Hey there. Don’t know if you can help or point in the right direction. I have a 56 plate 1.2 petrol grande punto. Literally last week when there was a cold snap my car would start normally but 2 secs later it would cut out or if I pressed accelerator it would choke and stall. Would start fine then repeat about 3 or 4 times. Reading up about this fault is quite common. I don’t want to go to a garage and be hit with every excuse starter motor etc... I feel after all the videos and forums read it’s definitely sensor/electrical fault. When I start engine the water temp pointer goes all way to top then goes down to low. The coolant is just below the max line. The car if still warm will start fine but it’s the initial cold start. What’s a general rate of charge at a general garage to test this theory that’s it’s either the water coolant sensor or map sensor? Also until I get this fixed me starting it over and over a few times every cold start and the coolant light coming on is this harming my car? Hope you can help give advice. Thanks in advance
Lisa Duncan Hi, The symptom does sound similar. The diagnostic process differs between garage unfortunately. Try to find a local garage that has an exceptional reputation for diagnostic work. Dont be fooled by a cheap diagnostic check,there is no such thing. You should expect at least one hours labour . The garage should conduct a thorough 'interview' before even looking at the car then if they retrieve the fault code in this video they can find the problem quite easily. Always ask for evidence of their diagnosis before parting with any money. Where are you based? I may be able to recommend someone.
DefinitiveDiagnosis Hi thanks for the quick reply. I don’t want it done for peanuts but I don’t want told it’s this and that and as I haven’t got much of a clue I don’t want to fork out for stuff unnecessarily. Live in the Wirral. Ellesmere Port.
Lisa Duncan unfortunately I do not know of anyone i would recommend in that area, All i can advise is to read google reviews etc before choosing a garage or ask family/friends for recommendations. It is a gamble as many garages 'claim' to offer diagnostic services of a high standard yet fail to deliver. Phone a few places and describe the symptoms and if someone takes the time to be thorough on the phone and walk you through their process that is a good start. Once they have inspected the vehicle ask for evidence of why they are changing the part ie print outs with a detailed explanation. They should be able to offer evidence of the fix too with data from the tests carried out before and after so you can clearly see the difference. You can see in this video that i have produced evidence very easily in a few minutes.
DefinitiveDiagnosis thanks for advice. Really appreciate it will update with the diagnosis. Ps until I find a garage this possible sensor issue will it damage my car in anyway with the stalling and choking it does?
Lisa Duncan A fault that affects the fuelling has the potential to damage the catalytic converter with prolonged drive cycles. I would recommend having it looked at asap and driving it as little as possible(It may have a different fault to this one where even more damage may occur)
Hey there. Don’t know if you can help or point in the right direction. I have a 56 plate 1.2 petrol grande punto. Literally last week when there was a cold snap my car would start normally but 2 secs later it would cut out or if I pressed accelerator it would choke and stall. Would start fine then repeat about 3 or 4 times. Reading up about this fault is quite common. I don’t want to go to a garage and be hit with every excuse starter motor etc... I feel after all the videos and forums read it’s definitely sensor/electrical fault. When I start engine the water temp pointer goes all way to top then goes down to low. The coolant is just below the max line. The car if still warm will start fine but it’s the initial cold start.
What’s a general rate of charge at a general garage to test this theory that’s it’s either the water coolant sensor or map sensor?
Also until I get this fixed me starting it over and over a few times every cold start and the coolant light coming on is this harming my car?
Hope you can help give advice. Thanks in advance
Lisa Duncan Hi, The symptom does sound similar. The diagnostic process differs between garage unfortunately. Try to find a local garage that has an exceptional reputation for diagnostic work. Dont be fooled by a cheap diagnostic check,there is no such thing. You should expect at least one hours labour . The garage should conduct a thorough 'interview' before even looking at the car then if they retrieve the fault code in this video they can find the problem quite easily. Always ask for evidence of their diagnosis before parting with any money. Where are you based? I may be able to recommend someone.
DefinitiveDiagnosis Hi thanks for the quick reply. I don’t want it done for peanuts but I don’t want told it’s this and that and as I haven’t got much of a clue I don’t want to fork out for stuff unnecessarily. Live in the Wirral. Ellesmere Port.
Lisa Duncan unfortunately I do not know of anyone i would recommend in that area, All i can advise is to read google reviews etc before choosing a garage or ask family/friends for recommendations. It is a gamble as many garages 'claim' to offer diagnostic services of a high standard yet fail to deliver. Phone a few places and describe the symptoms and if someone takes the time to be thorough on the phone and walk you through their process that is a good start. Once they have inspected the vehicle ask for evidence of why they are changing the part ie print outs with a detailed explanation. They should be able to offer evidence of the fix too with data from the tests carried out before and after so you can clearly see the difference. You can see in this video that i have produced evidence very easily in a few minutes.
DefinitiveDiagnosis thanks for advice. Really appreciate it will update with the diagnosis. Ps until I find a garage this possible sensor issue will it damage my car in anyway with the stalling and choking it does?
Lisa Duncan A fault that affects the fuelling has the potential to damage the catalytic converter with prolonged drive cycles. I would recommend having it looked at asap and driving it as little as possible(It may have a different fault to this one where even more damage may occur)