lots of problems, can NE1 give me hints or help please?

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lots of problems, can NE1 give me hints or help please?

M

matty

Guest
here it goes

Stupidly before i knew the 1.4sx 12v was a test car i went out and bought one, all i thought was 1.4 injection, im 19 years old cheap insurance sounds
good, why the **** i didnt get a 1.6 ill never know.

heres my problems

1) clutch is clicking
2) gears sometimes grind in 1st and 2nd
3) sometimes when i put it in a different gear there is a banging sound
4) that fcuking knocking sound in the suspension that we've talked about lots on here is still there
5) my fuel seems to disapear straight away, and its not leaking ive checked
6) power loss in low gears, it used to be nippy when i bought it,now it seems to have lost power. some times at roundabouts or junctions as i pull off the car moves slow as fcuk, its starting to be dangerous, ive already had some one beep at me :)lol
but then again i can still get over 100mph so i just dont get it,
7) leaking, i sorted it once but after heavy rain it leaks a little, i can even smell the wetness if ya get me, like a foisty old persons cupboard lol, the ceiling is wet a bit too, so i might just seal my sunroof in with that stuff in the tubes that u squeeze through a gun thingy
8) brakes judder like an epelectic watching a strobe light,its scary as wen ya doing 70 on the duel carrigeway and ya have to brake, sometimes i think somethings going to ping off,
9) the black covering on the door mirror mounts have bubbled, and started to peal off leaving a while background,


apart from that theres nothing wrong with it! lol ;)
 
1, 2 and 3 are worn clutch.
4 is outer CV joint or lower suspension arm ball joint
5 and 6 are probably related but not sure of the reason
7 Its a fiat
8 probably needs new discs and pads as well as rear shoes
9 Its a fiat
 
Re: Re: lots of problems, can NE1 give me hints or help please?

1 - 9 its a 1996 1.4 sx :)

Stick with us, Tom, Nige, the www.bravo-guide.co.uk web site and www.fiatboo.co.uk will pull you through - you are NOT alone!

:)

Nige
 
OH NO

Sounds like you bought a fiat and have unfortunatley ended up just the way I did, with a money pit, Tom is right with most of his predictions and I am only answering to give you some advice, do with it what you will but please dont take offense, sell it! I have had mine 18 months and spent 10 grand fixing it learn from my mistake and just rid yourself of the worry and heartache. I have had 2 gear boxes and clutches both front arms of the car replaced and still things keep going wrong,
MOST IMPORTANTLY
DO NOT ignore the problems with the cv joints and ball joints, I did the same thing and ended up in a ditch after the ball joint gave way pulling the whole arm of the car off and dragging it along the road at 45mph, which amazingly enough it still gathered speed, I went through a hedge and missed a house by 1 foot, beware and take care, losing your life isnt worth a car, I had to come that close to realise this. I have damage to my car that amounts to £800 of repairs and thats just the body work it took £300 to get the car road worthy again
Think over what I said
 
Re: OH NO

Now come on Nadine thats just being defeatist - the Bravo 1.4sx is charecter building - just like the Hitler Youth!
 
Re: Re: OH NO

Could be worse, you could own a punto :)

Leaks are relatively easy to fix, once you've found it.

Front suspension is either £75 per side + fitting from fiat or £45 + 2 hrs a side from Les Smiths. My offside CV has been rattling for over a year, its not worn, just old.

The power loss is a bit more costly.
 
Re: Re: Re: OH NO

If I can save one person from the sh*t that cars put me through then all my boring wisdom will be worth it
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: OH NO

Oi Tom yer Git - leave the Pooonto jibes out :)

N
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OH NO

Why??? Its true puntos are even more crap than my pile of sh*te :)
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OH NO

I NEARLY bought a punto sporting, very nice car, nice engine, do like the 6 speed BUT with the front seat in the Tom position (ie, all the way back) there was no way anyone would fit behind.

The thing that swung it in favor of the Bravo (apart from it being cheaper as it was second hand) was the fact that there was still enough legroom in the back behind the drivers seat.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OH NO

I've got a 1.4sx and it is not that bad a car. Fuel consumption is bad but most of that depends on your driving style, revving the car will use up more fuel, last time I filled up it cost £30 for a full tank and I got 280 miles out of it, all town driving of half an hour driving or less.

As for the flaky mirrors, that happens on every model in the range not just the 1.4, to solve that problem I am buying 2 new wing mirrors, getting them colour coded, even the base plates to stop them corroding.

Don't seal your sunroof with silicone, just buy a new seal from fiat for less than £20.

Yours has had a lot of things go wrong with it but a lot of things have gone wrong with my car as well, needed a new clutch, had an oil leak, and now the suspension damper is leaking but my car is 7 years old, so I would expect things to go wrong, don't get too disheartened, it's just a car! Luckily mine is under warranty so every is fixed for free.

As for needing two gearboxes nadine, I hardly think that that's the cars fault, either you bought a dodgy gearbox or your not driving properly.

Gaz
 
mines a 1.4 sx 1997 ive had it 4 10 months....
1.ht leads ****ed up
2.new discs pads and rear drums
3. new gearbox
4.new clutch
5.new shocks at front
6.new rear wiper motor
7.new handbrake cable
8.new accelerator cable
9.new keys and locks all round coz the barrel jammed

p.s. where do u get cheap insurance for it at 19...i was 20 and the cheapest i could get was £3500
 
Re: Re: lots of problems, can NE1 give me hints or help please?

Hi,

WTF! How much do you pay for insurance??

Im 18, 1 years NCB just £636 TPFT - 1.4sx no mods.

Norwich union baby!

John
 
Re: Re: lots of problems, can NE1 give me hints or help please?

sorry to diss our car choosing abilities but I AINT NEVER BUYING ANOTHER FIAT AGAIN EVER!! these cars are are shite.. iv spent about a grand in two weeks on my 1.6bravo and the fuker still doesnt want to accelerate properly-> so much for the funky engine diagnostics system.. aint no lights on the dash tellin me somethings wrong and as if the cars running nice! also the tappets are rattling.. sounds like a fukin ford.. i think im just gonna torch it and get me an old skool corrado... least il b able to fix it if it ****s up.
 
Re: Re: Re: lots of problems, can NE1 give me hints or help please?

Had my 1.6 3 1/2 years and its never let me down. I think you will find with all makes of cars there will always be some right lemons.

Where in the UK are you?
 
.

some good suggestions, i think i might sell it, i just wish i knew about all this before i bought it, any way ive been on here for about a year now so cheers for all ya help guys, youve saved me some money! half the things wrong with it at the mo seem like theyre going to cost me a bit, so im gonna get rid i think, might get an alfa 147,
 
Re: .

If you shop around and do some of the work yourself its not going to cost a whole heap.

OK, the most expensive bit will be the clutch but that solves your first 3 probs. Brakes are ~£70 to do, the leak is cheap to fix once you've located it and a few tanks of good petrol might cure the engine.
 
Re: Re: .

GUESS WHAT!

clutch went last night, had to get the AA to take me home, how coincidental is that after i listed my problems, i just saved up £300 for an alarm now i have to buy a ****ing clutch,

are the 1.4sx's as really bad as everyone makes out to be? as clutches go on all cars, its the cam belt now thats scaring me,it hasnt been changed yet and its nearly done 50k miles,

do i keep it or sell it?
 
Re: Re: Re: .

Clutches wear, fact of life, same with cambelts. If its more than 5 years old you really should get it done.

Only £140ish for a cambelt though.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: .

i thought cambelts cost about 700 to repair going by what ive read on this forum, btw, how much am i looking at for a clutch? apx, i know 2 guys that own a garage n theyre cheap so i want to know if theyre being fair or not
 

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