Hi guys.
Just thought I’d put a new thread on here to combine the bits and bobs about my struggles with Stop/Start on our Sept 2011 61 plate 500TA Lounge.
We bought her - we call her Rosa because she’s Pasodole Red - only four weeks ago with less than 14,000miles on the clock. Within a few days, it was obvious that the S/S system wasn't good, and I joined this forum in an effort to find what was wrong. The S/S actually worked, but only stopped for 20secs max, and sometimes much less, though was almost adequate with zero drain like the DLR lights off and the ACC off.
I was prepared to take Rosa back to the dealer where we bought her, or to a Fiat dealer to be sorted, but I wanted to be in possession of the full facts before I went anywhere.
The almost unanimous advice was that the battery was shot, but maybe it could be resurrected with a good battery charger. I bought a Ctek and charged Rosa’s battery, but nothing changed. I had the battery checked by a professional and he said the battery was good, meanwhile I charged the battery again and again and again and again and again ............ but none of it helped. 20secs or maybe 30secs was all Rosa could manage.
On advice from the forum, I disconnected the small connector on the -ve terminal on the battery in an effort to reset the electronic system. I did this, and went for a drive, but the S/S stopped working entirely!
I searched the forum yet again, and found that you should never charge the battery whilst still connected, so I disconnected the -ve terminal and charged the battery again, then we went out for a long drive this evening - shopping and stuff - and meanwhile the S/S system not only worked, but worked well. We managed 2mins or more on many an occasion ...... and that was with the headlights on!
I have learned three things:
1. The battery is fundamental to the S/S system working correctly.
2. The battery needs a full charge, but the alternator isn’t enough to do it if there’s a problem.
3. When the battery is charged using a battery charger, it needs to be done whilst the battery is disconnected from the car.
So thank you everybody. The S/S system works now, and it's all because of the battery not being charged correctly.
Regards to all from Cornwall,
Mick and Rosa.
Just thought I’d put a new thread on here to combine the bits and bobs about my struggles with Stop/Start on our Sept 2011 61 plate 500TA Lounge.
We bought her - we call her Rosa because she’s Pasodole Red - only four weeks ago with less than 14,000miles on the clock. Within a few days, it was obvious that the S/S system wasn't good, and I joined this forum in an effort to find what was wrong. The S/S actually worked, but only stopped for 20secs max, and sometimes much less, though was almost adequate with zero drain like the DLR lights off and the ACC off.
I was prepared to take Rosa back to the dealer where we bought her, or to a Fiat dealer to be sorted, but I wanted to be in possession of the full facts before I went anywhere.
The almost unanimous advice was that the battery was shot, but maybe it could be resurrected with a good battery charger. I bought a Ctek and charged Rosa’s battery, but nothing changed. I had the battery checked by a professional and he said the battery was good, meanwhile I charged the battery again and again and again and again and again ............ but none of it helped. 20secs or maybe 30secs was all Rosa could manage.
On advice from the forum, I disconnected the small connector on the -ve terminal on the battery in an effort to reset the electronic system. I did this, and went for a drive, but the S/S stopped working entirely!
I searched the forum yet again, and found that you should never charge the battery whilst still connected, so I disconnected the -ve terminal and charged the battery again, then we went out for a long drive this evening - shopping and stuff - and meanwhile the S/S system not only worked, but worked well. We managed 2mins or more on many an occasion ...... and that was with the headlights on!
I have learned three things:
1. The battery is fundamental to the S/S system working correctly.
2. The battery needs a full charge, but the alternator isn’t enough to do it if there’s a problem.
3. When the battery is charged using a battery charger, it needs to be done whilst the battery is disconnected from the car.
So thank you everybody. The S/S system works now, and it's all because of the battery not being charged correctly.
Regards to all from Cornwall,
Mick and Rosa.