my fiat is a piece of fecal matter (1 Viewer)

[johnnyPower]

I have a Fiat Punto Sporting, 2000 model

I didn't ask for it, it was a present so I couldn't turn it down, I mean, free car.

Anyway, its hit about 125,000 km and the lamda sensor blew out of the exhaust.

Got it welded back on and car worked fine for about 5,000km and then it went awol.

If I press the gas (with no gear engaged) the engine sounds like a tractor, until about 5,500 rpm (red line at 7,000rpm) there is no power, just a pap pap pap pap pap while it struggles to burn gas, then pow it hits 5,500rpm and its fine, actually better than fine.

If I am driving in 3rd gear, and I finally make it to 5,500 rpm it is like a turbo has engaged and I get stuck to my seat (this is a 96bhp 1.250cc car btw, not that powerful)

It is pretty funny because I will be driving side by side by a car, forget about the 5,500rpm and pow, I just zoom off into the distance.

Of course its very short lived because by the time I hit 7krpm and change to fourth I'm back at 4,500 rpm and I have to wait another 3-4 minutes to get back to 5,500rpm.

Top speed is now ~160kmh whereas it used to be 190kmh.

Now. If I don't press the gas fully, and sort of half press it, the acceleration is better, and full pedal it seems to stall and lose power.

It has 6 gears but I never use the 6th gear anymore because there it can't muster the power required.

I took it to an authorized Fiat service shop, they took 1000$, ripped out my catalyctic convertor and it worked a TINY bit better but not much.

Anyone have any idea what it may be?

 

[Jimi C]

"I took it to an authorized Fiat service shop, they took 1000$, ripped out my catalyctic convertor and it worked a TINY bit better but not much."

If your car is broken ripping out the catalytic converter wont fix anything. I cant beleive you actually paid $1000 for that.It kind of sounds too me like your engine is misfiring. When was the last time you had a tune up? It could just be a bad spark plug or a bad wire.

 

[johnnyPower]

I paid 1000$ for a service, ie change sparkplugs/oil filters etc, replaced belts in the engine, changed a windscreen motor that failed, and some other various things. It hadn't had a service in a while (try since 70,000 km). it feels like its misfiring but how do I know whats at fault?

 

[Lynda-Marie]

I know next to nothing about cars. The most common acronym I know for your car is "Fix It Again, Tony."


Acura
Awful,Crappy,Unreliable, Rusty Automobile
Automobile Causes Universal Road Accidents
All Cars Usually Require Adjustment
Any Child Understands Real Automobiles
Americans Can Underestimate Routine Accidents
Another Case of a Useless Requested Acronym?

Audi
Accelerates Under Demonic Influence

Beetle
Battered Everywhere; Expect To Lose Engine

BMW
Babbling Mechanical Wench
Beastly Monstrous Wonder
Beautiful Masterpieces on Wheels
Beautiful Mechanical Wonder
Big Money Waste
Big Money Works
Blasphemous Motorized Wreck
Born Moderately Wealthy.
Break My Windows
Broken Money Waster
Broken Monstrous Wonder
Brutal Money Waster
Bumbling Mechanical Wretch
Big Money Waster
Blasphemized Motorized Wreck
Bastard Money Wielders
Break My Window
Busted My Wallet
But at least my Motor Works

Buick
Big Ugly Import Car Killer
Big Ugly Indestructible Car Killer
Big Ugly Indestructible Compact Killer
Barfed Up Icky Carmel Korn
Camaro
Can’t America Make A Real One?

Chevrolet
Car Has Extensive Valve Rattle On Long Extended Trips.
Crappy Hot-Running Engines, Very Rusted Out, Lose Every Time

Chevy
Charged Heavily
Cheapest Heap Ever enVisioned Yet

Chrysler
Car Having Really Yucky Stupid Lazy Engine Runs
Could Have Remained Your Sickly Lame Elderly Relative’s

Citroen
Crap Interior Terrible Road-holding Owned Entirely by Nutters

Dodge
Dead Or Dying Garbage Emitter
Drips Oil, Drops Grease, Everywhere
Dem Old Dudes Go Everywhere
Dangerous On Days Gears Engage
Death Overcomes Driver’s Generous Ego

Datsun
Detroit’s Angry Towards Sneaky Unscrupulous Nips

Fiat
F**king Italian Attempt (at) Transportation.
Failure in Automotive Technology
Feeble Italian Attempt at Transportation
Fix It Again Tony?
Fix It All the Time
F**k in a Taxi.


Ford
F*cked over rebuilt Dodge
F*cker Only Runs Downhill
F*cked on Race Day
F*cking Over-Rated Disaster
F*ckin’ Out-Right Dangerous
First On Recall Day
First on race day
Fix Or Repair Daily
Found on road dead
Forge Old Rancid Donuts
Fraternal Order of Restored DeSoto’s
F*ckin Owner Real Dumb!!
For Only Redneck Drivers
F*cker Only Runs Damaged
Flip Over to Read Directions
(backwards) Driver Returns On Foot

GMC
Garage Man’s Companion
Generally Mediocre Cars
Got More Crap
Grungy Merchandise
Got Mechanic Coming

G.T.i.
Got Tossers Inside

Honda
Helping Out Nips Destroying America
How Odd-No Damn Acceleration
Hold Overs Not Doing Anything
Hand Over Dollars to Asians

IROC
I Race Other Cars
I Run Over Children

Jaguar
Jews And Germans Usually Argue Retail
Junk Always Going Under At Repair Shop

Jeep
Junk Electrical and Emissions Parts
Jump Excitedly in Every Pothole.
Just Eat Every Pickle.
Junk Everyone Eyes for Parts
Jinxed Engine has Extra Parts
Jumps Everything Ever Parked
JUST Enough Engine Power?

LTD
Lazy temperamental device
Leave the doors
Limited to Dudes

Mazda
Model All Zoids Drive Aimlessly

Mercedes
Most Every Red Cent Eventually Dissipates, Extinguishing Savings

Mercury
Mileage Eventually Ruins Car -- Usually Ruins You
Makes Everyone Really Crave Underpowered, Recalled Yugo
Makes Envisioning REAL Car Understandable -- Recalled Yet?
Motorists Easily Rate Car (Usually “Real Yo-yo”)

Minibus
Minus Insurance, No Inspection, Beat, Usually Spraypainted

Mopar
Most Often Passed At Races
Mostly Old Parts And Rust
Mostly Old Paint And Rust
Mitsubishi’s Over Priced American Replicars

Nissan
Now In Some Sh**ty Automobile Nightmare
Nasty Import Sucks Savings Away to Nippon
Never In Synch Screeching Awful Noises
Needs Imminent Salvage So Abandon Now

Oldsmobile
Oh Look Dammit, Some Massive Oil Burning Idiot’s Leaking Everything
Old Loose Dented Sheet Metal Outdated By Infamies Like Edsel
Old Ladies Driving Slow making Others Behind Infuriatingly Late Everyday

Pinto
Put In New Transmission Often

Plymouth
Please Let Your Mother Out Under The Hood!

Pontiac
Poor Old Nitwit Thinks Its A Cadillac
Pee On Nehru’s Tired Italian Astronaut Cards

PORSCHE
Puts Out Really Smoky Carbonate Hazardous Emissions
Phased Out Racer-Still Can’t Hold Engine
Please Overlook Really Sh*tty Cardboard Horrible Engine
Pulled Over Regularly So Cops Have Enough

Rabbit
Replace A Beetle? Boy, It Tried
Racy? Ain’t! Bouncy, Ball-less Itty-bitty Toy!

Renault
Retarded Engine No Acceleration Ugly Lump of Trash

Rolls Royce
Royal Ostentation Lets Lethargic Shits Rumble Over Yogurt-Consuming Esthetes

SAAB
Stupid, Arrogant Asshole Babies
Such an arrogant bastard!
Swedish Automobile - Always Broken

Sable
Sleazy auto brakes leak everytime

Toyota
Taking Our Yen Out -- Thanks All
Too Often Yankees Overprice This Auto
Take Only Your Ordure To America

Triumph
The Risk Involving Useless Machinery Pays Heavily
Trembling Ride, Intrusive Undercarriage, Meekly Powered Hotrod.

Vanagon
Via Another Name: A Go-cart On Nerve

Volkswagen
Vehicle Owner’s List: Kite String, Wire, Aluminum, Gum, Engine (NOT!)

VW
Very Worthless

STP
Stop Those Pistons.

E.F.I.
Extra F**king Insurance

NAPA
Never Any Parts Available.

 

[Julian Reville]

Where's the acronym for Mitsubishi ? :frowning:

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Johnny, are you in the US or Canada? I know that no Fiat has been sold new in the US for about the last 20-25 years or so, not sure about Canada.

The proper way to repair this would have been to replace the section of pipe the sensor goes into along with the sensor.

 

[Jimi C]

After reading your first post again, It sounds like they may have reinstalled some spark plug wires out of order, or one may have come loose. I would just pop the hood and make sure all the wires are secure, into the block and at the coil pack.