Technical Replacing Starter - Looking for documentation/encouragement

[billyhig]

I've since given up on locating Service Manuals for my exact model of car (2017 Tipo Wagon w/ MultiJet II 1.6)

I believe the starter is just about dead as I'm getting the following odd noise and the engine will turn start about 1 out of 10 attempts. -

I'm hoping that maybe there is another car with the same engine/layout as my car for which I can use to successfully extract and replace the starter. I've watched some youtube videos - but most are 'MultiAir' engine and I'm not sure it is Apples to Apples. I did read somewhere that most Fiat engines stuff the starter behind the engine - but having a more granular resource at hand would ease my stress before going into this.

Any help or words of encouragement would be much appreciated.

Billy

EDIT: I should have mentioned as well - my battery was quite old and I attributed my initial issues to bad battery (the voltage was around 12.33 and it's been super cold here lately). I've since replaced the battery and voltage is around 12.66.

 

[The Panda Nut]

12.66v is a bit low. Check that its charging fully.
Starters are mostly the same to change. Fiat seem to fit three bolts and often two from one side and one from the other. I have a telescopic mirror (Rolson) its got a couple of LED lights in the head which helps to make things visible. Use of a camera on a mobile phone to check things out is also a good idea. If you can use / make a selfie stick and use the timer on the camera to allow you to get in position it helps. Im sure you can do this job with a bit of patience.

 

[billyhig]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. It would be interesting if the battery is still snot supplying enough voltage. Come to think of it, I only drove for about 5-10 minutes after installing the new battery and the resting voltage never rose above 12.66. Do batteries for these cars typically have a higher resting voltage? If that’s the case I might try to get the car started and drive around for 30 or so minutes to see if I can get the resting voltage up before trying to remove the starter.

Thanks again!
Billy.

 

[billyhig]

…actually, I brought the new battery inside yesterday and tested the voltage just now and it’s showing 12.75, so I do believe the alternator charged it during the 10 or so minutes of driving. Signs are still pointing to the starter being the issue I suppose.

I might try some electrical testing later today - there are some vids concerning this topic so maybe I’ll learn a thing or two.

 

[ben]

The only workshop manual I could find is in Italian, but if it helps I've uploaded it to the forum

FIAT Tipo 2015-2022 Workshop Manual (Italian)

Workshop manual for FIAT Tipo Mk3 (2015-2022) Covering engines: 1.0 Firefly 1.3 MultiJet 1.4 Fire 16v 1.4 GPL 1.6 MultiJet Italian Language

www.fiatforum.com

 

[billyhig]

Thank you Ben - that is very helpful.

The only PDF which seems to include information concerning the Starter (which I've since learned is 'avvlamento' in Italiano - is the 'Fiat Tipo MK3' PDF which specifies the 1.4 T-JET engine. I'm going to assume this is similar to the MultiJet II orientation because I'm an optimist.

I've crawled under the car and located the thing at least.

Page 114 has a section on 'Motorino Avviamento' - and I guess the picture looks similar.

I've performed a translation and it states....

Place the car on the lift
Working on the left side of the engine, unscrew the upper fixing screw (12) of the starter motor.
Open the electrical connection protection cover (13) of the starter motor and unscrew the nut (14).
Disconnect the electrical connections (15, 16) of the motor.
Unscrew the lower motor fixing screw (17).
Remove the motor (18)

This is the plan for the late afternoon today. I will report back with results or advice on what new car I should get because I messed up so badly.

I may also perform some electrical diagnostics first, as I've read/seen videos of folks who go through this whole process only to have a bad ground.

Thanks again for the help and resources -

Billy

 

[The Panda Nut]

A new battery should be near 13v after running and only alittle less after an overnight. I would put the new one on charge for a few hours. With the engine running and lots of stuff switched on the car should be able to maintain 14.4v or very near. Any less suggest the alternator may not be not doing enough.

 

[billyhig]

Do you think the video I posted above could be symptoms of a low battery? Slight grinding noise with maybe 1/8 times the engine actually starts?