General Lambda sensor

[AY786]

punto mk2 sporting (1.2 16v) cos i got a diagnostics done and it said that the lambda sensor is faulty although no warning signs appeared on the dash but idling was really bad and it even stalled once on idle few weeks ago

car still feels sluggish though

 

[richie.guy]

Try cleaning the throttle body and breather hose out.

Other than that - when were the sparks and leads done last?

 

[AY786]

i did that few days ago and the sparks were changed in april

my uncles mate is a mechanic so he said he will do a diagnostic tommorow morning for me so we will see what the results are

 

[jimboy]

Try cleaning the throttle body and breather hose out.

Other than that - when were the sparks and leads done last?

yes this is a common problem with ageing engines....a proper cleaning of the TB is what is is needed

 

[AY786]

well i cleaned it by removing air filter and spraying the can of throttle body cleaner, while engine was running,

is there a better way? I might purchase the forte throttle body cleaning can next and try it with that as i had purchased a £3 can so it may not be as good?

And the breather hose out- is that the oil breather? Whats best way of cleaning that would you say?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Ive a feeling this is going to end in tears. PLEASE leave it to a professional. Talk about spanners and battery terminals is scaring me

:yeahthat:

How will it end in tears? All you're doing is removing the electrical energy from the system which would normally take a few hours to discharge naturally. Stop being a woman

The ECU is a sensitive bit of kit, and not cheap to replace, so the last thing you want to do it blow it.

I can't see how touching both terminals together will help. Once disconnected from the battery, job is done. Just leave for 5-10 min for any capsitors perhaps charged in the system to loose charge/memory, and then reconnect I would say.

It's normally mentioned in the haynes manual, on how to re-set the ECU also

Jon.

 

[richie.guy]

I can't see how touching both terminals together will help. Once disconnected from the battery, job is done. Just leave for 5-10 min for any capsitors perhaps charged in the system to loose charge/memory, and then reconnect I would say.

The ECU is fine doing that procedure. If you want to wait till all the residual charge is lost that's fine too, but I don't have the time or patience to sit around and wait and guess when that occurs. The procedure is from a professional fiat specialist, not a bodge-it-and-scarper. I've done it for years with no problems as have loads of other people. Perhaps it's not the 'fiat forum' way, but it does the job properly and is known on several other forums.

is there a better way? I might purchase the forte throttle body cleaning can next and try it with that as i had purchased a £3 can so it may not be as good?

And the breather hose out- is that the oil breather? Whats best way of cleaning that would you say?

Yes, to clean it properly you need to remove the unit.

The breather hose is the hose from the cam cover which vents into the air intake system at some point or other. Remove it and clean it - some solvent e.g. carb cleaner and some rags will do the job.

 

[jimboy]

just a note, cleaning the TB is quite an easy job, as said you have to dismantle & clean properly also the tick/over valve[stepper motor] the cack i found when i cleaned out my TB some time ago was amazing
it all started when my car at the time a punto was running like bag of bolts i tried various things . in the end took it along to my local fiat branch, hooked up to computer ,nothing showed up, but i was told you require a new TB, weve got one in stock £xxx & we can do that for£xxx i kindly declined their offer but was still charged 50 odd quid for this service that showed up nothing anyway thats when i dismantled the TB myself & give it a really good clean. after , the car went like a dream all in all an easy job, no probs at all. it would be an advantage if you had access to compressed/air

 

[richie.guy]

To avoid future sludge-up after it's cleaned properly a catch tank is an excellent bit of kit.