General Looking for a grande want some info

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General Looking for a grande want some info

Specs43

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Hi all, I currently have a mk2a 2002 8v and I’m looking to upgrade to a mk3 1.4 16v sporting. I’m just wondering if there is anything to look out for when buying one and any common faults. Thanks Ronan.
 
Hi

What age of 'grande'..?

They are a joint venture.. similar to the Corsa..and related to the Mito

Lots of parts are common..

Look at yellow stickies at top of GP section..and the GUIDES

BIGGEST annoyances..

Dodgy wiring:
heater..door wiring and taillights

Suspension wear

Alternator and starter motor odd issues

Its a BIG car compared to a 188

The 1.4 wont be 'fast'.. but can be a pleasant place to be

Ive got 3x grande mj's

And a 2012 twinair

The 4cyl petrols are quite thirsty.. :(
 
What you want to look out for is the Grande punto with Opel's gearbox. That's known to fail. Was it the six speed M32!?

Quality's a lot better but you're still looking at an old car with a few issues or more to fix. It's a very good car if it had been taken care of properly and even the good ones are cheap. Don't buy a neglected one.


Also one very common fault is broken exhaust manifold studs and leaky exhaust manifold gasket. That costs some money to fix and if someone had broken more studs inside the engine, it's even more expensive. Make sure you test drive it from cold start so you can hear whether or not the engine sounds weird with power loss on low gear.
 
Hi



What age of 'grande'..?



They are a joint venture.. similar to the Corsa..and related to the Mito



Lots of parts are common..



Look at yellow stickies at top of GP section..and the GUIDES



BIGGEST annoyances..



Dodgy wiring:

heater..door wiring and taillights



Suspension wear



Alternator and starter motor odd issues



Its a BIG car compared to a 188



The 1.4 wont be 'fast'.. but can be a pleasant place to be



Ive got 3x grande mj's



And a 2012 twinair



The 4cyl petrols are quite thirsty.. :(


Thanks for the info, sounds similar enough to the problem of the 188, although the starter and alternator problems a new. You reckon there quite thirsty, What to do think around mid 30s mpg? Currently getting about 40 with the 8v.
 
Thanks for the info, sounds similar enough to the problem of the 188, although the starter and alternator problems a new. You reckon there quite thirsty, What to do think around mid 30s mpg? Currently getting about 40 with the 8v.



Looking at a 2008 or 09 btw
 
What you want to look out for is the Grande punto with Opel's gearbox. That's known to fail. Was it the six speed M32!?

Quality's a lot better but you're still looking at an old car with a few issues or more to fix. It's a very good car if it had been taken care of properly and even the good ones are cheap. Don't buy a neglected one.


Also one very common fault is broken exhaust manifold studs and leaky exhaust manifold gasket. That costs some money to fix and if someone had broken more studs inside the engine, it's even more expensive. Make sure you test drive it from cold start so you can hear whether or not the engine sounds weird with power loss on low gear.



Good to know, is the manifold problem across all engines? Pity about the 6 speed haven’t heard much about them. Thanks again.
 
According to the mechanic who did the job on Fire 1.4 engine on other Fiat model, the problem occurs also in Puntos. You need to test drive it from cold to be sure. The sound is metallic rattling, squeaking and knocking when cold. The leak is very small, it'd not show up in emissions testing if the car was on running temperature. Sooner or later it has to be fixed anyway.
 
I haven't felt my 1.2 GP is particularly thirsty. It averages around 6.5 l / 100 km (43 mpg) in mixed driving. The only time it starts to indulge is when going 120 km/h or more. Then it drinks around 9-10 l / 100 km/h (26 - 23.5 mpg) according to the computer. Probably just because it is a small engine.
 
People say the 1.4 uses more fuel than the 1.2.. but without the noticeable increase in power

The 199: Corsa D is not a light car

My Twinair..875cc is 85bhp
And more torque.. but you wouldnt expect good mpg if driven like a 'Sporting' ;)

The 1248cc diesels are a good compromise though..
75bhp.. torque and good mpg.(high 60's)
 
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1.2 could be a little more economical in the city than 1.4, but it all depends on the route driven. 1.4 is good on the highway, 6-6.5 l / 100 km and probably less if you drove a little slower like, 90 km/h. Lots of uphills make the engine drink more. Incidental consumption is not 100% accurate.


If you got always a little under 7 l /100km consumption with 1.4 engine, it'd be a very good result. It's actually quite a big car.
 
It's actually quite a big car.

Yeah, it definitely is. They're not joking with the name "Grande" (large) :D

If you pull up next to some "bigger" car like Honda HR-V or Toyota C-HR, or similar, you will notice they aren't really that much bigger than the GP!

I have even used the 1.2 GP to bring a 7 kg capacity washing machine home! :D Plus most of the backline for my band back in the day.
 
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Which cars have you driven..?



Is insurance costs a factor?



I’ve had many small engined cars such as Yariss Micras and the like, but I’ve always come back to puntos and I love the way they drive and look and have become some what of a fiat addict [emoji23]. Insurance isn’t really to much of a factor, I’ve done insurance quotes on a t jet and it’s only 200 quid more a year to insure over my 1.2 (sorry for the late reply btw lads I appreciate the help)
 
We've had 2 Puntos, a MK2 and a 2b, and also a GP which as as varesecrazy says is a much bigger car than the MK2s it also feels more solid, the only issues we had with our GP was with the wiring to the hatch, the wiper and boot release both stopped working. I couldn't get it fixed, it is a massive pain because the boot release is electric, to open a broken boot you have to go in via the rear seats! I could never find the cable break and we sold it like that! Apart from that it was reliable, a 1.4 8v.
 
Update: we’ll lads got my self a 2008 t jet with 40,000 miles on it with the five sped gear box. I’m very happy with it, thanks for all the advice.
 
IMG_0141.JPG sorry lads only seen that there, her she is got here for 2,400 euros with 45,000s miles on it. Absolutely love it. Would love to know how many of them are in Southern Ireland, seem to be very rare
 
SEARCH brought me back here..

My mj Grande was messing around last summer

Starter working perfectly when cold.. but crawled over when warm

Been parked.up since the spring..

Getting harder to crank.. on the odd occasion Ive moved it..
Its now DEAD :eek:

Lights dont dim..and you can hear the solenoid click.

Not the battery (swapped..no change)

Cleaned terminal clamps and wriggled cables.. no change

Other info:

Last driven to a Covid test.. wouldnt restart when warm.. push started :eek:

Stopped it when home.. DEAD..used a jumplead as an Earth booster.. several sites.. no improvement

Anybody got info about the starter wiring?

I cannot get it up in the air in its current location .. typical.. :eek:

A few pics didnt help me much

Alternator on right.. starter on left

Red cable must fork under that black plastic cover.. impossible to access leaning over motor :(

Looking like all the lightweight wiring is under the corrugated black sleeving..
 

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When car runs, have you measured the charging voltage? Recharge the battery.


Poor running or no start when warm is typical for crankshaft position sensor fault. Engine coolant temperature sensor could be another suspect.
 
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