500 Breakdown ideas?

[AlanJ1999]

Hi Everyone, this is a long shot but I’m hoping someone might be able to help. We had a full service, including cambelt/water pump done and on the way home the start/stop deactivated and the engine light came on while driving home. A few minutes later the car died and ground to a halt on a dual carriageway. Sometime later the car started and revved fine but it was taken back to the garage (non fiat? And they’re now going back over everything they did. Its 8 yrs old and has only done 41,000 miles. Any ideas why it would die after a service? I know its a long shot……and what a terrible afternoon that was watching people almost smashing into her car. Police had to shut the road and tow her to safety. Thanks

 

[John202020]

Very hard to say, however the number of times recently that issues have cropped up after cam belt change has risen though normally the car doesn't stop but will enter "limp mode"
I'd guess the belt is one tooth out due to a non Fiat procedure being used, the garage needs to sort it as it was ok before going in.

 

[AlanJ1999]

Very hard to say, however the number of times recently that issues have cropped up after cam belt change has risen though normally the car doesn't stop but will enter "limp mode"
I'd guess the belt is one tooth out due to a non Fiat procedure being used, the garage needs to sort it as it was ok before going in.

Thanks. Would you know if a special tool is required to change the cam belt? If your theory is correct then they also told us they were waiting for a special tool. I thought it was delaying BS but if they fitted the belt without the tool then maybe they did fit it slightly inaccurately?

 

[John202020]

Thanks. Would you know if a special tool is required to change the cam belt? If your theory is correct then they also told us they were waiting for a special tool. I thought it was delaying BS but if they fitted the belt without the tool then maybe they did fit it slightly inaccurately?

A fiat dealer uses a locking tool so the cam won't move, it's "possible " to not use it but not advisable, there's also a relearn procedure to tell the engine the crank and camshaft correlation after replacing that is required.

 

[AlanJ1999]

A fiat dealer uses a locking tool so the cam won't move, it's "possible " to not use it but not advisable, there's also a relearn procedure to tell the engine the crank and camshaft correlation after replacing that is required.

Thank you for that. I rang the garage and that was going to be what he was going to do next. He said he’s never seen an old belt stretch so much to create an issue but he’ll check the new one and go three the procedure. Thanks

 

[jrkitching]

the number of times recently that issues have cropped up after cam belt change

I've lost count. It's almost beyond belief that a routine service procedure which ought to be straightforward offers so many opportunities to go wrong and get into difficulties.

Independent garages without significant experience doing cambelt changes on the VVT FIRE engines often seem unable to carry out the procedure without creating a new problem.

Anyone contemplating having a belt changed other than by a main dealer or independent FIAT specialist should exercise more than the usual caution in selecting a garage to carry out this work.

 

[AlanJ1999]

I've lost count. It's almost beyond belief that a routine service procedure which ought to be straightforward offers so many opportunities to go wrong and get into difficulties.

Independent garages without significant experience doing cambelt changes on the VVT FIRE engines often seem unable to carry out the procedure without creating a new problem.

Anyone contemplating having a belt changed other than by a main dealer or independent FIAT specialist should exercise more than the usual caution in selecting a garage to carry out this work.

Would you say there’s a solution to my problem. I have used a reputable garage thats changed an engine for a friend before. My girlfriend hasn’t serviced the car since she bought it four years ago & thought i was doing some good getting a full service on it for her. Now i feel responsible and she just wants a car that’s not going to break down 10 minutes after leaving the garage. Where she lives is a really accident fraught single lane road and it worries me that’s where she’ll end up breaking down. Nightmare

 

[jrkitching]

Would you say there’s a solution to my problem.

Unless the timing was set so far out that it has caused physical damage (it's an interference engine), then it's fixable by resetting the timing correctly. Timing tools will be required to do this (and possibly ECU relearning software also).

 

[John202020]

Hasn’t serviced the car since she bought it four years ago

No you did the right thing just unfortunately the garage messed things up once fixed it should be fine.