Technical Fuel cut off unavailable (and no cruise control)

[Aresby]

This morning I had this "Fuel cut off unavailable" message on my GP sporting 1.6 diesel (just over two years old now, had it from new).

I had been waiting for the next thing to go wrong and I was not disappointed (more things have gone wrong with this car than I care to mention).

The error message cleared when I removed the key and restarted but the cruise control had been disabled (which I only found out about as I was driving to work). Restarting in the car park at work a couple of times got things back in sync, cruise control now working again and no more message about fuel cut off.

However, the last time I dismissed a warning message as a "one off", my power steering failed and my car was off the road for several days awaiting parts from Italy (hint: never buy a foreign car that doesn't have a parts warehouse in the UK).

So, is this fuel cut off message something I should be talking to my dealer about NOW or do I wait until it comes on again and I can't get to work? Or the airport for my holiday, soon?

(A search of this forum elicited no positive news and I was unceremoniously rejected from the 500 forum where something similar was previously reported).

 

[Aresby]

No repeat this morning, at which point I realised I had done something different yesterday.

Sequence of events:

1. Unlock car
2. Key in ignition
3. Turn ignition and wait for glowplug symbol to extinguish
4. DURING THIS DELAY I TURNED ON MY SIDELIGHTS
5. Message appeared either just as, or slightly before, I cranked the engine

So, could turning on the sidelights during the computer communication with sensors period have caused a data corruption and hence the message?

My knowledgeable friend (electronics whiz) says it is entirely technically possible but obviously couldn't say how likely it was.

Anyone any comments?

 

[ChrisUK]

Is the battery fully charged? Warning messages like this are usually caused by a weak / dying battery or by earthing issues.

 

[TallTom]

for example to back Chris up, you can get an excessive Rad Temp message if there are battery issues, this is because the power response from the sensor drops below a certain voltage.

Have you got any additional kit hooked up to the battery?

 

[Aresby]

No, I've nothing else hooked up to the battery. This car is in the same condition as it came from the showroom.

Whilst I use dipped headlights and front fogs going to work during the winter, it is a 42 mile round trip so plenty time to recharge fully, I feel. And coming home I don't need my lights every day (like today, nice and sunny).

But thanks for your suggestions, all ideas are useful.

Today I repeated the same sequence of ignition events outlined in my previous post but no matter what I did it all was fine, no matter how many times I turned the lights on or off (or didn't) during the "boot up" sequence.

Sigh.

So, until it happens again (at which point I really will have no choice other than to report to my local dealer - who now charges for diagnostic work at it's in the third year "warranty" period ) I'll bide my time.

I suppose knowing the diagnostic codes (if it actually recorded any) would help but only my dealer has that sort of equipment. Last time I had a problem it hadn't recorded much other than "an error happened" which was of no use to them whatsoever.

 

[ChrisUK]

Most likely bad Earth's then. They rear their ugly heads when the weathers at it's coldest.

 

[jameshobiecat]

Why do you drive around with your front for lights on? Its illegal and dazzles other drivers because they don't aim down like headlights.

 

[Jamie]

Most likely bad Earth's then. They rear their ugly heads when the weathers at it's coldest.

this, they can also corrode, i snapped the gearbox to battery earth from corrosion, dials didnt work, can ran crap, earth looked fine until it was unbolted.

 

[Aaron87]

Had this happen on my Abarth gp about 6 months ago would pop up now and then with fuel cut off unavailable message it never bothered me then after a month or so later got just about every other thing unavailable.
I disconnected the battery for 20 mins and then connected it and never had anything flash up unavailable since.
Not saying it will work for you but it's worth a try if you have not tried so already.

 

[Aresby]

Thanks for all the suggestion guys, they're really useful.

I've not had a repeat but I live in dread that the message (or others) will return. If and when this happens I shall look at the earth first.

I had a quick look at the battery connections this morning and they seem clean, lubricated and tight (until I inadvertently unclipped the negative, I didn't realise it had a quick-release style connection!).

Anyway, fingers crossed and thanks again.