Originally Posted by Dru

Hi all,

Our Fiat reminds me of a great book...."The never ending story" :)

The car is really sluggish and seems to run out of steam after 3000rpms.
Occasionally it will also turn off at the lights. The engine management light is showing up on the display and no matter what I do, it just won't go away!?!
My garage did a fault read out and said that the knock sensor was faulty. Replaced it but I still have the same problem.

I have replaced the knock sensor, all the spark plugs, ignition coils and I've cleaned out the throttle body (thanks Phil for the guide). A reset was also done so that we could see if the problem came back. Interestingly, the knock sensor is still showing up as an error.

I'd really appreciate any help in sorting this problem out and giving my wife a car that she can enjoy again.

Thanks in advance!!!

Dru

Just because the Knock sensor is coming up as a fault quite often it isnt to blame and they should have checked the electrical continuity between the sensor and the ecu..when fitting a new sensor its very important that its torqued up correctly as this can affect its operation..I think its situated at the rear of the engine on the 1.6 [cant find a pic] but to check if its working correctly [ if you can find it ] just tap it with a hammer very lightly with the engine on tick over and it should slow the engine down as the engine retards the ign and then very gradually the engine should go back to normal as the ign advances..connections should be checked for a good connection at both the ecu and the knock sensor and as the power runs through it also check the D4 in the fuse box on the battery..this sound as though it might be an ecu error but get all checked out before you jump into changing it..the car is running out of steam at 3000 because its probably going into limp mode..

Originally Posted by Dru

Hi again,

Thanks for the response. I checked the d4 connector and it's ok. No moisture or dirt build up.

I'm not exactly sure where the knock sensor is located so the "hammer test" might have to wait a bit.

I'll try and get the cable checked between the sensor and the ecu today.

Could the cat be playing up? If so, would that send the car into "limp mode"?

Thanks for the help again :)

Dru

One certain way to rule out a faulty ecu is to connect a new one and run a test and fiat can do this at no expense to themselves..you think they would have done this to eliminate it from the game at least..while lambda or oxygen sensors will certainly screw your emissions and make the car run rough it doesn't go into limp I think..so for you I have got this from my favorites so you can read up a it on how they work..

Lambda Sensors diagnostic advice fault finding and symptoms