Hello,
I'm a baby, 2 month old -me not the car- Fiat Multipla owner. The Multipla is an 01 plate, JTD. I found the Fiat Forum while looking up some problems I've had, and thought I'd introduce myself and share my experience with you so far.
The other problems are minor, but I've had what other people have shared on the site -difficult, then eventually impossible to change gear, unless I switch off the engine, select 2nd and drive round in that.
Went for the cheap option first -bleed the slave cylinder. Took about 10 mins to do with a Sealey Automatic Brake and Clutch Bleeder model VS0205, £16 at the local motor factor. However, the bleep bleep battery tray took about 4 hours to get off and back on again! I hope there is a particular kind of hell out there for the bleep bleep designer who designed this convoluted, over-engineered piece of bleep! What bleep-head thought of putting support stays and accompanying bolts in such inaccessible positions... (I hope the moderator appreciates me putting in my own bleeps saving him/her a job). The bleed kit -not bleep kit, there's a difference -worked great by the way.
Result: Immediately better, and 2 days later gear changing completely normal, well almost. It's certainly much better. Give it another week.
Thoughts on the Sealey kit:
-Good, clear instructions.
-The cap pre-fitted to the device fitted the common brake/clutch reservoir. Attached tube might need tightening to prevent air leak.
-Probably had the pressure too high in the spare tyre connected to the device, used just over 20psi, think 15psi would have been enough, book says will work with 10. Thus wasted some brake fluid.
-Slave cylinder bleed: 1. Attach bleed kit to clutch/brake reservoir as instructed. 2. Remove rubber cap off slave cylinder bleed-nipple. 3. Attach the kit-supplied drain tube (plus waste fluid container -beer can!) to the bleed-nipple. 4. Prize up the clip on the slave cylinder with a small flat-bladed screwdriver -easy, no effort required. 5. Pull/prize out -using a large flat-bladed screwdriver -the end stop/thingy on the slave cylinder which is held in by the clip, allowing the cylinder to be bled. 6. Release the valve on the Sealey kit to bleed. 7. Reverse steps 1 to 7 to finish.
-First time I've used the Auto Sealey kit. A lot less hassle and more effective? than the manual pedal-pumping method, and cheap too.
Thoughts on battery tray removal:
-I thought I was lucky to get it out as the 2 most difficult to access bolts were quite rusted/worn/rounded and very difficult to see and access. Needed just the right length of extension on my socket wrench (ooh er missus). Trick I used with the last bolt near-side, bottom, furthest away from front, was to remove all the other bolts, then rock the tray back and forth to free up the remaining bolt/stay. It worked.
-I replaced the above bolts with the ones in the best condition to make things easier next time -if there is a next time!
-There are photos somewhere of the tray and all the bolt positions.
-Remove the fuse box which bolts to the battery tray first, and attach last.
Thoughts on the Multipla after 2 months:
-Really like it. Wouldn't normally have picked one in a million years, always driven super-minis, but it was available and cheap -well under a thou. Nice ride and handling, loads of seats or storage space -take your pick, and there are more gadgets than you can shake a stick at. Bit like driving a van but better, with much better visibility. Feels like a solid piece of kit, and you get a lot for your money secondhand. MPG 38-40. Have seen 42. Looks a bit weird but doesn't bother me now. Have noticed that other MPVs park next to it at the supermarket, which I suspect is some kind of mating or bonding behaviour...
I'm a baby, 2 month old -me not the car- Fiat Multipla owner. The Multipla is an 01 plate, JTD. I found the Fiat Forum while looking up some problems I've had, and thought I'd introduce myself and share my experience with you so far.
The other problems are minor, but I've had what other people have shared on the site -difficult, then eventually impossible to change gear, unless I switch off the engine, select 2nd and drive round in that.
Went for the cheap option first -bleed the slave cylinder. Took about 10 mins to do with a Sealey Automatic Brake and Clutch Bleeder model VS0205, £16 at the local motor factor. However, the bleep bleep battery tray took about 4 hours to get off and back on again! I hope there is a particular kind of hell out there for the bleep bleep designer who designed this convoluted, over-engineered piece of bleep! What bleep-head thought of putting support stays and accompanying bolts in such inaccessible positions... (I hope the moderator appreciates me putting in my own bleeps saving him/her a job). The bleed kit -not bleep kit, there's a difference -worked great by the way.
Result: Immediately better, and 2 days later gear changing completely normal, well almost. It's certainly much better. Give it another week.
Thoughts on the Sealey kit:
-Good, clear instructions.
-The cap pre-fitted to the device fitted the common brake/clutch reservoir. Attached tube might need tightening to prevent air leak.
-Probably had the pressure too high in the spare tyre connected to the device, used just over 20psi, think 15psi would have been enough, book says will work with 10. Thus wasted some brake fluid.
-Slave cylinder bleed: 1. Attach bleed kit to clutch/brake reservoir as instructed. 2. Remove rubber cap off slave cylinder bleed-nipple. 3. Attach the kit-supplied drain tube (plus waste fluid container -beer can!) to the bleed-nipple. 4. Prize up the clip on the slave cylinder with a small flat-bladed screwdriver -easy, no effort required. 5. Pull/prize out -using a large flat-bladed screwdriver -the end stop/thingy on the slave cylinder which is held in by the clip, allowing the cylinder to be bled. 6. Release the valve on the Sealey kit to bleed. 7. Reverse steps 1 to 7 to finish.
-First time I've used the Auto Sealey kit. A lot less hassle and more effective? than the manual pedal-pumping method, and cheap too.
Thoughts on battery tray removal:
-I thought I was lucky to get it out as the 2 most difficult to access bolts were quite rusted/worn/rounded and very difficult to see and access. Needed just the right length of extension on my socket wrench (ooh er missus). Trick I used with the last bolt near-side, bottom, furthest away from front, was to remove all the other bolts, then rock the tray back and forth to free up the remaining bolt/stay. It worked.
-I replaced the above bolts with the ones in the best condition to make things easier next time -if there is a next time!
-There are photos somewhere of the tray and all the bolt positions.
-Remove the fuse box which bolts to the battery tray first, and attach last.
Thoughts on the Multipla after 2 months:
-Really like it. Wouldn't normally have picked one in a million years, always driven super-minis, but it was available and cheap -well under a thou. Nice ride and handling, loads of seats or storage space -take your pick, and there are more gadgets than you can shake a stick at. Bit like driving a van but better, with much better visibility. Feels like a solid piece of kit, and you get a lot for your money secondhand. MPG 38-40. Have seen 42. Looks a bit weird but doesn't bother me now. Have noticed that other MPVs park next to it at the supermarket, which I suspect is some kind of mating or bonding behaviour...
of all things.