[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by Adi_k

I had faced similar problem with my Indica. My regular mechanic said that sometimes when you fill petrol in the fast setting, there is a chance of air getting trapped in fuel lines and the remedy is to fill petrol in slow setting.

I have been doing this for many months now and haven't faced the issue of sudden loss of power. Hence the suggestion.

Air getting trapped in the fuel lines can only happen in two case that i know of. The first is when there is a leak somewhere in the fuel lines and the second is when the fuel tank is completely empty without any petrol in it.

If none of these cases are true then there is no way in which air can be trapped in the fuel lines if you re-fill at full pump speed. All fuel tanks have air release channels. So no matter how fast you fill the air will get released unless there is a blockage in the air channel. Have you ever noticed how there is a gurgling sound right before the tank is almost full when you tank up? That is the air in the tank being displaced by the fuel.

Edit: We are going off topic and we should stop this discussin here.

[one-77]

The car IS giving off more exhaust fumes than usual when accelerating. I've also noticed a dip in fuel efficiency lately, by about 2-3 kmpl.
My dad had refuelled the car a few days before this problem developed, and it had not been used since.
He had also noticed a similar issue once in our Santro about two months ago.
All these make me suspect fuel adulteration might be the culprit. We had changed to a new pump some months back.
If this IS the problem, how do we go about solving it? I'll be taking the car to A.S.S. soon.

[rkg]

This problem is unique to fiat 1.3 engine. It is there is wift, Indiac vista, palio mjd and now in linea.

I too faced this problem several times since 10K on wards. now my vista is 55K. i face this problem when the car is on a incline and it happens around 1.7to 2 K RPM. TASS tested the car several times with the OBD . i was there. But it did not appear when they tested. Only once it showed a error code of P08 ( low pressure in rail) they told me they changed the low pressure pump.

Every time it happens, if i switch off the and engine and start it car will be normal.
The problem surfaced every time i was a long trip ( it happens only on the first day of trip with an hour or two of starting from home) . afterwards there is problem at all during the entire trip of 7/16 days

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by one-77

The engine was taking for ever to rev from 2000 to 3000 rpm

This is the same thing that happened in my T Jet.

When I took delivery of my car mid December, I did one trip to work and back and the car was parked for a week. The next time I started the car was when I did a road trip to Cochin with the family, Christmas vacation. The car had clocked only 178km so I set a speed alarm at 110kmph and did not exceed this speed. My car was running out of fuel as we neared Palghat. I had the low fuel light come up and I drove a good 30km with the warning lamp. At no point did the car suffer from any missing or loss in power. The drive was from 2pm - 1030pm. The gas station I use in Palghat is the IOC in Chandanagar and they were closed so I headed straight to my uncles house in the same locality. When we resumed our journey the next morning, the first thing I did was tank up. The car was not responding as well as it did after this tankful. There was power but there was something missing. I also noticed that the car was missing when I left it to idle. My dad felt it too. No visible smoke from the exhaust. After our short holiday in Cochin, we returned to Bangalore. Power was back to normal but the missing was felt after a long drive. No missing when the engine is cold or when you accelerate. This is noticed only when the car is idling in neutral. This happens only after a long drive or if the car is subjected to extreme temperatures and extended periods in slow moving traffic.

About a month ago, I did a 0-100kmph timing run in the hot afternoon heat. The first run went off well and the acceleration was brutal. When I wanted to do the second run which was almost back to back, the car was absolutely dead in response. It would not respond with the same eagerness as the first run. It felt as if the turbo was blown. I restarted the car and it was still the same. All along when I drove back home, the car felt sluggish but kept improving along the way which was a good 25km drive from the drag strip. I reached home, parked the car and then had to step out again after a couple of hours and power was back to normal.

Now as soon as I returned from the Cochin trip, I took the car to TASS and complained about the engine missing. As usual, they plugged in their ECU scanner and no faults detected. I could feel the engine skip a beat but the engineer could not. The missing is so mild that only someone used to the feel of the car will notice something amiss, if there is. I had nothing to show or prove so I left. It is possible to see the engine shudder ever so slightly in the engine bay when it skips a beat.

The loss in power problem happened again 3 days ago. It was exactly the same feeling I got when I did the second drag run. However, this time, the car was subjected to only high temperatures and slow moving traffic. No high revving. There was no power at all. The throttle response was zero. It was struggling to build revs. I reached my destination, the car was idle for a few hours and after restarting, everything back to normal.

How does one demonstrate this to TASS? As I drive there I will have to rev the nuts off the engine and hope the problem resurfaces. Very difficult situation.

[Prash]

I am using Feb 2009 Linea MJD. In few days I will be going for a replacement of timing chain. As few others have done it wanted to know the difference in engine. Like engine noise, vibration, or any other difference anyone has noticed after the chain replacement?

[harryms]

Hello Friends did anyone got the issue fixed. i am now afraid after going through the posts.

[one-77]

I just did. Though the Linea wasn't in the best of health, had to take an emergency trip to Calicut. The smoking and low mileage continued, but as we neared Calicut, the "check engine" warning came up. Was lucky to be within a 100 metres of the Tata-Fiat showroom, Marina Motors!
Drove in, and reported the issue.
The service advisor diagnosed the issue as a leak in the hose connecting the turbo and the intercooler. Had it replaced under warranty. They did it as top priority. On my drive back now. Stopped for dinner. The car has been fine. Will post in detail tomorrow.

[pavan15]

Originally Posted by one-77

I just did. Though the Linea wasn't in the best of health, had to take an emergency trip to Calicut. The smoking and low mileage continued, but as we neared Calicut, the "check engine" warning came up. Was lucky to be within a 100 metres of the Tata-Fiat showroom, Marina Motors!
Drove in, and reported the issue.
The service advisor diagnosed the issue as a leak in the hose connecting the turbo and the intercooler. Had it replaced under warranty. They did it as top priority. On my drive back now. Stopped for dinner. The car has been fine. Will post in detail tomorrow.

Yep I had the same issue with my MJD some time back. Had parked the car for around 4 days and when I started the car it all seemed fine. However when I slowed down at a junction there was no response at all. Had to nurse it to the service center where they cleaned the hose and it was all back to clean running again. Never faced that problem again though.

I highly doubt that fuel is a issue here. It is most likely a dusty or faulty hose.

[harryms]

can anyone of you post a photo of the culprit hose. Thanks to both of you for updating. really i was afraid to take my Linea out for a long drive after hearing the issue of power loss. i read that the timing chain is going to be upgraded is it true?

thanks

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by one-77

The service advisor diagnosed the issue as a leak in the hose connecting the turbo and the intercooler.

Turbo to intercooler leak, should surely mean a hissing sound.

Was there a hissing sound?

[one-77]

The Details:

So like I said, the car gave the "check engine" warning as we neared Calicut, after having driven some 110 kms from home. Fortunately happened to be right in front of the Tata-Fiat dealer, Marina Motors, at that moment.
It was 10:45 am. Pulled in, reported the issue to Service Advisor, Mr. Praveen.
He came and turned on the car, revved, opened the hood, had a look, and told me the rubber hose connecting the turbo and intercooler had a leak. He called the sparepart shop and the part was in stock. As we were there on an urgent trip, they offered to do the job as soon as possible.
While my father waited in the lounge, I stood watching the work being carried out in the workshop.
They started the repairs as soon as a service bay with a lift became free. Two hoses were replaced. The job took a couple of hours, but this was the least it could have taken. The mechanics and service advisor were gracious enough to delay their lunches to have the work completed.
In all, we were very satisfied with the service at Marina Motors. Everyone was courteous, and the parts were in stock, and the repair was quickly performed. A pleasant surprise from TASS.
(This is quit in contrast to Hyson Motors, Thrissur, where people are not very polite, spares are rarely in stock, and the job is inordinately delayed. We had to leave the car with them for eleven days to get the rear bumper replaced after a rub-off with a truck. A broken wheel cover was not in stock, and after waiting a month, we had to buy it from the salvage yard )

Originally Posted by harryms

can anyone of you post a photo of the culprit hose. Thanks to both of you for updating. really i was afraid to take my Linea out for a long drive after hearing the issue of power loss. i read that the timing chain is going to be upgraded is it true?

thanks

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Turbo to intercooler leak, should surely mean a hissing sound.

Was there a hissing sound?

Yes, there was, when accelerating full throttle, past 3000 rpm.

As of now, the car is behaving normally. Power as usual, engine noise down, smoke gone, fuel efficiency normal. Got a FE of 17.6 kmpl on the 147 km drive back home, with a average speed of 41 kmph through some winding roads with moderate to heavy traffic. Hoping the issue has been sorted out.

And by the way, I don't think this is an isolated issue. For one, there's the speed with which the SA diagnosed the issue. Also, while my car was being repaired, a Punto 90HP came in with a similar problem.

[harryms]

thank you 0ne-77 for giving the details. this will help many Fiat customers.

[sandeepmohan]

Very useful information One-77. I will post pictures of the plumbing of the same from a T Jet as it is quite different. I have not checked the location of the inter cooler on a diesel Linea. It is easily visible in the case of a Swift or a Dezire. The plumbing material is also quite different on the T Jet. Looks like metal pipes, not rubber. A photo may help.

[riturajsharma19]

Bringing up an old thread. This has happened to my Punto 75hp on five occasions, including today.

Today while I was on a highway drive, the car suddenly refused to accelerate. I was doing about 80kmph on 5th gear and 2k rpm. I floored the pedal, but nither did the rpm needle move nor the speedo needle. Shifting down also didn't help. No matter what, I couldn't make the car accelerate. I stopped the car on the side, switched off and started back, after which the problem vanished and the car was normal. Again after about another 50 kms, the issue was back - similar speed, similar rpm and no acceleration - switching off and starting again is the only way to make the car behave in a normal manner. No warning lights or error messages.

I have visited the service center on many occasions, but finding a solution to this is surely beyond them.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by riturajsharma19

Bringing up an old thread. This has happened to my Punto 75hp on five occasions, including today.

Today while I was on a highway drive, the car suddenly refused to accelerate. I was doing about 80kmph on 5th gear and 2k rpm. I floored the pedal, but nither did the rpm needle move nor the speedo needle. Shifting down also didn't help. No matter what, I couldn't make the car accelerate. I stopped the car on the side, switched off and started back, after which the problem vanished and the car was normal. Again after about another 50 kms, the issue was back - similar speed, similar rpm and no acceleration - switching off and starting again is the only way to make the car behave in a normal manner. No warning lights or error messages.

I have visited the service center on many occasions, but finding a solution to this is surely beyond them.

Chill,no one has found a solution to this problem yet
Even i faced it quite a few times,but off late i have not noticed it since past 10K kms.