Judderists!

WillH · 29-07-2008, 11:11 AM

I have just come off the phone to our local Fiat dealer after booking my van in for an inspection of the judder. After speaking to the mechanic he reckons that Fiat are still waiting for sufficient numbers of customers to make a complaint.

I made my compaint in writing after having the van for 4 months and deciding this judder wasn't going to go away. They in turn have asked me to take the van to a Fiat dealer for examination. The maechanic has told me that the official line must be adhered to but to keep my claim active i must follow Fiats requirements.

please everbody out there with a judder, get writing.

rgds
Bill

American Dream · 29-07-2008, 11:22 AM

Hi Bill,

Just out of interest , is this judder engine related, drive train or chassis etc?

JayDee · 29-07-2008, 12:51 PM

There's quite a lot about this subject in August's MMM.

Apparently it's a characteristic of the vehicle - which translates in my mind to 'we designed and built a vehicle with the characteristic that will damage your gear box and clutch. Please buy it!'

If I was in the market I'd be looking at Renault, Mercedes and Iveco bases. Definitely not Fiat / Peugeot.

I just feel sorry for all the poor misled and mistreated owners.

Maybe they'll get the message eventually

John

WillH · 29-07-2008, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by American Dream

Hi Bill,

Just out of interest , is this judder engine related, drive train or chassis etc?

The judder feels drivetrain related, similar to trying to reverse a heavy caravan on soft ground, i.e. there doesn't seem to be enough 'grunt'. I feel that the gear ratio is not low enough, it certainly feels higher than 1st gear.

To my way of thinking i should be able to reverse at a 'crawl' without over revving the engine as recommended. If the engine is revved, over 1300 rpm as recommended by Fiat, the judder disappears, but so does the drivers control over the vehicle, safety is compromised.

Any other ideas out there?

Rgds
Bill

American Dream · 29-07-2008, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillH

The judder feels drivetrain related, similar to trying to reverse a heavy caravan on soft ground, i.e. there doesn't seem to be enough 'grunt'. I feel that the gear ratio is not low enough, it certainly feels higher than 1st gear.

To my way of thinking i should be able to reverse at a 'crawl' without over revving the engine as recommended. If the engine is revved, over 1300 rpm as recommended by Fiat, the judder disappears, but so does the drivers control over the vehicle, safety is compromised.

Any other ideas out there?

Rgds
Bill

You may have got it.

Perhaps they used a stock gearbox and the reverse gear was designed for a lighter vehicle?....Just a thought.Can you imagine all the retooling required to setup the correct ratios for a heavier vehicle than a standard "van" chassis?

To over-rev an engine just to get the power will involve delicate clutch control and stressing on the clutch itself plus wear on the friction plate.

Alternatively..if this occurs at a certain speed, it may be a shaft/component out of balance.

They should really be sorting this.

Sounds like they know about this but are (allegedly) shirking their responsibilities.

WillH · 07-08-2008, 03:09 PM

Hi again,

had my van inspected by Fiat and of course there is nothing wrong, merely a 'characteristic'. After trying various things I came to the conclusion that the reverse gear ratio is too high, higher than 1st gear in fact.

When I accessed both the Fiat and Peugeot websites to get the tech spec on the gear ratios the 130 hp engine has disappeared as an option, I am sure it was there a couple of weeks ago.

Perhaps they have realised they must do something.

Rgds
Bill

saruman · 07-08-2008, 05:10 PM

hi theres a article on rear judder in mmm magazine..intresting

ray

itexuk · 07-08-2008, 06:44 PM

You can still find details here:
italiaspeed.com: FIAT DUCATO X250