Technical Bravo Keeps Weeing Itself

[Andysan]

So after my Bravo spent two and a half weeks at HM AC's pleasure having its new flywheel and driveshaft parts fitted, along with its oil leak I had hoped and prayed that I was now surely owed many months of trouble free driving. Well apparently this is not The Fiat Way, as eight days later I've noticed that my Bravo is either very nervous or simply getting on a bit as it keeps wetting itself at every available opportunity.

The culprit this time - the washer jets, most notably this rubber connector here which I cannot get to seal back up:

Depending on the orientation of this pipe, fluid either sprays through the crack in the bonnet and onto the back of the car in front of it on my driveway, or directly into the fusebox (which someone has broken the casing on meaning that it is not watertight).

Yep, I know everyone will say its minor and I agree that it is, but it just feels like another brick in the wall in the never ending reliability saga that I seem to be experiencing with this car.

Does anyone know if I can procure the part in question from anywhere other than Fiat please - I could just tape it back up but would be constantly checking it to see if it was leaking. Failing this my first MOT is in two weeks so I could just get the garage to look at it then. I've read that the following is required to pass the inspection:

Wipers and Washers must operate properly and give the driver a clear view of the road.

I reckon that the washer jet is operating properly, the fact that it goes into the fusebox and not onto the windscreen is just down to the gods! :worship:

 

[ascott92]

That's the pipe I too had trouble with! Mine's was getting so excited, it wee-d on it's battery. The pipe in my case cracked where you've taken the photo, stopping fluid getting to the rear washer. Some clear piping from a job years ago was enough to do the job, along with 2 cable ties.

It's not a huge issue, but it could maybe be another recurring Bravo fault with this pipe?

 

[Andysan]

Yep, I agree that its not a major problem but I dont really want to fix it with cable ties etc.... as I'd be checking it every week to see if it had started leaking again.

It just feels bad on top of everything else thats gone wrong with the damned thing in the past five months of ownership, totalling nearly a month and a half off the road:

Faulty glow plugs
Replaced rads x2
Replaced windscreen x2
Replaced leaking oil seal
Replaced Flywheel
Replaced driveshaft parts
Leaky washer jets


I've owned two Fords before this and whilst I prefer the design and styling of my Fiat I only replaced one tail light bulb in three and a half years of driving compared to all of the above in less than six months. I guess thats why they're so aggressively priced.

 

[ascott92]

Meh, with FIATs you're taking a big risk...they're definitely better, but they're still not 100% there. I had a neighbour with an F-reg Fiat Uno, 112,000 miles, only sold last year because of it starting to cost a bit to put right. But that was 20+ years of service, getting to work everyday, with no false starts. The only major part put right was a wheel bearing in all that time...

But i've seen a 2004 Stilo scrapped because of all it's faults...

And yours seems to be going the way of that Stilo, my Bravo has a few faults, but nothing huge. Not going to last 20 years though. Seems with Fiats you still have to get lucky to get a reliable one.

 

[Andysan]

And yours seems to be going the way of that Stilo, my Bravo has a few faults, but nothing huge. Not going to last 20 years though. Seems with Fiats you still have to get lucky to get a reliable one.

Aaargh - dont say that, I'm still in the "denial" stage!

If I review the list of faults though and knowing the individual circumstances of each, its only the flywheel/driveshaft issues that wouldnt have gone wrong on any other car.

 

[udtrev]

Did I get you the right code for the flywheel ?

 

[Andysan]

Did I get you the right code for the flywheel ?

Hey Man,

Sorry, I never got back to you did I? I believe it was the correct part - I called FIAT UK up and asked why they couldnt provide this part - turns out that they have moved their parts department from one side of the UK to the other last month and hence couldnt provide anyone with much of anything.

It helped me argue with them that I could source the part easily on the Internet so wasnt satisfied that they couldnt provide one so thanks again for that.

 

[udtrev]

glad to have helped

 

[ascott92]

Does it leak at all times, or just when you use your washers? Coz if it's just when you use your washers, you're probably best bodging it, because it looks to me to be a fiddely job replacing that pipe.

 

[cainy1989]

mine does the same, theres a rubber insert that ends up in the gray connector of the rubber pipe, take it out of that side and place it inside the plastic pipe, push the gray connector into the plastic pipe and hey presto they stay together.....for a bit

I took mine out of that plastic clip, did seem to stretch the pipe a little to much on the join, hence the separation

odd and cheap design, took a few attempts with the three bits to work it out but got there in the end

 

[Andysan]

Does it leak at all times, or just when you use your washers? Coz if it's just when you use your washers, you're probably best bodging it, because it looks to me to be a fiddely job replacing that pipe.

It sprays out quite vociferously when I use either the front or rear jets, it doesnt seem to leak much/at all the rest of the time.

mine does the same, theres a rubber insert that ends up in the gray connector of the rubber pipe, take it out of that side and place it inside the plastic pipe, push the gray connector into the plastic pipe and hey presto they stay together.....for a bit

I took mine out of that plastic clip, did seem to stretch the pipe a little to much on the join, hence the separation

odd and cheap design, took a few attempts with the three bits to work it out but got there in the end

Thanks for the tip man, I will have another play later I feel.

 

[ascott92]

Let us know if you have any joy.

 

[Andysan]

Let us know if you have any joy.

I took the black bit out of the grey bit (or the other way around?) and pushed the connectors back together but under pressure after a few blasts they just force themselves apart. A tie-wrap placed quite tightly around the hose seems to have done the job, but I'm still reluctant to use the jets as I cant tell if its leaking or not. Am going to ask the garage to replace it when it has its MOT week after next.

Dont suppose anyone has the part number please so I can phone up and order in advance if they havent got one on the shelf? Ta.

 

[RobW]

why don't you just replace the pipe with some normal tubing?

 

[Andysan]

why don't you just replace the pipe with some normal tubing?

Yep, I agree that that would probably be the best/cheapest solution but I'm a bit of a freak about stuff like this - would rather have the garage whack the proper part on. I'll keep testing it, it doesnt seem to be leaking at all atm.