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A little help for a newcomer

3K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  BavarianGuy 
#1 ·
Good morning gentleman,

Sorry for this essay. I have bought myself a Abarth 124 Spider (2017 version) and i enjoy it pretty much so far. I got it through a dealer in munich with 10k on it and its a pleasure to drive it.

After 2 months i have noticed some things that trouble me a little bit. Because i have to change the oil in the gearbox and motorblock it might be an issue with it but i just wanted to confirm if there could be something wrong with it. So if anyone has a little bit of spare time to answer my questions i would really appreciate it:

First question: I noticed sometimes even if i completely press down the clutch the transmission/gearchange is a bit "clunky" to say the least, other times its hard to get the correct gear in. Its like the mechanics are somewhat blocked or the shift is stuck (mostly from first to second). If i get it into neutral and try again 1 out of 2 times it then works after that flawlessly for the rest of the drive. Is there a common problem when they rolled it out or might it be that on the previouse 10k mileage someone just pretty much nailed it to the floor? Just to add the hair to the soup: i sometimes hear that clunkyness below me, where it sounds like the teeth are grinding against one another even though i have the clutch completely pressed to the floor and then trying to change the gear. Otherwise i have to change the clutch kit. Even though i doubt that after now 17k mileage the clutches are already worn out.

Second question: sometimes, also not always, if i drive lets say 20 km/h in first gear, then try to slowly remove my feet from the clutch pedal, to get the motor to break in and slow me down, the car is celebrating a mating dance like 3-5 times before it calms down. Is that just an issue with gas/air-mixture, where the turbo kicked in even though the rpm is not reached where it should activate or is it smth with the motor? I have around 45km to work, the first 10km over land, some 30km over highway and then around 5km city. When im stuck in traffic, uphill, downhill or straight, having to accelerate on first gear, then trying to use the motorbreak and letting the other behind me think im on adderall and trying to procrastinate with him is not something i always wish when i look in the mirror, so maybe someone had this issue and could explain to me if its normal, im just not accustomed to the car enough or i should just not do it with this car. I drive a Ford Transit as a work car and there is never an issue with it, so i dont (?) think its and issue with my driving style.

Third question, which im pretty sure the first comment will direct me to an already posted thread, is about the overall acceleration/noise. I already saw the video on the multiair-head where he disassembled it and showed why the multiair fails/might get blocked up, so if there are responses where they had the same issue down below and point theyre fingers to it i will have to get that checked. Anyway:

Its about the motorsound. I noticed that, for some reasons, the motor sounds like its trying its hardest to breath but fails in a span of...well, 10 seconds, i think? Its mostly after i come from the highway down, mostly restricted to 120km/h, and when i drive to a hill, it sounds like a bit rough and has hiccups, after a short while, like 1-2 minutes, it goes back to normal. Did someone had a similar problem?

Well, its mostly guesswork, im sorry if its a bit rough on the information side. Just for information: its a 02/2017 Abarth 124 Spider Tourismo with 170bhp and no modification done to it. So no new airfilter, no new multiair, no modifications to the air system, exhaust system, no motorchiptuning or anything else. The only thing i did was change the sparkplugs 4 weeks ago, because the old ones were not recommended (IKR9J8 instead of SIKR9A7 ).

Now here is something that might be the point where i could have saved you time and just wrote it up there, but that would be too easy:

when i changed the sparkplugs, i noticed oil-residues inside cylinder 2, above the sparkplug. I also had some still liquid oil inside the spark plug connector. I cleaned it up and when i tried removing the spark plug i noticed that it was not tightly screwed it. To say the least, it was pretty easy. Its like 1-2 turns too far out and it had oil residues on it. Now, this might be where the alarm bells ring, but if someone overfilled the oil (as far as i know the multiair holds 200-300ml in it? Maybe he didnt knew it.) is there a common issue with the motorblock-seal or other seal´s that due to the overpressure are leaking gas/oil/air out? Or am i overthinking this?

I have some basic knowledge about motors, but they are generally the ground basics and im not the type of guy that will, without trying it out on a car where it doesnt matter, just disassemble the whole motorblock or check the boreholes for damage (i dont even have the right tool for it). So if there are mechanics here that are not as grounded as me i would appreciate it if there are some tips or ideas that, if i have to take it to a dealer, i can ask if they look through the guesswork here and check them. I would like to drive it to its 100k and then use it as just a summer car, but for the next 4-5 years i will use it as a daily driver, so any future or permanent damage now could result in quite a heavy payment down the road, which i would like avoid.

Thank you very much for reading through this arbitrary long text and regardless if you can help me i wish you a beautiful day.

With Greetings.
 
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#2 ·
Hi and Welcome....Read through, seems like you have a few things going on there so first thing to say is...DEALER, if you only recently bought the 124 Abarth then you have rights anyway but you may also have warranty left (3 yr in EU).
The minute you start playing with bits (spark plugs) you risk Dealer trying to get out of his responsibilities, so refit the WRONG plugs and go and have a chat with him..............
Clutch release mechanism sounds "iffy", adjustment, faulty...again DEALER first as with oily seals. Past history, contacting previous owner all could enlighten you, maybe also consulting a Motor Service Engineer for a report "before" you return to dealership and keep copies of everything, just in case. Best of Luck, Cheers
ron
 
#3 ·
By the way...if you do change plugs check length is equal as any variation could be important and if there is a great variation then NO, keep the SIKR 9A7's in.
 
#4 ·
What brand of transmission fluid did you put in it when you changed it? Also how much did you put in? Lots of folks like the Ford brand for that NC Miata trans.

Do you still have warranty on it? If so and you have a dealer you could take it to for the issues? Although the clutch won’t be covered.

Also, I would go with the factory plugs, new ones if you can find them.
 
#5 ·
Big gap between 1st and 2nd, so it’s a tad notchy On the shift. Mine has never “clunked” though. I went with the Ford trans fluid and it definitely smoothed things a bunch. Hope things come together for you. Clutch should not be an issue unless the PO abused it. I’d be concerned about the oil on the plug though..
 
#6 ·
Quite a few report a bit of oil on the threads. I have a bit. Ash on the strap indicates a bit of oil is burning. Wet plugs indicate a pretty big internal leak.
 
#7 ·
What brand of transmission fluid did you put in it when you changed it? Also how much did you put in? Lots of folks like the Ford brand for that NC Miata trans.

Do you still have warranty on it? If so and you have a dealer you could take it to for the issues? Although the clutch won’t be covered.

Also, I would go with the factory plugs, new ones if you can find them.
Well, first of all: i didnt change the transmission fluid. Mainly because, which is the biggest problem on my side for doing the work myself on this car, is that i dont have something to really jack it up. In the next months i will buy a ramp to do most things like oil change or smth alike myself, but until then i wanted to get a rough idea what could be the reason for the things i mentioned.

Hi and Welcome....Read through, seems like you have a few things going on there so first thing to say is...DEALER, if you only recently bought the 124 Abarth then you have rights anyway but you may also have warranty left (3 yr in EU).
I got a 1 year cover for any damage that happens to this car, which i didnt cause myself. So im pretty relaxed on this matter for the moment. TÜV, which is the institution who checks cars here in germany, had the checkup just 5 months prior, so i think between the time where they checked and the dealer selling me the car was where there might be the work on the spark plugs (and the loose fitting) happened. The car itself is steady in idle, except the exhaust is sometimes different from the sound, but overall its driveable. So this thread was just to give me a rough idea if this is normal, what could be the problem if its not and if there are some quick check-ups i could do to be sure about it.

By the way...if you do change plugs check length is equal as any variation could be important and if there is a great variation then NO, keep the SIKR 9A7's in.
I got the new ones from a post from the abarth-forum:

Abarth Forum

The SIKR9A7 were kind of hard to get, so i took the IKR9J8 instead (mostly because the delivery date was pretty long). And as far as i know, the IKR9J8 are the ones i should use for it from Abarth. Not 100% sure about it, but quite. But wouldnt be the first time im wrong.

Big gap between 1st and 2nd, so it’s a tad notchy On the shift. Mine has never “clunked” though. I went with the Ford trans fluid and it definitely smoothed things a bunch. Hope things come together for you. Clutch should not be an issue unless the PO abused it. I’d be concerned about the oil on the plug though..
I think the transmission fluid will get changed by a certified mechanic. Not because i couldnt do it myself, but i will let him check the oil pan for grind or even broken of teeths. That might get a clue if its really something amiss inside the transmission.

By the way: If the transmission is the problem, most of the problems above are getting solved, thats what im thinking. So its not a big deal, because -> 1 year cover for ANY damage. I have the papers in front of me, so its covered.

Quite a few report a bit of oil on the threads. I have a bit. Ash on the strap indicates a bit of oil is burning. Wet plugs indicate a pretty big internal leak.
Or the one who overfilled the oil made sure that EVERYTHING is properly oiled :D. Nah, i think it was just overfilling, which would press the oil through the cylinder-walls and smears the top of the spark plugs. Apparently it was so much that it found its way through the loose spark plug and filled its chambers with sweet gue. The other ones are clean, its just cylinder 2 where i saw it. I have to say im lucky they broke down on quality work on this one, as it might saved me from opening the motor head and renew the seals on it. Might be beginners luck. But what do i know.

And if i was unclear: i was not complaining or asking for advice about how to fix these problems, as everything can be solved, i just need pointers where the issue might be and if someone had experience with it. It was just to give me a rough idea about the car itself.

I will use a Endoscope camera from work and look into the cylinder heads. If i see something troubling, i will post it here. But thanks so far for the responses.

By the way: sorry for posting a thread where the issues are more than a dozen times posted over the internet (like oil, ect.).

With regards.
 
#8 ·
So, after some time has passed, i give a short update on the issue:

I got the Abarth checked by a local Fiat-Service (Munich). I told them what was going on, and well, they fucked up.

I wrote them to please change the transmission fluid, to see if something is inside it (3 weeks notice): they didnt have the correct one there even though i made it online (with a copy of the papers). So yeah, bogus.

I wrote them that my manual clutch makes some problems: they said they have no time to test that.

I wrote them the issue about the not-tightened spark plug: they didnt even take off the cover from the motorblock. I marked that one before, nothing changed.

What they did was changing the air-filter and the oil, at least they did something.

Now, i would say: fine, maybe there really isnt anything worth it, maybe im just paranoid or smth.

IF I PAY 550€ FOR AN INSPECTION, AT THE VERY LEAST TIGHTEN THE DAMN OIL-PLUG AND UNDERBODY-COVER, FOR F*** SAKE-

Yeah, they werent tightly screwed in, 3 Screws were like 2-3 rounds in, showing out like 3 cm´s, the whole damn cover was rattling when driving. And the oil-plug leaked a little, so i had to clean that one up too.

So, sorry #FiatCares, no more dealerships, no more goddamn "Warranty" or something else, im done: The next time i do everything myself, because apparently nobody gives a s***. Im done, seriously. If i have to completely disassemble the whole motorblock, get all the tools necessary to fixate the timing-chain, if i have to clean out the multiair or have to change my oil, i do this myself. If i fuck up, thats my fault. But seriously, why should i go to the dealership if they cant even do smth like oil-change properly? Why? Even the last id**t out on the countryside could do smth like that.

So yeah, im on vacation, im gonna jack the car up and check my car myself. Only for TÜV will go there, but nothing else.

Anyway, i give a report once im done. Will take some months before i go back to this issue.

Have a nice Christmas everyone.

With regards.
 
#9 ·
Oh, #FiatDoesn'tCare is better name. Since I bought car I never even tried to go any of fiat dealerships. I had pretty rough experience with Alfa Romeo before ( Which was fixed later when Alfa Romeo rights moved to local Maserati dealer) so I was quite sure what a sh$t show it would be going there. In fact when I was upgrading wheels in independent shop, guys from that store tried to find bolt lock plug at local fiat, when they said there - We here with abarth and we are looking for that thing, they received question - abar what?

And this was experience from the first day really. I bought the car, drove home, opened the hood and find out box with electric fuses opened... When was changing installing DV+ find out lower bold being almost not tighten. It was just there, but as is, no tight... I guess there still some hidden surprises. So yes - want to do it right do it yourself or find some decent mechanic )))
 
#10 ·
Yeah, but i am not petty, it might be i had a guy on hands who had a bad day, didnt get l**d or maybe he was pi**ed about smth else, who knows. The problem is, you cant find good mechanics anymore, either they are so pushed inside those dealerships they they psychological dont care anymore or you get someone that KNOWS how its done, but doesnt get the time to fix smth right. I know it, i have seen it and pretty sure i will not tolerate it.

I am a electrician of automatic systems, i know that you have a timing-plan from some higher up, you have to meet deadlines, you have to get the money rolling and whatnot. But, for myself, i think that a good reputation helps the business, you get contacts, you actually are that one guy that might know how it works and how to fix it properly. Its idealism, i know, and to change smth out generates more money, i know, but at some point its just enough. It doesnt even take 1 minute to tighten these Screws.

But whatever, i will make some photos, i will post them here once i got the time (and the weather) to do it and i will tell you guys what i found. There might be a clutch-problem, there might be a suspension-problem, i will find it, and i will kill it.

But anyway, its still running, its still accelerating, my turbo is not broken yet and its going to be a fun excercise to find out whats wrong with it. Im too young to not learn things that i didnt know before.

Anyway, as i said, nice christmas to everyone.

With regards.
 
#12 ·
From a fellow German (ex-pat, naturalized Texan): nobody will take care of your car like yourself. Dealers are for warranty work. Anything else I can find a YouTube video and tools on Amazon for, I’d do myself, or trust my tuning shop. Sounds like you might be better off with a motor sports shop than branded shop.

cheers, SL
 
#11 ·
Sorry to hear of the issues you've run into with what appears to be a very, very pathetic dealership and service department. There's no excuse for that kind of performance and sloppy work. Anyone who takes pride in what they do for a living doesn't do things like that. I't's an embarrassment and an insult to the honest and skillful mechanics who do care about their work and display it in their workmanship.

Regarding the oil and filter change, do a search here on the forum for covnersations regarding topside oil changes. It's a much simpler process that doesn't involve lifting the car, removing the engine cover, etc., etc. All you need is an extractor pump to suck the oil out through the dipstick tube and you'll never have to do it the hard way again.

On the bright side, it can only get better from here on out. Best wishes to you and future success with your Abarth. They're too nice a car to have a dealership ruin the experience. It's like animal abuse of a pet.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, and may your New Year bring you joy and success. Be safe.
 
#13 ·
Sorry to hear of the issues you've run into with what appears to be a very, very pathetic dealership and service department. There's no excuse for that kind of performance and sloppy work. Anyone who takes pride in what they do for a living doesn't do things like that. I't's an embarrassment and an insult to the honest and skillful mechanics who do care about their work and display it in their workmanship.

Regarding the oil and filter change, do a search here on the forum for covnersations regarding topside oil changes. It's a much simpler process that doesn't involve lifting the car, removing the engine cover, etc., etc. All you need is an extractor pump to suck the oil out through the dipstick tube and you'll never have to do it the hard way again.

On the bright side, it can only get better from here on out. Best wishes to you and future success with your Abarth. They're too nice a car to have a dealership ruin the experience. It's like animal abuse of a pet.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, and may your New Year bring you joy and success. Be safe.
I already know how to do the topside-oilchange, its just that i have to check the suspension too, it might be that the damper are worn out/are not sitted well enough anymore. I dont know the reason, its just that its a hard ride, especially on uneven or buckled road. If i get to it, i will post a picture, but atm its -2° out here, and the carport is currently blocked by an old Volvo 950 :D. So no chance there. But thanks.

From a fellow German (ex-pat, naturalized Texan): nobody will take care of your car like yourself. Dealers are for warranty work. Anything else I can find a YouTube video and tools on Amazon for, I’d do myself, or trust my tuning shop. Sounds like you might be better off with a motor sports shop than branded shop.

cheers, SL
Yep, still, i thought "lets try it out" and hoped the bad reputation of dealerships would be mainly the VAG-group and consorts, but apparently its throught the whole industry. So yeah, thanks the the cheers, appreciated.

With regards.
 
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