Technical stilo workshop information

[slartybartfast]

Hi everyone, i am a newbie on here and would like your help if possible.
I have a jtd which so far has been a cracking car with only a few problems. until recently and i am having problems with fault lights on the dash. we have already had the airbag failure problem fixed, within weeks of buying the car 2 years ago, (that was very long winded and involved several trips to fiat, a new loom and much inconvenience)

anyway, this started as a bulb failure warning, it appeared to be sidelights that had failed. it has now progressed to engine fault, alternator failure,power steering failure, loose connection and occasionally all the warning lights coming on and the tacho stopping working.

i have had a quick look, going to have a proper go tomorrow, but the sidelights have not blown, when the sidelights are switched on the offside are fine, but he left hand side ones have a very dim glow, this leads me to think that this may be a dodgy earth on that headlamp unit, i have already checked the earth connections on the battery and from the battery to the body of the car and to then engine, i have also had a meter on to check resistance from the battery earth to th body of the car and also the engine.

i would have took the light unit out but wasnt sure how to, until a few minutes ago when i searched this forum

a few months back we had a new front wing on the nearside due to a bit of careless parking.

has anyone else had any experience of similar problems, and do you think i am on the right track with the earthing theory ?

any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.

also i have managed to get hold of a manual type thing on cd. which is published by satiz of italy. in this program there is a diagnostic section with an item described as examiner. the program refers to using this to interface with the diagnostic port on the car.

the release version is 32.2.124 could this be used with the correct leads to help diagnose faults ?

i havnt posted a screenshot because it might be an infringement of copyright.


cheers

Brian

 

[Argonought]

I'd whip the battery out and then check for any signs corrosion in the area behind the battery. Check relays, connection plugs and earths etc.

If after you've put everything back it's no better then I 'd treat yourself to a top quality new battery. (This may seem strange but doing this alone will often solve loads of issues with the Stilo).

The repair work & accident might be an issue - it's difficult to say.

 

[slartybartfast]

Cheers Argonought,

i have already had the battery out, checked the charging voltage, checked the charge indicator, had all the connectors of the top of the battery, and the fuse box out and unplugged each and every fuse and relay, connections underneath including the 2 multi connectors below that. tomorow i will take the headlamp unit out and also check the earth strap more closely in daylight.

i have read elsewhere on this forum that electrical connector cleaner sometimes helps, i'll get some of that too, for the connections.

i really hope i can get this sorted as we love this car it drives great and looks god too (metallic black).

i am loathe to take it back to the fiat dealership, it took them 2 months on and off to sort out the airbag problem.

i'll report back and let you know how i get on.

thanks again for the reply.

 

[dan-the-man]

The cd you have may be able to read fault codes but you wont be able to use the examiner software as you need additional hardware as well.

however I think the same as argo said, it seems from all the fault codes your getting your car isn't getting the power it needs from the battery.

are the fault codes always on or do they appear/disappear?

 

[slartybartfast]

Hi Dan, the fault codes are not always on, the main culprits are bulb failure, usually followed by either engine fault or alternator failure. The problem does get worse when the headlights are used on main beam, but not when other high load items ie rear screen heater are used ! i have checked the voltage when the engine is running and it is up at about 13.5v if i remember correctly.

i havn't got another battery to try, i'll have another look today, and try to get to the bottom of it. i think there is a short or bad earth somewhere, which is stopping the power getting to where it should be.

i can see this taking a while to sort out.

thanks for the reply.

i'll let you now how i get on

 

[slartybartfast]

right - i have had the headlamp unit out both sides, there is definately nothing wrong with those, i hink the trouble lies within the fuse box, it is very dirty and when moved the side lights on the nearside flash on and off intermittently, i think there is moisture in there causing a short.

i am going to disassemble the complete unit, clean and dry it and see what that does.

brian

 

[Argonought]

I think you've got the problem cornered

This is the key reason why you should never have the engine compartment pressure cleaned - as several Stilo owners have discovered

 

[slartybartfast]

still not working, the fusebox is dry and spotless, something seems to be draining power from the system. i'm gonna check all the relays on the fusebox tomorrow, cant think of anything else. I've checked the voltage of the battery when the engine is running and it is 13.7v not sure whether this is normal for a stilo or not, my sons hyundai accent measures a smidge over 14v. ah well i'll try again tomorrow.

cheers guys

 

[T14086]

when the sidelights are switched on the offside are fine, but he left hand side ones have a very dim glow, this leads me to think that this may be a dodgy earth on that headlamp unit, i have already checked the earth connections on the battery and from the battery to the body of the car and to then engine, i have also had a meter on to check resistance from the battery earth to th body of the car and also the engine.

Carry out a voltage drop test to pin point the fault.

 

[slartybartfast]

sorry to sound stupid, but how do i do that ?

 

[T14086]

Got a decent multimeter?

 

[slartybartfast]

bought one today, basic gunson, will that do ?

 

[T14086]

Depends how accurate it is

 

[Argonought]

sorry to sound stupid, but how do i do that ?

Measure voltage from positive terminal of sidelight (or as near as you can get to it) to positive terminal of battery. Don't be surprised if get a drop of 0.5V or so. Then do the same for negative terminal of the sidelight bulb to a good earth point (or negative terminal of battery).

The problem should be obvious especially if you compare good to bad side of car. Then you can narrow it down to where the bad connection lies.

Sounds OK in theory but difficult in practice as most probing points are well protected. Access to something like eLearn is almost essential so you know where the wiring goes. The other problem is you don't even know if the issue is a short or bad connection.

Don't lose sight of the fact that most wiring problems are human related and most faults turn out to be simple rather than very complex. Make sure no one has inserted a bulb badly (like in reverse) or fitted the wrong type.

A useful tip to compare L/R hand sidelights is to switch on parking lights and then use indicator stork to choose left or right.

Also, remember the battery could STILL be partly to blame for the other issues.

 

[slartybartfast]

Cheers Argonought,

I will give that a go, had the battery checked it is ok, there is definately a drain somewhere, if i measure voltage across battery on tickover = 13.8v. Same with both front light clusters disconnected = 14v !.

gonna have to leave it till weekend though, cosof work commitments.

brian

 

[T14086]

there is definately a drain somewhere, if i measure voltage across battery on tickover = 13.8v. Same with both front light clusters disconnected = 14v !.

 

[slartybartfast]

yeah i'm confused too, a drop in voltage with no lights switched on ?????