It's often said that a Stilo (or indeed any Fiat) is no less reliable than it's competitors if properly maintained.
I think the key lies in the last part of that sentence.......IF PROPERLY MAINTAINED :bang:
Technical Stilo 1.9JTD (115HP) Engine knocking
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Technical Stilo 1.9JTD (115HP) Engine knocking
It's often said that a Stilo (or indeed any Fiat) is no less reliable than it's competitors if properly maintained.
I think the key lies in the last part of that sentence.......IF PROPERLY MAINTAINED :bang:
So true!
The car scared me once, by announcing problems like ABS failure, airbag failure, power-streering failure, etc. Every start = new problem, one at a time.
People started saying that FIAT is not reliable and that electronics are very problematic, etc.
Ri-i-i-i-ight.
The battery was 5 months past substitution date. New battery = all problems solved. I was as happy as someone who cured his cancer with aspirin.
I believe FIAT is reliable. If taken proper care of. Pretty much like any car.
I really cant say that (among my acquaintances) the people with FIATs fix their cars more frequently then the people with different cars. Same frequency I guess. They just spend a bit less. My previous OPEL Tigra surely demanded more attention. After all, it's the first and only manufacturer who offers 1,000,000 km warranty for the engine (first 5 years only, but nice anyway).
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You guys sound confident about the source of the problems (crankshaft pulley), I will check that first.
I will tell you after it's done, of course. Going to Tokyo for 10 days, my mechanic will take care of the pulley while I'm gone (Honest mechanic - rare stuff. Not even a good friend, just an honest person). I will avoid all the driving I can before that.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and for this advise.
john55
Established member
My wifes car (citroen C3) and my previous car (mazda 6) have never had anything done except change oil/ filters and brake pads in over 30K miles on each (Except for one broken spring on the C3). My stilo has never gone a week without something new going wrong. They are terrible cars.
:bang: sums up Stilo ownership nicely.
https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/144635-weeks-fault-list-abs-asr-fail-clunk-suspension.html
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I was just saying that in the example of the guy that originally posted, his problems sound like theyre being contributed to by him trying to avoid replacing all the recommended parts. Not arguing with the fact that your car sounds like a pain in the a**e tho!
Sorry to hear that John - I'm on my second JTD, have done over 100k with few problems. If someone steals my current one I'll immediately buy another. I guess there are good ones and bad ones....
john55
Established member
Yes, that is the one, held on with 4 torx bolts. You can see it on the engine, just behind the right side front wheel. If you look at the rubber pieces within the pulley you will see that they are broken up. No you do not need to replace the other tensioners, just the crankshaft pulley.
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Yours may be terrible, my wifes Stilo is an 03 plate owned from new and has 37k miles on it and hasnt even had brake pads changed yet. Regularly serviced and weekend checks by me. Its had a set of tyres and wiper blades and a drivers side dipped beam bulb.
Not a problem for you tho, swap it for a Mazda 6 or Citroen C3? Sorted.
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john55
Established member
I made those comments 3 months ago. This old thread seems to keep being dragged up every few weeks. I sold the Mazda because it is 2.0L petrol and quite expensive at the pump. I got the JTD because it was cheaper on fuel, tax, insurance and to buy. Also the C3 which was a great little car has been sold as it is a little small for our growing family.
There are other factors apart from the problems I didn't know would occur and are now stuck with to taken into account when buying a car. The engine has been OK and it has never completely died on me, but it certainly is not smooth motoring. I will sell it, probably in a few months time and will never buy a Fiat again after this one.
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The thing is, when you made that post you can almost guarentee there was someone on a Mazda and a Citroen forum moaning about their 6 or C3 
It's funny to hear you make that comment because that's close to what I said about 30 years ago.
Being stuck with a rather bad example of a 124 I thought "I'm never buying a Fiat again unless its got full service history and one careful owner."
Which is, of course, exactly what I did do (and coming up to 3 years ownership no regrets either)
Hey John,
Does this ring a bell;
I just bought one for £1200.
Mine has factory Xenon lights too + all your spec. It does have 100K miles and no service history, so maybe £1500 is about right for yours.
Seriously, probably more like £4000 is what I have seen others go for.
Well pardon me for being a tad picky but What do you Expect and here you are slagging fiats off. Now had you paid 3 times that and had history then fair enough but..................................................!
Does this ring a bell;
I just bought one for £1200
. Mine has factory Xenon lights too + all your spec. It does have 100K miles and no service history, so maybe £1500 is about right for yours
.Seriously, probably more like £4000 is what I have seen others go for.
Well pardon me for being a tad picky but What do you Expect
and here you are slagging fiats off. Now had you paid 3 times that and had history then fair enough but..................................................!I have a similar problem.
The engine starts up cold and after 2 seconds a pretty loud knocking sound kicks in. It sounds metallic, I even checked if the hood screws were loose...
It appears to come from the left part of the engine (if looking from the front bumper).
It disappears if I keep it at 1500rpm, and reappears gradually on lower rpm.
After 5-7 minutes (just warming up I guess) the noise goes away completely and the engine works fine, no ticking at any rpm.
It started appearing a couple of weeks ago, just a little at first and now got to its maximum I guess. Gets me preocupied I would say.
The oil had to be changed like a while ago. The car computer tells me to take the car to "Revision service soon", I guess it doesnt have "You moron should have done it xxxkm ago". Will do. Could this be the cause?
Makes sense to me. If the oil gets too thin (old) - it will take a while to get to all parts, especially on top.
The belt was changed in September, the whole KIT.
What could it be?
(Sorry for my english and thanks)
that is 100% what I have.... although it's temperature dependent. I.e in the summer it takes at the most a few mins to clear the noise, on a hot day (25 degree or above) there is no noise at all. In the winder it can take much much longer. It's an embaressment with people in the car.
I changed the oil, thinking it would solve it (using fully synth) but it's still there.
Could a failed crank shaft aux drive pulley finally be the problem i've been trying to resolve for 1 year!??
....people have mentioned you can fix it yourself... How would I do that? Please if anyone can give me directions on this it would be most appriciated!
thanks
john55
Established member
You can fix it yourself. Take the drivers front wheel off. Remove the plastic panel behind it (if you have one) do you can see the crankshaft pulley. If the rubber sections in the pulley are broken up / missing, you have this problem.
There are 4 Torx bolts to take the pulley off, but first you have to release the belt tensioner and take the belt off. I used a ring spanner on the bolt in the middle for this. The worst part is getting the belt back on again afterwards. It can be tricky as the tensioner is very strong.
There are 4 Torx bolts to take the pulley off, but first you have to release the belt tensioner and take the belt off. I used a ring spanner on the bolt in the middle for this. The worst part is getting the belt back on again afterwards. It can be tricky as the tensioner is very strong.
before i go taking things apart... does the pulley being worn tie up with the way the outside temperature makes the noise better/worse?
