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Rupert_Ballsack's predictable CROMER shitbox tale (feat. amateur ham-fisted diagnostics)


Mr_Bo11ox

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I think there’s a lad on here recently done the exact same job on a Saab, may be worth a read.

These manifolds can be removed without disturbing the belt by locking the fuel pump sprocket but if it needs a belt anyway...

Are you planning on blanking the swirl flaps? There’s a kit you can buy for these Pierburg manifolds but I always think they look a bit shit, plugs with an O ring just pressed in. Can see them popping out after a bit.

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I read that these were surprisingly un-catastrophic for Fiat because really theyre just a new outer skin and wiring loom on top of a Vectra, so cheap to get to market. All the parts i've bought for it so far have been Vectra items!!! It really is just a reskin. I thought 'Fiat know how to make a car fun to drive, I'm sure they will have had a fiddle with the chassis' but its properly wooden to drive, zero involvement at all. Just as I imagine a Vectra C diesel to be like!!!

The Stilo is actually quite a decent steer and it pisses all over this when it comes to hooning along the Uttoxeter-Stafford A-road.

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Yeah the manifold blanks look like a bit of a bodge to me. The manifold and head castings must be hugely complicated by having those flaps there, so there must be a decent benefit to having 'em. I reckon I will try to get it working properly, You can get an upgraded bar thing that links all the flaps together, which uses brass ball sockets instead of wanky plastic ones, might look into whether those bring any advantage.

 

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I fixed my swirlflap arm on my Saab 9-3 back in ~2011 with number plate caps. You can get better engineered solutions now - like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/For-VAUXHALL-SAAB-ALFA-Z19DTH-1-9CDTi-TiD-JTD-INTAKE-MANIFOLD-SWIRL-FLAP-ROD/231707948220?fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall&epid=16025892869&hash=item35f2deb4bc:g:RAEAAOSwFrtbNLJb

When I did it, it was quite remarkable how much power came back and how lively it was. I did another 25k with numberplate caps stuck on, until the car was rear ended and written off. Sod removing the fuel pump, cambelt and the like to replace the manifold. I believe @dozeydustman replaced his on the driveway though.

That key in the Saab would loose sync if you pushed the buttons like 5 times or something when out of range of the car. Maybe the rubber is perished or something and pushing the buttons?

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I found this quote in a old fleet magazine article

"JUST three months ago, Fiat announced a new business plan for the UK which will see it focus on key models – the Panda and Punto. So news that it is set to launch the new Croma into the UK seems a little confusing.

It’s therefore no surprise that volume expectations are fairly modest, with a predicted 5,000 to 6,000 sales in its first full year."

on wiki pedia

"In February 2007, Fiat UK announced that the Croma would no longer be generally available in the United Kingdom, after less than 900 were sold in the whole of 2005."

It still did better than the Renault Avantime mind you.

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9 hours ago, J-T said:

I think there’s a lad on here recently done the exact same job on a Saab, may be worth a read.

These manifolds can be removed without disturbing the belt by locking the fuel pump sprocket but if it needs a belt anyway...

Are you planning on blanking the swirl flaps? There’s a kit you can buy for these Pierburg manifolds but I always think they look a bit shit, plugs with an O ring just pressed in. Can see them popping out after a bit.

That was me - details can be found here. You can lock the injector pump in place without removing the cam belt using a couple of the Allen/torx bolts from the top cam belt cover. It's a 22mm nut, and may require a tap with a Longbridge screwdriver. It took me 2 days to do because the HBOL wasn't entirely accurate, and I've not worked on a common rail diesel before. And I have huge hands to get in small places. Once the pump is off access is pretty good. Pages 5 & 6 of my thread. You will need Torx bits and sockets.

9 hours ago, SiC said:

I fixed my swirlflap arm on my Saab 9-3 back in ~2011 with number plate caps. You can get better engineered solutions now - like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/For-VAUXHALL-SAAB-ALFA-Z19DTH-1-9CDTi-TiD-JTD-INTAKE-MANIFOLD-SWIRL-FLAP-ROD/231707948220?fits=Car+Make%3AVauxhall&epid=16025892869&hash=item35f2deb4bc:g:RAEAAOSwFrtbNLJb

When I did it, it was quite remarkable how much power came back and how lively it was. I did another 25k with numberplate caps stuck on, until the car was rear ended and written off. Sod removing the fuel pump, cambelt and the like to replace the manifold. I believe @dozeydustman replaced his on the driveway though.

That key in the Saab would loose sync if you pushed the buttons like 5 times or something when out of range of the car. Maybe the rubber is perished or something and pushing the buttons?

If it's just the rod has come off, then you can get away with what @SiC has done, however in my case the swirl flaps were well and truly gubbed. I've still got the old manifold and I was going to clean it up and blank the holes where the spindles go. A lot of Fiat/Alfa/GM specialist seem to do this; the local Saab specialist recommend doing this as well.

I'm not sure on the current legalities of removing the EGR system, it would appear that if it can be done without the MoT inspector seeing it's been tampered with you'll get away with it. Some googling produced this

Quote

Car Mechanics asked the DVSA for their response to fitting an EGR blanking valve and they said : "DVSA's priority is to help you keep your vehicle safe to drive, ensuring that it meets required roadworthiness and environmental standards. Vehicles may fail the MoT where emissions control equipment has been tampered with but irrespective of the MoT such modification is an offence*. DVSA continues to work with DfT to persue such offences, including taking disciplinary action against any MoT garages found to be conducting modifications."

* Road vehicles (construction and use) regulations (Regulation 61a(3)). Removal of an EGR valve, diesel particulate filter etc. will almost invariably contravene these requirements, making the vehicle illegal for road use. The potential penalties for failing to comply with Regulation 61a are fines of upto £1000 for a car or £2500 for a light goods vehicle.

 

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12 hours ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

Yeah the manifold blanks look like a bit of a bodge to me. The manifold and head castings must be hugely complicated by having those flaps there, so there must be a decent benefit to having 'em. I reckon I will try to get it working properly, You can get an upgraded bar thing that links all the flaps together, which uses brass ball sockets instead of wanky plastic ones, might look into whether those bring any advantage.

 

I fitted one of those kits to a Vectra C , a bit fiddly to fit but it was spot on.

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16 hours ago, cort16 said:

Did this car not nearly put Fiat out of business? Only the launch of the 500 dragged them from the brink of going down the toilet.

Good luck with it these are platinum modern shite. 

It was the Stilo that almost did them in. They threw bucketloads of cash at its development to try and make it a VW rival. It was a huge flop on the investment and they made a huge loss. Which is why they ended up jumping into bed with GM for platform sharing with the Grande Punto/Corsa, Bravo/Astra and Croma/Vec C.

 

The croma seemed to sell fairly well abroad, but not here. Probably because big Fiats just never do well here and the Croma wasn't really anything you could label, it's too upright for an estate (and not quite as practical), but a bit too big for a mini MPV like a Scenic, and not enough seats to be considered v a Grand Scenic or Zafira.

I like them tbh. Just never any for sale when i've been in the market for something. They only ever come up when i've got 2 or 3 cars.

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Hey Bollox, for one of these you probably want a £5 eBay VCDS cable and multiecuscan (free download). Should do a bit more than the Delphi thing.

On your no power/noise situation, check the boost hoses. I had a Multipla with a 120 MJet engine with similar noise/power issues, turned out to be a split in the hose from intercooler to inlet. It was a relatively big bucks part but I got one that was close enough and bodged it.

On the flaps, I think they are only used to reduce NOx at a specific low load point in the old emissions cycle and can be binned with no penalty to mpg, performance or MOT.

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