Technical Problems!, can anybidy help?

[ShyNez]

Hello people!, unfortunatelly i have come ro this forum with a few issues iv been expeirencing with my car,
To be clear, i own a fiat punto classic from 2007, 188 body shape, facelifted, 1.2L petrol engine with 8 valves, the model trim is the ACTUAL with no power steering or AC (unfortunatelly), iv got it second hand 7 months ago with 186.000 km on the clock (as far as i can tell) i did the usual oil change on it. Just a heads up, no warningh lights popped up yet
I Had no luck researching these issues so i tought coming here might help.
Issue N°.1 > the biggest issue rn is that a few days ago, the car always had an issue keeping speed, 90-100 km/h felt like a great struggle, not managing to keep it for long, but recently the car started to worsen.. now keeping or even reaching 70-80 KM/H feels like a death battle, i have no idea what happened.. the acceleration also worsened, even in 2nd and 3rd gear the car feel sluggish.. what should i check? What should i do? Can it be a missfire?

Issue N°.2 > this one was there ever since iv got the car, whenever i accelerate a bit harder (press the pedal down significantly) i hear an outright slurping sounds coming from somewhere in the car, this sound can be hear for about 4 seconds then it goes away, what can couse this? As far as i did research nothing came up, maybe a vacuum leak?

and for last

issue N°.3 > I've got one of those square air boxes on my car. The problem with that is that the hot part of the engine (frontal part where the heat shield is from the exit manifold) melted and cooked the front part of the airbox. What are we supposed to do about this?

PS: I'm very thankful for any advice and help that you may give and also sorry for bad english grammar. since it's my first car and I want it to run just for a bit longer and for it to be in decent shape. Thank you all, Fiat community.

 

[GrandePunto PL]

Easiest car on the planet. There is no mystery about it (starting new threads like that should be forbidden in 2025).

Do some BASIC checks:
- timing,
- valve clearance (all 8V engines),
- compression,
- fuel pressure,
- major intake/exhaust leaks, EVAP system, especially when you can hear some sounds (find out what it is),
- intake/exhaust restrictions (something is clogged, like air filter or catalytic converter, or muffler),
- OBD2 faults, live data (FES or MES program), see if all sensors report valid data (for example temperatures),
- basic maintenance, like spark-plugs (you can judge the engine condition by how the sparkplugs look, colour).

"Misfire" should cause shaking/jerking of the car and "Check Engine" light. Unless the ECU is fried (it happens).

Check the "eLearn" for Punto 2: https://aftersales.fiat.com/elearnsections/main.aspx?nodeID=3118650&languageID=2&markID=1&modelID=2000003&valID=2000308&prodID=2003009&modelName=Fiat - 188 - Punto Classic&langDesc=English&sectionName=Descrizioni&validityName=1.2 8v

 

[rmjbn1]

Hi and welcome
Good advice above.

I would start with the simple jobs:
Remove throttle body, clean up any oil sitting inside the inlet manifold.
Remove MAP sensor, clean by spraying carb cleaner.
Spray carb cleaner on a cloth and clean throttle body.
Check for any split or blocked pipes.
Remove spark plugs. If they're old or looking rough, replace.

If no improvement, then needs further investigation.

Re melted air box, unlikely to be the cause of your issues. You could bond some rubber or plastic over the hole, or get a replacement from a breakers.

 

[Mike1alike]

Also, besides things correctly noted above, you should hook up a diagnose tool and read stored errors. Take a note of them, if any, delete them than see if any comes back after a little drive.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Get compression checked if water level is also low. Could be a failing head gasket.

 

[Mike1alike]

@ShyNez, any updates?

 

[ShyNez]

@ShyNez, any updates?

Hey, uhh.. hard to say, i did not manage yet to try and check anything, the advice here is helpfull yet pretty ambiguous for me, people aknowladge that its a problem but it can literally be anything.
ANYWAYS, i have made a short video on how the engine sounds, i also asked reddit and most people said it can be a missfire so i could be running on only 2 pistons. Il attach the video

 

[Mike1alike]

1. If you didn't put new parts and don't have any knowledge of new parts being put in, start by putting new spark plugs, leads and coils. Mind you, damaged coils can toast the ECU.
Coils: Magneti Marelli 060780002010 O.E. quality
Spark plugs: NGK 4983 DCPR7E-N-10
Leads: NGK 9262 (NGK RC-FT 1208) or Magneti Marelli 941095100582 (MSK582).

If the ECU is toasted (coils feeding lines) the engine has misfire on 2 cylinders (usually) but in that case warning light dist pop uo on the dash board.

You definitely should check the timing, it can be off set.

You definitely should connect a tester to read for errors and reset Phonic wheel learn and Self-adaptation.

These are the things to begin with.

2. Check for vacuum leaks. Engine running, cover with your palm the TB opening. If no leaks, engine should cut off immediately. If engine is still running, just RPM drops, means there are vacuum leak. Try locating by sound where that is, it does make an increased noise on the vacuum leak point.

3. You should get another air filter box. Try and find a used one that is not damaged.

 

[GrandePunto PL]

Many times, if the ECU is "toasted"...it doesn't know it's "shot", therefore no fault codes (and that's the common symptom of "fried" ECU).

 

[Mike1alike]

Might be. Ok, then ECU is not out of the loop. Your ECU might be toasted, @ShyNez. You can test the ECU, but you gotta know what you're doing. Using a test lamp it's an easy job testing the ECU.

I don't know about 'many times', but it's very true, electrical problems manifest in multiple different ways. What I can say is that when my ECU had the coil 1/4 feeding line toasted it had moments when the engine would run perfect and moments when it would fire in just 2 cylinders and when the latter would be it would throw in an instant the 'check engine' light and it would register the error.

 

[koalar]

Issue N°.2 > this one was there ever since iv got the car, whenever i accelerate a bit harder (press the pedal down significantly) i hear an outright slurping sounds coming from somewhere in the car, this sound can be hear for about 4 seconds then it goes away, what can couse this? As far as i did research nothing came up, maybe a vacuum leak?

and for last

issue N°.3 > I've got one of those square air boxes on my car. The problem with that is that the hot part of the engine (frontal part where the heat shield is from the exit manifold) melted and cooked the front part of the airbox. What are we supposed to do about this?

Melted air box

Hot exhaust ?

Noise while pressing the accelerator down

Restricted airflow ?

the car always had an issue keeping speed, 90-100 km/h felt like a great struggle, not managing to keep it for long,

Build up of pressure ?


I'd start by loosening the exhaust manifold 2 or 3mm and see if it improves