Technical Fiat Punto 1.2 Active Sport 16v

[zaria123]

Hi Guys
I bought my other half a 2004 Racing Blue Active Sport 16v, with 42,000 miles and one owner. Its a beautiful little car, in amazing condition...however....

I think this has been mentioned before, but I wanted to clarify a failed repair.

In October / November 2013, Intermittently, if the car was left unused for a few days, when the engine was started it would be off cylinders. The dealer took the car back, and replaced the head gasket, skimmed the head, and pressure tested the head, re-assembled, and replaced the timing belt etc at the same time.

5 weeks later, again the car was left unused for 5 days, went to start, running on 1, coming on to 2, then back to 1 cylinder. This time (unlike when original repair was carried out) billowing white smoke out the exhaust, would barely drive, had to push it back in to the driveway. Smoke billowed out the exhaust for a few minutes after the engine was turned off (the car had only being running for a maximum of 3 minutes).

To me sounds like head gasket!

No noted loss of coolant, no overheating on the temperature guage. But what could they have done wrong, or what could have happened?

Also this I think is unrelated. When manoeuvring slowly, sometime the rev counter / revs will pulse up and down dramatically.

Associated with this, when warm, stationary, at tickover (say sitting at traffic lights). If you press the accelerator pedal gently to take off for a second the revs don;t move, then all of a sudden they jump up to high. As if the throttle was sticking slightly.

My other half hasn't been driving that long, and it makes for a lot of over revving at some points!

Any advice as the car is being picked up by the garages breakdown lorry this afternoon, and I would like a bit of insight in to what I'm dealing with.

Thanks Alan

 

[Ziggy122]

No coolant or oil loss
No gains (mixing)

it dont sound like HG

The white steam is because its cold outside

Rough running - I'd be checking spark plugs HT coils
Checking that the butterfly valve is responding as quickly as you do to throttle pedal movement too

But something makes me also think timing is out - A LONG WAY

Ziggy

 

[zaria123]

Hi Thanks for the reply.

This refers to the HG issue, not the throttle issue (I think this is a separate thing):

When I say white smoke, I mean when I stepped out of the car we were surrounded in it, not just a normal stream on a cold morning from the exhaust. It was literally clouds, the whole street had white smoke blowing around.

When the car is running, it drives really well. So I don;t think there are any timing or coil pack issues, otherwise the coil pack issue should show under then the car is under load too?

The symptoms are identical to before the head gasket was replaced, everything is fine if we drive the car daily, however leave it for a few days and it'll be off cylinders. As if the plugs are very damp (according to these threads, apparently this is a symptom of these cars...misfire? for HG? And I think I read mixing doesn't usually happen on these?). There doesn't seem to be any coolant loss, but it wouldn't take very much moisture to effect the plus if damp was getting at them?

The garage just took it was there, started this time, on 1 cylinder, then came on the 2, then off and on 3. excessive white smoke but not as much as when i started it 2 days ago.

I'm wary of taking the car back unless I'm convinced they have fixed the right thing