Fiat 500 - chugging noise and vibrations

FreddieFrugal

We went off to supermarket this morning in Fiat 500. Its been sitting for a week unused so expected it to sound a bit rough to start with. However it started to make a train chugging sort of sound which seemed to be strongest above 20mph in 3rd. Chugging not heard at slower speeds or while idle. There was also a loud vibration sound (couldn't actually feel any vibration) that seemed to be coming from around the steering column or at least the front drivers side of the car. Happened once for about 10 seconds on way there and once on way back.

Not encountered these things before while driving the car, should I be concerned or is it just in need of a good run after sitting around too long?

Edit: the sound could also be described as like a noisy old sewing machine and it was constant above 20 mph, sound increasing in tempo with the speed of the car

Strider590

A week is nothing, 3 weeks and the battery might be a problem.

So engine speed didn't make any difference?

What happens when you dip the clutch?

When you noticed the noise and stopped to open the bonnet and see if all was ok, did you see anything apparently out of place?






Oh and 20mph in 3rd? that's labouring the engine and costing in fuel.
Labouring the engine is also a good way to break the rubber exhaust mounts.

FreddieFrugal

Strider590 wrote: »

So engine speed didn't make any difference?

Oh and 20mph in 3rd? that's labouring the engine and costing in fuel.

I meant above 20 sorry, not specifically at 20. It wasn't labouring in fact the car was driving and felt perfectly fine - pulling like usual, braking fine, it was just the disconcerting noises.

The sound was increasing with the engine revs but only in 3rd gear (didnt get above that) slowing down or speeding up didnt stop the sound just changed frequency of the chugs.

Don't think clutch made a difference. Sound continued when slowing, changing gear and turning for instance. In fact it sounded much louder while turning on roundabout - slow speed = deeper chugs it seemed.

Mankysteve

What age 500 are we talking about?

FreddieFrugal

Mankysteve wrote: »

What age 500 are we talking about?

59 plate - 23k mileage

1.2L petrol

FreddieFrugal

A good run seems to have sorted out the chugging and the vibration sound was coming from the plastic panels on the steering column, I just mauled them around a bit and seem to have got them into a position where they're not vibrating any more.

Problem sorted

Tilt

Glad to hear it. From my experience, Fiats don't like to be sitting around for a while. Also could of been contaminated fuel which has now cleared. The recent hot weather will not of helped either.

Given the amount of 500's on the road these days, we don't seem to get many posts on here about them.

Stageshoot

Tilt wrote: »

Given the amount of 500's on the road these days, we don't seem to get many posts on here about them.

Fairly bulletproof little things,

I had an 09 Reg 1.2 Lounge, put 110k miles on it in 3 years and it drove like new still.

Traded it in for a New 500 Convertible with the more powerful 0.87 Litre 2 Cylinder Turbo Twinair Engine and that has 39k on it after a year and is a brilliant drive,

I would recommend them to anyone,

I went from the 1.2l to the 870cc 2 Cyl because it was Congestion Charge Exempt (Saves me about £1800 per year) and expected it to be a bit boring to drive, but its a real fun car and would never go back to the 1.2 the difference is night and day, the 870cc is such a fun engine,

But apart from a few little niggles most of the 500s out there seem to be holding up fairly well, heared a few people moan about the DPF on the Diesels but that common across brands if you are not doing the journeys to clear them out.

Tilt

Stageshoot wrote: »

Fairly bulletproof little things,

I had an 09 Reg 1.2 Lounge, put 110k miles on it in 3 years and it drove like new still.

Traded it in for a New 500 Convertible with the more powerful 0.87 Litre 2 Cylinder Turbo Twinair Engine and that has 39k on it after a year and is a brilliant drive,

I would recommend them to anyone,

I went from the 1.2l to the 870cc 2 Cyl because it was Congestion Charge Exempt (Saves me about £1800 per year) and expected it to be a bit boring to drive, but its a real fun car and would never go back to the 1.2 the difference is night and day, the 870cc is such a fun engine,

But apart from a few little niggles most of the 500s out there seem to be holding up fairly well, heared a few people moan about the DPF on the Diesels but that common across brands if you are not doing the journeys to clear them out.

Don't know why, but i'm not so keen on the 500c (convertible). I had a Punto convertible when that came out in '94, which was what I call a proper convertible.

But all in all, I think Fiat have done a marvelous job in re-introducing the 500 because it actually resembles the original one. Unlike what BMW did with the Mini!