dash has also seemed to die once - radio stopped, trip screen goes blank. Came back a second later.

Is there anything I can check before it goes in? Or does anyone have any ideas what could be wrong?

Many thanks in advance

Bad earth somewhere or D4 connector perhaps or dash display connectors.

Yes I was thinking the same as Decks and also the possibility of the Electronic control module twin connectors at the side of the No 4 oil pack there is an earth connector on the bottom left hand side on this module check it for a good connection as well :chin:

Can I just be bold (and ignorant) and suggest one more elementary cause - battery less than great, or slipping alternator belt (how's the battery holding up for starting? If it's the original, is the 'eye' green?)

PNL, my oil pack is still in the boot (I'll get around to the service some day) - I guess you meant coil pack I haven't even taken that big cover off yet - saving that for a rainy day and when I get my 'Ribe' screwdriver (I'm told that's what it's called).

Cheers,
-Alex

alexGS said:

Can I just be bold (and ignorant) and suggest one more elementary cause - battery less than great, or slipping alternator belt (how's the battery holding up for starting? If it's the original, is the 'eye' green?)

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Can't remember having any problems with starting - other than 'Low Oil Pressure' warning which can be cleared by stopping and then restarting.

I'm not sure if its the original battery, I've not had it changed but I don't have the right screwdriver for the cover to check. It does look like someone has hamfisted the cables though. So it looks like the cover has been removed at some point. The problem is its all pushed out and not sitting right - so there is a nice gap down the side - and there is a big black plastic cable being used

davemac said:

I'm not sure if its the original battery, I've not had it changed but I don't have the right screwdriver for the cover to check. It does look like someone has hamfisted the cables though. So it looks like the cover has been removed at some point. The problem is its all pushed out and not sitting right - so there is a nice gap down the side - and there is a big black plastic cable being used

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You can’t expect to save money on servicing without getting your hands dirty. Get some good tools and get stuck in there. A lot of Stilo issues are either battery related or are in the area just behind the battery. You’re looking for connection/corrosion type issues which are often sorted with a good clean. If someone has already had a play in that area then it’s the first place I’d look.

If you don’t fancy having a go then pay a good Fiat garage to have a look

I'd say check all wiring around battery area and dashboard intermediate junctions - could be chaffing of the dash loom causing all these problems. Or a bad dash earth, check that; its above the body computer, black box with lots of black wires going into it (IIRC).

davemac said:

I'm not sure if its the original battery, I've not had it changed but I don't have the right screwdriver for the cover to check. It does look like someone has hamfisted the cables though. So it looks like the cover has been removed at some point. The problem is its all pushed out and not sitting right - so there is a nice gap down the side - and there is a big black plastic cable being used

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The screws can be undone with a suitable flat-blade screwdriver (of the right size!) and replaced with M6 x 25mm bolts (10mm head) if you prefer

My battery cover also doesn't sit right, I suspect it is the usual FIAT quality, the left side of the battery box tends to bulge out because of all the wires crammed in there. The first couple of times I pushed and pulled and strained to get the sides contained under the cover. Then I saw a crack appear in the cover, surrounded by glue, which suggested a previous struggle for someone. So, lately I've been letting the cover sit where it wants to (it's surprising how many times that stupid cover has to come off (five times in the month so far), for battery recharging and jump-starting friend's cars...)

-Alex

alexGS said:

The screws can be undone with a suitable flat-blade screwdriver (of the right size!) and replaced with M6 x 25mm bolts (10mm head) if you prefer

My battery cover also doesn't sit right, I suspect it is the usual FIAT quality, the left side of the battery box tends to bulge out because of all the wires crammed in there. The first couple of times I pushed and pulled and strained to get the sides contained under the cover. Then I saw a crack appear in the cover, surrounded by glue, which suggested a previous struggle for someone. So, lately I've been letting the cover sit where it wants to (it's surprising how many times that stupid cover has to come off (five times in the month so far), for battery recharging and jump-starting friend's cars...)

-Alex

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Be carefull Alex how you jump start peoples car off yours you could fry your ECU

PNL said:

Be carefull Alex how you jump start peoples car off yours you could fry your ECU

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Completely concur Phil, The fact the cover's bolted down is the perfect reason for NOT giving a jump start.

What's wrong with giving a tow (standard part of my kit is the tow-rope) ?

Argonought said:

Completely concur Phil, The fact the cover's bolted down is the perfect reason for NOT giving a jump start.

What's wrong with giving a tow (standard part of my kit is the tow-rope) ?

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Or picking up a phone and calling the AA?

The car went to the garage last Wednesday. The bill says:

checked on examiner error low battery voltage
checked battery fully charged

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Was told they had charged the battery...

The ABS warning light hasn't come on since but the radio is still dying so it'll be going back once things at work calm down. I'm thinking there is a loose connection and they shifted it or something during the service.