Technical Everlasting Problems

[kells81]

Hello
Since buying my 899cc Seicento back in Jan 2005 it has been in the garage 6/7 times due to gear box and clucth problems.
Aparently each time it went in it was supposed to me fixed. After one time after being fixed the gearbox knocked the manafold out and the bottom of the car went bouncing on the road Back to the Garage.
Again they fixed it - all the time under warranty.
Now after a year, the warranty has now finished. The gearbox again now rattles and the clutch ticks. I feel that i have been cheated with my dear little car... and cant afford to fix the problem - which by the way the garage never confirmed what it was, and just bodged it up all the time. I threated the garage that i would reject the car (being on finance) but again each time the car went in - was susposidly fixed - but only lasting about 1 month before going wrong again.
Any ideas? Do Seicento's generally get major problems with gears and clutches?
I find myself a good driver and i look after the car and parts well. I do not run my car into the ground....... any suggestions of what could be deffinitly wrong and how it can be fixed.
For those who my remember my ID - i am the one in southampton with the GREEN Seicento.

Many thanks
Any Advice Welcome!

Kelly

 

[arc]

what problems are you having with the gears? The dragging the back of the engine along the floor would have been from a failed rear gearbox mount. these are quite common to fail (mine is in dire need of replacing at the moment).

When does the car make noises, do they change with speed or engine revs. Do the noises change when the clutch pedal is pressed?

 

[kells81]

Hello Arc

My little car engine rattles (a metallic grinding noice) when first started. In low gears and pulling away a LOUD griding noice happens which sounds like a whirling disk scrapping something else.
Loud knocking happens when changing gears some times but not all times. I feel my car is on its last legs - but wish i knew what was completely wrong. The fan belf screams ( it has been tightened several times)
i wish my car got better and didnt sound so ill. I have stopped using it - but do give it a run at the weekends.

Any Ideas Arc?

Thanks for replying!:worship:

 

[arc]

it sounds to me like they havent properly fixed the rear engine/gearbox mount.

as you pull away, the engine rocks backwards and catches the exhaust, or the floor, or its hitting something.

fan belt might be overtightned, or the alternator may be ill.

metallic noise on startup.. when was the oil last changed, and what grade oil was used? is the noise only there on cold starting, or does it do it everytime the engine is fired up?

 

[kells81]

the ticking is only on first start up
but the grinding is continuious.

by the way - thanks for taking time to help me out.

I will change the oil tomorrow then should i, and then see how that is?

 

[kells81]

what if the alternator is gone? is this an expensive fix?

 

[arc]

ticking sounds like it could be due to the oil, see how it is once its changed.

no worries about helping out, its what this place is all about

i wouldnt worry too much about the alternator yet. When does the belt make noise. At first start, or does it do it when you start switching things on. Headlights, heated rear window, heaters etc. You should be able to pick up a second hand one for about £30 or something (well i hope thats what they're worth cos i sold my spare for that!)

regarding the grinding it really does sound like engine mounts. The rear one going may have damaged the front one as well. This has happened on mine. They're not too expensive to buy, around £15 i think.

good luck with it

 

[AppleSei]

The ticking could be the engine tappets. Does this noise quiten down as your car warms up? This is unfortuneatly a cento trait, you can change the grade of oil in your car if this is the case, but the noise usually goes down as the cars oil pressure warms up, so most of us tend to live with it.

Fan belts tend to scream at this time if the year, things such as a damp engine for example could make it loud, again till the engine warms up and then this noise quitens down

As for the clutch, all centos have poor clutch cables, they break dead easy, but this wont effect you.