General MK2 Y-reg Punto poblems

[rushdentillidie]

Good afternoon,

My wife has recently passed her driving test so i got her a cheap car to start with. 1.2 16V Yreg punto although it has hight milage 100k. It has been working fine for the passed 3 months.

But just recently the engine warning light has been coming on, bit only at cretin times. It seems to come on during long trips and travelling over 60 MPH. But the strange part seems to be this only happens when going down hill . My wife has confirmed this and i has also tested it. The rest of the time it has no probelms.
The engine warning light is also flashing when in comes on and does not just stay on. As soon as the car levels out the light goes off again. It seems strange to me after looking though many posts on this forum i still have no answer. Apart from this the car is running fine and flashing light does not seem to have any impact on the car when driving.

The 2nd problem that it has is the power steering not working and fault light. I would say that this happens 40% of the time the car is driven. Although not a heavy car when due MOT this will cause a fail. Does anybody know any cheap fixes that can be tried, as i dont want to replace the steering column, more than the cars worth.

Thanks you for you advice

 

[bredsticz]

Replacing the battery will cure the steering problem, as for the EML if the car still drives okay I wouldn't worry too much.

Only thing I could think off is maybe some sort of fault with the petrol flowing to the front of the car too much? Completely random idea but don't know why else it would do it downhill only

 

[DaveMcT]

The high engine temperature at speed could be the radiator is clogged up and cant flow enough water to cope with the cooling requirement as you go faster.

You need to get on top of the cooling - Modern engines will blow the head gasket if over heated. Get the cooling system flushed but be prepared to need a new radiator and while on the job fit a new thermostat too.

 

[rushdentillidie]

Thanks for the updates,

I will try and new battery to see if it will cure the power steering problems. As thinking about it when we first got the car the battery had to be charged up overnight. But since then it has been fine, but i would have never thought the 2 would be linked.

With regards to the overheating probelms, this is something that I will look into. Does anybody have any ideas about how much this would cost to fix.

Regards

 

[rachel12153]

With regards to the steering i have a 1.2 16v x reg (bought april 2008) and my power steering went about 3mths after buying the car i had the column replaced, which cost me about £280 (nowhere near the value of the car) and has been fine ever since. It is a common fault on these cars.

As for the over heating i have recently had the same problem not just downhill though. It started with the water temp on dashboard going over half way and then jumping to max. Anyway eventually the engine management light came on and then the car died on me. (luckily not far from home.

Anyway it was the head gasket had it replaced yesterday and it cost £285 which included top spec head gasket, coolant change, temp gauge check and they checked water pump and radiator for leaks

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

It is a common fault on these cars.

Not overly common. Only a certain percentage

 

[rachel12153]

If you read many reviews on the fiat punto mk2 you will find that a common problem is listed as being the power steering prone to faults/not working, but go to the right garage and it doesn't cost a fortune to fix

 

[DaveMcT]

The power steering is electric powered. When its needed most the engine is only ticking over so the battery has to do all the work. Old batteries will drop the voltage when worked hard so the power steering trips out. Put on a good quality battery. Its well worth spending 20 or 30 extra for a top quality Bosch Silver.

The head gaskets are not unreliable, but people dont service the coolant and/or use plain water. This corrodes the radiator and causes sludge to build up. Eventually the engine over heats and the gasket blows.

If its always been serviced with new coolant as it should be this following faff wont be needed but if its sludgy brown you can flush the coolant yourself.

Get some flushing solution and a suitable worm drive hose clip for the hose
Remove the bottom hose to the radiator and dump the old coolant
Put the hose back and fill the system with water, bleed and run the engine
Dump this now dirty water and refill with the flushing solution and water. Always bleed it
Drive the car according to the instructions
Dump the used solution and flush it through with fresh water
Refill with proper coolant and bleed it
Job done

When filling make 100% sure all air is bled away. See the FF guides.
I also take a small hose off the thermostat block while filling the tank to help it fill properly.

The snag with this is that any holes clogged with sludge will now come to light. Check the coolant level every day until its settled then every week.

If there is a leak use some radweld as a temporary fix and replace the offending part(s).

 

[scan]

Hi, I'm really sorry to hijack this post but I'm having the same problems. The engine warning light come on and flashes for a time and only goes if i slow down or change gears. Really don't want the car to die on me as i drive predominately on the motor way. I looked at the threads but i couldn't see a definitive answer to that particular problem. thank you and sorry again for hijacking.

 

[a1ant]

Hi and WELCOME TO THE FORUM! :wave:

The flashing EML at high rpm NORMALLY means "generic misfire". This could be due to faulty spark plug, ht lead, coil, etc

Best thing to do is have the codes read. This will give you a good place to start from.

Alan