So my work colleage has had the timing chain on his 2007 Fiat Punto (Grand Punto in markets outside Australia) literally jump off the sprockets and come completely free due to excessive timing chain guide wear. The engine is the 1.3L 16V 90PS turbodiesel with 6-spd tiptronic automatic and has travelled just over 200,000kms.
Has anyone heard of this happening before on a Punto! Just curious to know if this is a widely reported fault or a one-off. Unfortunately the car is too new for a replacement engine to turn up at a wreckers/dismantler and it's just too un-economical to rebuild the original engine let alone get a new engine in from overseas.
The owner is literally just going to dump it at a wreckers - I want to grab it myself but the reality is it's going to cost a bomb to fix up!
kazbanz,
Jun 13, 5:35am
heck if he's just gonna dump it at the wreckers--- Have you looked into how much to freight an engine in from the UK/europe! I'm guessing besides the chain theres a few valvesand piston crowns well munched
shane.64,
Jun 13, 5:42am
I can see why the chain came off doing over 40000km a year or almost800 km a week. That's even a lot for a big V8
mugenb20b,
Jun 13, 5:43am
How!
stevo2,
Jun 13, 5:45am
yeah I wanna know too!
shane.64,
Jun 13, 5:55am
As it would of been service more over time doing less km As this car would had to been serviced every 3 months or less been D turbo
andy61,
Jun 13, 5:55am
At 200000kms it should only be almost run in not worn out and broken.
shane.64,
Jun 13, 5:59am
End of life for 1.6 turbo 200,000
phillip.weston,
Jun 13, 6:08am
It has full log book service history since new - gets serviced every 15,000kms at an Alfa/Fiat dealership.
phillip.weston,
Jun 13, 6:09am
And yes owner racks up huge milage, does a 160km return commute to work daily and does driving over the weekends. He's looking at a brand new Kia Rio purely because it has a 5yr/unlimited kms warranty.
vtecintegra,
Jun 13, 6:31am
There is a lot of talk in Europe that the service intervals are getting too long even with quality oils.
sr2,
Jun 13, 6:36am
They could well be right, despite my diesel having a 30,000Km service interval I can??
richardmayes,
Jun 13, 6:48am
[cough cough *** you're not looking at the WHOLE COST OF OWNERSHIP *** cough cough]
You can get a 200 horsepower Honda H22a engine + all auxiliaries + LSD gearbox + ECU + engine loom, $2500 from Strongs. If the car had had a good engine from the start there would have been no need for turbos etc.
vtecintegra,
Jun 13, 6:50am
Small diesels most definitely need turbos
They're also useful on small petrols for economy/performance balance reasons
msigg,
Jun 13, 7:25am
Thats not many kms, think of all the reps cars and courier vechicles around doing heaps more kms daily than that and with the hot running there is much less wear happening, cold starts are where the wear is. Thats why these vechicles are often the most common vehicles on the road because they last longer/cheaper/fleet vehicles.
phillip.weston,
Jun 13, 7:25am
I live in Australia. Buying a Honda engine in NZ is not an option.
msigg,
Jun 13, 7:31am
If you google the problem you will find that fiat have had quite an issue with the timing chains breaking in some models, some service centres changed them from 40,000km because of this. Yea you need to look for a smashed up one.
phillip.weston,
Jun 13, 7:35am
yeah I've been scouring ebay and gumtree, and have fired off e-mails to some Fiat wreckers but nothing yet. Even if the engine is $3k it wouldn't be a bad buy (he's literally going to throw it away).
shane.64,
Jun 13, 7:46am
Do they have the hands tide behind your back red tape in Australia like in NZ !
phillip.weston,
Jun 13, 7:50am
^^ could you elaborate on anything more specific! From living here in the last 10 months general day to day living is about the same. except you get paid more. and the weather is nicer. and there's prettier girls to look at
shane.64,
Jun 13, 7:54am
That's it I'm coming !
craig04,
Jun 13, 8:01am
Ah, so you're not living in Coober Pedy then.
modie61,
Jun 13, 8:05am
Does a Honda JAZZ have a chain !
supernova2,
Jun 13, 8:14am
I made enquiry on a 2nd hand Alfa box from the UK once.It would have been about a grand at my doorstep.If you google you will find some findapart type sites in the UK.Lodge a frequest and get quotes.Im picking UK might be the go cause that way you will get the bits from a righthook.If you can establish that there is no difference between right and left then it wouldnt matter.I'd say it would be worth a go - thats if you want the thing when its fixed.
carmedic,
Jun 13, 10:52am
Phil, I??
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