General 2919 Fiat 500 - How to operate automatic stop-start

[eponymous1212]

New member with 2019 Fiat 500. I am unable to master stop-start when in stationary traffic, and am wondering whether anyone else is experiencing this difficulty, and would welcome help. Previously, stop-start worked in second gear, when (1) I put my foot hard on the brake (2) Slip into neutral and take foot off the clutch (engine stops) (3) put foot on the clutch (engine starts). Now that no longer works. Any help most welcome. Thanks, Denis

 

[porta]

It won’t work if battery is low, counterintuitivly, stop start motoring is no good for maintaining battery and, therefore, stop-start

 

[The Panda Nut]

My Panda has worked OK for five years..... nearly (touch wood). If the car is in neutral and below about 5mph the engine stops. It should restart straight away when you touch the clutch pedal. If the car is on a hill and I allow it to roll away the engine fires up as the speed gets to 5mph. Sometimes it does not work, if its just beens started or if I pull up and then open a door, a heavy electrical load say demister and wipers may also stop it working. This is normal. There are various factors at play to prevent the car overdoing starts when the battery is not 100%. Some people on here report the battery lasting for a few years after stop start gives up. If you want it working you may need to replace the battery. I think I will just change the battery if it stops working and avoid getting caught out if the battery dies without warning as its getting older - as they see prone to do. Your s/s may come back to life if the car gets a run to charge the battery.

 

[eponymous1212]

My Panda has worked OK for five years..... nearly (touch wood). If the car is in neutral and below about 5mph the engine stops. It should restart straight away when you touch the clutch pedal. If the car is on a hill and I allow it to roll away the engine fires up as the speed gets to 5mph. Sometimes it does not work, if its just beens started or if I pull up and then open a door, a heavy electrical load say demister and wipers may also stop it working. This is normal. There are various factors at play to prevent the car overdoing starts when the battery is not 100%. Some people on here report the battery lasting for a few years after stop start gives up. If you want it working you may need to replace the battery. I think I will just change the battery if it stops working and avoid getting caught out if the battery dies without warning as its getting older - as they see prone to do. Your s/s may come back to life if the car gets a run to charge the battery.

Thank you that's very helpful. Do you know if the stop-start is run off a separate battery? It's a relatively new (2019) and low-mileage car. As far as I know, the battery is healthy. In the old days cars used to have an ammeter. Do you know whether the Fiat 500 has any warning lights if the battery needs a charge, or are there any other ways of checking battery health? Many thanks, Denis

 

[decappottabile]

I don't think the battery is at fault here. Worst case it's the sensor that's connected to the battery to measure its condition.
There's a number of things that influences the working of the start/stop system. When you have the AC on, start/stop will likely not work for example.

 

[Ralf S.]

If it's been hot and you had A/C on at the time, that would disable S/S.


Ralf S.

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

Thank you that's very helpful. Do you know if the stop-start is run off a separate battery? It's a relatively new (2019) and low-mileage car. As far as I know, the battery is healthy. In the old days cars used to have an ammeter. Do you know whether the Fiat 500 has any warning lights if the battery needs a charge, or are there any other ways of checking battery health? Many thanks, Denis

Your battery can be perfectly healthy for everyday starting and all the other loads but if it's not (at least!) 100% the S/S system will either not function at all or will restart the car after a brief interval. Many conditions will cause S/S to be over-ridden - as Panda Nut has described - but you should get a warning message ("Stop/Start Disconnected" or somesuch).

If you have a battery charger try putting the car on charge overnight and seeing how it performs the next day.

When my car was newly delivered the S/S was useless, stopping the engine alright but restarting it within seconds as the voltage dropped quickly - I had one of those cigarette lighter voltage meters plugged in to monitor it. My car was built ten months before I took delivery and it must have sat, uncharged, for most of that time in storage, damaging the battery. As soon as I persuaded the FIAT dealer that it was faulty, and that I was not going to go away quietly, they fitted a new battery and the S/S ran perfectly from that moment. After three years I replaced the ordinary battery they put in with a proper EFB Stop/Start type and the S/S functions to this day, now ten years since purchase, though it's normally switched off.

 

[eponymous1212]

It won’t work if battery is low, counterintuitivly, stop start motoring is no good for maintaining battery and, therefore, stop-start

Thanks Porta. That is helpful. Cars are fitted with this function in anticipation of future legislation. Would anyone have any information on when this will be coming into force in the UK? Many thanks, Denis

 

[eponymous1212]

I don't think the battery is at fault here. Worst case it's the sensor that's connected to the battery to measure its condition.
There's a number of things that influences the working of the start/stop system. When you have the AC on, start/stop will likely not work for example.

Thanks that's very helpful. I used to have a much older car, so am still getting used to all the new functions the Fiat 500 has. I haven't got around to using the AC yet, and may well have turned it on by mistake.

 

[eponymous1212]

If it's been hot and you had A/C on at the time, that would disable S/S.


Ralf S.

That's very helpful, Ralf. I haven't got around to using the AC yet, and may well have turned it on by mistake.

 

[porta]

Thanks Porta. That is helpful. Cars are fitted with this function in anticipation of future legislation. Would anyone have any information on when this will be coming into force in the UK? Many thanks, Denis

Having it fitted and using it are completely different things!

 

[eponymous1212]

Thank you that's very helpful. Do you know if the stop-start is run off a separate battery? It's a relatively new (2019) and low-mileage car. As far as I know, the battery is healthy. In the old days cars used to have an ammeter. Do you know whether the Fiat 500 has any warning lights if the battery needs a charge, or are there any other ways of checking battery health? Many thanks, Denis

Many

I don't think the battery is at fault here. Worst case it's the sensor that's connected to the battery to measure its condition.
There's a number of things that influences the working of the start/stop system. When you have the AC on, start/stop will likely not work for example.

Many thanks, Decappottabile. That's very helpful. I'm not sure whether I have had the AC on and may have pressed the button by mistake. I shall aim to eliminate that first. If I stall the car and put my foot on the clutch it starts. So it is the stopping part of the sequence I'm having problems with. Is this the correct sequence: (1) I put my foot hard on the brake (2) Slip into neutral and take foot off the clutch (engine stops).? Many thanks, Denis

 

[eponymous1212]

Having it fitted and using it are completely different things!

Thanks, Porta. I don't necessarily want to use it unless the law forces me to do so. At this stage all I'm wanting to do is check how to use it, and that it is working. (It just adds another mechanism to wear out or fail, so wouldn't use by choice.

 

[eponymous1212]

Your battery can be perfectly healthy for everyday starting and all the other loads but if it's not (at least!) 100% the S/S system will either not function at all or will restart the car after a brief interval. Many conditions will cause S/S to be over-ridden - as Panda Nut has described - but you should get a warning message ("Stop/Start Disconnected" or somesuch).

If you have a battery charger try putting the car on charge overnight and seeing how it performs the next day.

When my car was newly delivered the S/S was almost useless, stopping the engine alright but restarting it within seconds as the voltage dropped quickly - I had one of those cigarette lighter voltage meters plugged in to monitor it. My car was built ten months before I took delivery and it must have sat, uncharged, for most of that time in storage, damaging the battery. As soon as I persuaded the FIAT dealer that it was faulty, and that I was not going to go away quietly, they fitted a new battery and the S/S ran perfectly from that moment. After three years I replaced the ordinary battery they put in with a proper EFB Stop/Start type and the S/S functions to this day, now ten years since purchase, though it's normally switched off.

Thank you very much Piccolo. I tend to do short runs around town, so that might contribute to how well the battery is charging. I shall check out one of those cigarette lighter voltage meters, as I am so used to cars with ammeters.

 

[porta]

You don’t need to brake hard, just come to a stop, engine cuts…or should

 

[John202020]

Hi, the type of driving drastically affects the SS, so if you say mainly do urban cycle perhaps driving only 10 miles at most each journey then the SS may never work, on the other hand if you do 2 hours a day on the motorway then the Ss should work perfectly, I, personally would leave the AC ALWAYS ON, this will likely preserve the ac system, keep the car cool in summer demisted in winter, the trade off in fuel consumption is well worth it in my opinion ( 40 ! years of driving a car with ac, Honda factory fit even in 1980 )

 

[eponymous1212]

You don’t need to brake hard, just come to a stop, engine cuts…or should

Thanks, Porta. That's very helpful. I shall try braking to bring the car to a stop. Take my foot off the brake and slip into neutral

 

[John202020]

Thanks, Porta. That's very helpful. I shall try braking to bring the car to a stop. Take my foot off the brake and slip into neutral

And apply the hand brake where appropriate

 

[eponymous1212]

Hi, the type of driving drastically affects the SS, so if you say mainly do urban cycle perhaps driving only 10 miles at most each journey then the SS may never work, on the other hand if you do 2 hours a day on the motorway then the Ss should work perfectly, I, personally would leave the AC ALWAYS ON, this will likely preserve the ac system, keep the car cool in summer demisted in winter, the trade off in fuel consumption is well worth it in my opinion ( 40 ! years of driving a car with ac, Honda factory fit even in 1980 )

Thanks, John. That's very helpful advice. I've checked out the legal position, and to my surprise have found the regulation is already in force "
Stationary Idling Offence UK

Also known as stationary idling, Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 prohibits leaving your engine on when it is not needed. This act enforces Rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states “you must not leave a vehicle's engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road”.

 

[AndyRKett]

How long have you had the car?

I was just thinking if it is a 2019 car and bought new just before the pandemic, it may have spend most of its short life not going anywhere restricted by lock downs. So while the battery isn't that old it may not hold a charge well because of sitting around for years with very little use, or one trip a week to tesco 1 mile down the road for 6 months and little else.