Plugs-which ones?

[andyhlx]

Alright everybody. Seems like ages since i was last on here, but fortunately the car been behaving and nothing gone wrong its flown its mot and has needed nothing but a new tyre ion 12 months of ownership. I have just arranged with nick slade to buy his 1.4 off him for the mrs and it will be in need of some new plugs and i wanted to know what everyones preference was for this engine? Oh and buzz if your reading this any advice you could give me on what i need to do to clean the spray bar, as i know that this is a issue, would be much appreciated. And anything else i ned to watch out for on this engine wouldn't go amiss either.

Andy

 

[Ash]

pluggs.... which ever fit its a 1.4

and the spray bar is remove wash in petrol blow out with airline then refit.

 

[Anonymous]

i did a small write up on removal and refitting of spray bar, ill see if i can find old post for you.

Marea, why settle for less

 

[andy]

Cheers stephen that would be helpful if you could tried a search but you know how hard it is to manipulate to get the right results


Andy

 

[Anonymous]

i think its on my home comp, at work atm so ill take a look later

Marea, why settle for less

 

[Pro]

To be honest chap the 1.4 is the 'non-preffered' engine in the Brav range.

Its slow, heavy on fuel and normally ridiculed with faults.

Your best bet is to go for the 1.2
More power, more reliable, better on fuel etc.....



Darren

 

[stephen01]

the debate continues i have had a 1.4, albeit for a short period of time, and it was a good car ok it was a lot more basic than my 1200 but it was only the 1.4s and was 10 years old where my 1200 was 5 years old and hsx spec!!,

its known to have some problems no1 being the spray bar and poor mpg, i was getting approx 32mpg form my 1.4, i dont think that is bad?? if looked after ie oil service every 8-10 months then there is no reason why it will not outlast another bravo/a

Marea, why settle for less

 

[Andy]

I had a 1.4 as my first car and had noprobs apart from being involved in a accident. The car is for my girlfriend and i never had problems with mine in 2 years and i am more mechanically minded now so would be able to sort most things out myself.
Like buzz i tend to defend the 1.4 and i think it gets too much bad press on here, its not the car thats at fault mostg of the time its the person maintaining it!!

Andy

 

[calvert]

i agree as well people say its the slowest in the range and i never found that to be the point with mine although the MPG was shocking that was my driving more than anything i dont care what anybody says the 1.4 would keep up with a mg zr 1.4 which i know isnt mega fast but its not bad my sx was sound for reliability too i changed the plugs and leads and never had to lift the bonnet again.

LIVE FAST DIE YOUNG

 

[Buzz]

Pro, how long did you own your 1.4?

If by 'normally ridiculed with faults' you mean riddled with faults, then i should point out that with the exception of the well-documented spray bar and resulting camshaft wear issue, its the most basic model and has much less to go wrong than any SX or HLX. Most 1.4 owners have very few problems.
Also, your highly recommended 1.2 does have a habit of breaking gearboxes, which can be significantly more expensive than a camshaft.

Andy, to answer your questions though, so long as you change your oil and filter every 10k and use good 10W40 oil, be it synthetic or semi-synthetic, you shouldn't have a problem with the spray bar blocking. However, since its a well used car, it may not have had such a dilligent owner before you.
For spark plugs, why not splash out on some Bosch Super4's ? Sure, its £20 for spark plugs, but you'll get 20k from them provided you look after the rest of the cars servicing. Finally, the 1.4 is an absolute doddle to work on. There is so much room to move under the bonnet you could just about get in there with the engine! All the parts are easy to reach and change should the worst happen...

I will agree with pro that its the slowest bravo, and also has the 2nd highest fuel consumption though I only got about 310 miles from a tank iirc. my 1.8 could get 340miles. (my skoda fyi, gets 530miles for the same amount of money spent on fuel )

Buzz
The champion of the Bravo 1.4
& now ex owner of a Bravo 1.8

 

[Andy]

Cheers buzz. Will get it serviced when i get it mate and then just keep on top of it regards the oil.

Andy

 

[Buzz]

D I Y mate. Honestly, its the easiest bravo to work on in my experience!
By doing it yourself you can afford to spend more on parts, allowing you to change more parts, more often, and with better quality ones (ie the £20 spark sets instead of bog standard £2.50 each ones)

For the price of a basic service you will be able to buy your own oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, replace the engine coolant, and still have change for a new set of mats, or even.. wait for this one... a magic tree air freshener!

seriously though, just do it yourself. you wont affect the resale value, just keep a hold of the receipts for all the parts, and complete the service book yourself. I'm just as happy buying a car when i know someone can competently service it themselves, as from someone who just pays a garage.

Buzz
The champion of the Bravo 1.4
& now ex owner of a Bravo 1.8

 

[Andy]

Not so much being able to do it as finding the space to do it and having the tools. I may go out and buy a cheap set of automotive tools to work on it then i can service it myself just looking forward to gettin it and starting the work it needs.

Andy

 

[Ash]

ha! 1.2 reliable they are riddled by gearbox failures head gasket failures plus throttle body eletrical issues and duff coil packs.

the cam shaft so called issue with the 1.4 isnt an issue!! the only issue is stupid lazy owners not servicing the vehicle (not changing the oil and filter) chinqs and puntos have spray bars of exactly the same design and when serviced they hasve no issues. when not serviced they have the same issues!!


if your that worried remove the rocker cover and inspect the cams.

 

[Buzz]

I'm slowly converting everyone into 1.4 defenders, lmao! I'm lovin the banter!

Buzz
The champion of the Bravo 1.4
& now ex owner of a Bravo 1.8

 

[Anonymous]

sorry chaps.

had a 1.4 for 4 months and had to scrap it after a lot of breakdowns.
Just my 2 pence worth im afraid and riddled
Not with it that day.
Had 2x hgt and now a 2.4jtd and still same old fiat problems but the 1.4 was the worst I had but that could easialy be a one off on my part (had a 1.9td xantia which threw its cambelt after 9 days!)

Darren

 

[andy]

i have already had a 1.4 a few years ago and had a few problems with the engine but they were down to my not servicing it and eventually the cam went and i said goodbye to the engine. But from hearing other peoples opinion i suspect they would be ok as long as they were well looked after and regually serviced with good oil

Andy