Whining car :-(

Nagme

kaya wrote: »

does it have a turbo? the symptoms you describe could be turbo bearings or possibly a split boost hose

No, the car doesn't have a turbo, but the whine does sound like a turbo...!

Nagme

Ransoman wrote: »

Topping up the gearbox oil won't have made a difference. You need to drain all the old stuff out. Some mechanics assume gearboxes never need their oil changing but the reality is the oil needs to be replaced every 4 years.

The procedure is in the Haynes manual or try fiatforum.com or puntomk2.co.uk. You can DIY it very easily. there is a chance it will fix your problem and will only cost £20 in tools + oil.

Thanks - we bought some gearbox oil to top up, so we'll do that at the weekend, and report back the results.

TrickyWicky

Nagme wrote: »

Can you remember if your Brava made that noise only on a cold engine, or constantly?

It was constant. Like you neither of us knew what to make of it and all was well until it just suddenly went bang one day. Temperature made no difference and neither did the engine revs (unless it was stationary in neutral). As you mention, it sounded like it had a turbo. Worst thing being it was actually a nice little motor, no rust, no scratches, inside was really nice etc. Second hand gearbox and spanner monkey charges wiped us out and then a while later the engine seized up :mad:

Failure
In
Automotive
Technology

If you're prepared to sell as spares / repair then you might as well just run it until it goes and just hope that it carries on for a reasonable length of time.

Nagme

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Failure
In
Automotive
Technology

.

:rotfl:never heard that one before, I just knew to avoid buying a

Lots
Of
Trouble
Usually
Serious

Heliflyguy

There is a problem with the cambelt tensioner whining on Punto's, did it on mine when cold but re-reading the OP it might not be that.

Nagme

I am not going to spend any money on a new gearbox etc based on the following additional niggles I have with the car;- the exhaust rattles when I reverse or go around roundabouts (garage can't work out why), the power steering warning light comes on intermittantly (replacement part over £100), if it rains the footwell behind the passenger seat gets a big puddle, the headlights are one step up from candles on main beam, it has quite a few supermarket trolley dents, It doesn't have aircon and all the glass means it is a greenhouse in the summer.
(On the plus side, the power steering is brilliant, the seats are comfy, it has great visibility and it has cupholders.)

Option A
I will drive the car extra sympathetically, assuming the gearbox is on it's way out.
We (ie husband) will change the gearbox oil (perhaps getting a thicker oil will help?)
I will drive it till the gearbox goes crunch.

Option B
Get rid of it now on the basis that it's a 22 mile round trip to anywhere from our village location and I would rather have a reliable car. I could sell it and potentially get £600, thus the car will have cost just under £100/month during the 6 months of ownership. I could lease a new Citroen C1 for £100/month, or buy the VW Golf V5 on autotrader for £999.....

Option C
I could take it to Santa Pod to do the 1/4 mile drag so that it can go out in style. (joke)

Jem8472

I had my Fiat punto go 1.2 8v from the start of 2006 to the start of this year.
I love that car, it was my first car that I had bought.

In all that time I had covered over 60,000 miles in it. It had never left me stranded by the side of the road, I never needed to get the spare tyre out of the boot.

I had to have a couple of new exhausts, a few tyres here and there. When I got the back ones replaced because they were cracking there were the original tyres. They had lasted 7 years! :D

I did have the ECU go which needed replacing, that was about the highest bill I had.

The whining noise sounds exactly like a turbo and when you press the clutch in to change gear it instantly goes.

I also had the power steering light come on every so often. It only flashed up and then went again.

The fiat forums are great for info about the car and how to fix things.
I know the question about the whining when cold has been asked on there. I cannot remember the answers that people came up with but I think one of them was a belt tensioner.

Nagme

Jem8472 wrote: »

I had my Fiat punto go 1.2 8v from the start of 2006 to the start of this year.
I love that car, it was my first car that I had bought.

In all that time I had covered over 60,000 miles in it. It had never left me stranded by the side of the road, I never needed to get the spare tyre out of the boot.

I had to have a couple of new exhausts, a few tyres here and there. When I got the back ones replaced because they were cracking there were the original tyres. They had lasted 7 years! :D

I did have the ECU go which needed replacing, that was about the highest bill I had.

The whining noise sounds exactly like a turbo and when you press the clutch in to change gear it instantly goes.

I also had the power steering light come on every so often. It only flashed up and then went again.

The fiat forums are great for info about the car and how to fix things.
I know the question about the whining when cold has been asked on there. I cannot remember the answers that people came up with but I think one of them was a belt tensioner.

:undecided I shall wander back to the Fiat forum, I did have a look but saw nothing relevant at the time.

My best cars were my Mini (only ever broke down after falling into big potholes triggering the inertia), Fiesta (engine outlived bodywork) and a Civic (stupidly traded in for A3). Worst in my personal eperience were my Scenic (cambelt issues), my A3 (turbo broke) and BMW (everything).

kaya

Jem8472 wrote: »

I had my Fiat punto go 1.2 8v from the start of 2006 to the start of this year.
I love that car, it was my first car that I had bought.

In all that time I had covered over 60,000 miles in it. It had never left me stranded by the side of the road, I never needed to get the spare tyre out of the boot.

I had to have a couple of new exhausts, a few tyres here and there. When I got the back ones replaced because they were cracking there were the original tyres. They had lasted 7 years! :D

I did have the ECU go which needed replacing, that was about the highest bill I had.

The whining noise sounds exactly like a turbo and when you press the clutch in to change gear it instantly goes.

I also had the power steering light come on every so often. It only flashed up and then went again.

The fiat forums are great for info about the car and how to fix things.
I know the question about the whining when cold has been asked on there. I cannot remember the answers that people came up with but I think one of them was a belt tensioner.

sounds like triggers broom!!

GlynD

Sounds like it could be as simple as the alternator belt needing tightened. That's probably why it drops off when changing gear as the engine slows.