Hesitating with acceleration + Spluttering

meeeboards

Another day another punto fault!!

Here's the latest one for ya guys!!
2001 Punto Sporting 16v only back from the garage after getting 4 bent injectors replaced. Today I'm driving home from the garage, literally bumper to bumper traffic from the time i got into the car, i never moved faster than like 20mph but every now and then i felt a little splutter or shudder taking off.... didn't think too much tho. So eventually i get outta traffic onto a bit of opened road and i try to pick up a little speed.....

Soon as i put the foot down all i get is some suttle spluttering... kinda like a small misfire and ZERO acceleration. So after a few seconds the engine management light comes on flashing (cat damage?!?) then comes on solid once i stop taxing the engine. If i stop the car or only use gentle acceleration (like barely touch the thing) it moves along grand.

Any ideas? There was some swapping of ht leads on the four cylinders a few days ago, there were outta a big pile in the workshop..... Could a doggy lead do this? Or would it constantly be liek this if it was a fault lead?

Let us know guys if ya can.... I wanna sell this car soon as i can! Not ment to have a FIAT me thinks lol

crosstownk

Yeah - a dodgy lead could cause it, but tbh, plenty of other things could cause this too. Given it just came out of the garage the obvious thing to do is take it back tomorrow. Something may not have been reassembled correctly or may be out of adjustment. Plug leads sometimes display symptoms when the engine is under load more so than when driving 'gently'. You could check to make sure that they are pushed home firmly onto the spark plugs - but aside from that get it back too the garage ASAP.

Anan1

Out of interest, how did the injectors get bent?

Andrewf20

Not sure what the expected lifetime is for you catalyst, but that may be on the way out. My 9 year old catalyst started to fail a few years ago, thus blocking the exhaust partially. This resulted in the car feeling about 50% down on power under any sort of decent acceleration. Clues that it may be this are as follows:

-Car suffers more when the cat is hot. So if the car gets worse as the engine / cat heats ups, it could be that.
-A rattle noise from the cat on start up and engine turn off.
-Slightly more smokey exhaust.

meeeboards

Anan1 wrote:

Out of interest, how did the injectors get bent?

Last week your guess would have been as good as mine. The most obviousguess would be driving like a made man, bounding up and down gears or something... far as i know it ended up being a the timing belt had jumped a tooth or two trying everything out with the cam etc

I'll be takin it back tothe garage tomorrow, only things i reckons it could be is

- Injector Fitted Incorrectly
- Injection ECU
- Cyliner Fires (Sparks, Coil, Leads)

Keep yas posted.... I'l love to read thefault code rite now but dont got a reader.Couldnt be assed calling the AA lol

Leon11

I've had that prob on mine. It's the spark plugs by the sounds of it. You'll have no acceleration when your in 1st/2nd gear below 2000 revs and if your below that without keeping your foot on the clutch a bit longer the engine will splutter

meeeboards

Well just drove it down the the garages place (city centre) and parked it up so that i dont gotta risk rush hour traffic in the morning with it. Was able to get up to about 100-110kph.... There is no power in any gears or revs, it only seems to STRUGGLE anything after 30,000-40,000 revsat which point the fuel injection light starts to flash, meaning - STOP DRIVING ME.
There is a error code wairing to be read....I'd do anything to have a reader right now lol

ninty9er

I had this for ages and replaced the sparks...no joy. It was the Air Flow Meter/ Air Mass Meter. Replaced it today and the car is going so well I feel like it's a 1.4 instead of the what I'm used to being a 1.0

meeeboards

Sorted!! Just got all 4 HT Leads replaced and shes running perfect again!!

Cheers for everything guys!!