Anyone else had an issue with Fiats battery earth strap

[Al n Val]

So after breaking down in France in March, then again yesterday and again today, all appear to be a flat engine battery symptom.

I’ve drove for 2-3 hours each time so battery should be fully charged, my dealer tested the battery yesterday and gave it a 100% health check including a printout.
Today same thing happened, pulled up and the engine would not turn over when I tried to restart it, all dash lights dimming, relays and gauges clicking so def for me bad battery or bad earth connection.

Anyway after investigating I found the Fiat earth strap was great at the chassis end but the battery end was a QD one and more or less a waste of time, it relies on being slid over a spindle and help on with a clip so it can rotate.

So i’ve added a 2nd strap bolted at both ends so let’s hope that cures my problem

Has anyone else got this and have you had any problems

 

[tonka]

Had a similar problem on my previous Auto trail. Stopped to check out a campsite, back to van and no start. Discovered the clip on negative terminal on the battery had come loose. So it something I often mention to people if they have Fiat start issues.

 

[Tigger-Tim]

It's a fairly common issue. The earth strap gradually rots out.

It's worth adding a second one as a precaution.

 

[pappajohn]

It's a fairly common issue. The earth strap gradually rots out.

It's worth adding a second one as a precaution.

Had same problem on a vauxhall car years ago.
Both ends of engine earth strap looked ok but grabbed it in the middle to give it a tug and it simply crumbled.

 

[Lenny HB]

It's a fairly common issue. The earth strap gradually rots out.

It's worth adding a second one as a precaution.

He is talking about the battery negative connection not the earth strap under the bonnet that fails.

The battery connection has a quick release terminal that can work lose.

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[GeoffnDee]

If you still have the problem again in the future , try replacing the engine/gearbox to chassis earth strap as this being faulty can also cause the same problem.

 

[LostInSpace]

Fiat earth straps seem to be a common problem.

Our nice new motorhome was off the road for two months last year. Turned out to be a loose earth connection.

 

[Al n Val]

I’m thinking, if I can get under the motorhome i’ll replace the earth straps just to be sure.

Honestly the quick release connector on the battery negative terminal for me is utter junk and should be replaced with a lug at either end and a great big nut n bolt

If it is/was that, that’s been the cause of my breakdowns then Fiat should be ashamed of themselves and get all these replaced via a callback.

Time will tell I suppose and if it happens again i’ll let you all know.

Meanwhile for a 2 year old motorhome i’m not having much luck with it, fingers crossed when I come across a problem and find a solution it’ll be better than when it was built.

 

[Bolti]

Is it your alternator? We had to have a new alternator on our two year old Rapido. It didn't die all at once, the battery would go flat ( control panel would bleep) then be fully charged when we reached our destination. Stopped for a wee and unable to start van. Fiat replaced alternator and it's been right as rain ever since.

 

[Al n Val]

Is it your alternator? We had to have a new alternator on our two year old Rapido. It didn't die all at once, the battery would go flat ( control panel would bleep) then be fully charged when we reached our destination. Stopped for a wee and unable to start van. Fiat replaced alternator and it's been right as rain ever since.

I’m very much doubting it’s the alternator, whilst i’m driving along I can see the engine battery readout on my Victron shunt varying from 13.6v to 10.6v and down to 4.04v so i’m convinced it’s a bad connection

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[Jev88]

Add as many earth straps as you like and replace old. Battery to engine block (I used lifting eye). Gearbox to wing.

 

[Al n Val]

Add as many earth straps as you like and replace old. Battery to engine block (I used lifting eye). Gearbox to wing.

I do intend to do both earth straps, the battery one clip on idea for me is a fail waiting to happen.
The bloody motorhome is only 2 years old so you’d like to think the earth strap connections should be fine but i’m not trusting them ever again

 

[Jev88]

I do intend to do both earth straps, the battery one clip on idea for me is a fail waiting to happen.
The bloody motorhome is only 2 years old so you’d like to think the earth strap connections should be fine but i’m not trusting them ever again

The older vans had straps that corroded from inside out !!

 

[Al n Val]

So having a pint or four in a pub in Pateley Bridge last night got me talking to a retired (40) garage owner who very kindly offered to crimp my 35mm cable I had left over from my inverter install.
It was a piece of red but once covered in black flexible ducting and heat shrink it’s a million times better than what Fiat fit.

First photos shows the temporary get me going cable, the last shows the new cable fitted alongside the shitty Fiat cable, btw I didn’t leave the new cable nestling on that bolt head .

Hopefully that’s my non starting problems over.

 

[GAVLAD]

I broke down on departure day from a site in Spain last year. I moved the van the day before so it would be easier to exit the pitch but the following morning it wouldn’t start. We eventually got it started by using the bonnet catch instead of the negative terminal to jump start it.
Straight to Fiat garage who insisted it was the battery and after replacing that, it wouldn’t start. Ours was the earth strap from the chassis. Something that would have cost about a tenner ended up costing Eur400. But we were happy to get it sorted for peace of mind. We too replaced the clamp on connection to the battery. I think both straps are susceptible to fail over time.
Hope it works out for you Al n Val

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[Al n Val]

I broke down on departure day from a site in Spain last year. I moved the van the day before so it would be easier to exit the pitch but the following morning it wouldn’t start. We eventually got it started by using the bonnet catch instead of the negative terminal to jump start it.
Straight to Fiat garage who insisted it was the battery and after replacing that, it wouldn’t start. Ours was the earth strap from the chassis. Something that would have cost about a tenner ended up costing Eur400. But we were happy to get it sorted for peace of mind. We too replaced the clamp on connection to the battery. I think both straps are susceptible to fail over time.
Hope it works out for you Al n Val

Glad too see you got it sorted but a shame you had an unnecessary €400 cost.

The Fiat earth strap quick release connector imo is crap with a big C, surely it’s prone to an high resistance connection and allowing it to consistently fail.

It’s early days for me as yet but i’m hopeful my issue has been sorted using proper lugs clamped down with nuts and washers.

cheers. Al

 

[enark]

Thanks, just fitted similar additional earth strap.

 

[gus-lopez]

I do intend to do both earth straps, the battery one clip on idea for me is a fail waiting to happen.
The bloody motorhome is only 2 years old so you’d like to think the earth strap connections should be fine but i’m not trusting them ever again

Fiat main earth's have always been shite.

 

[Al n Val]

Fiat main earth's have always been shite.

you’re not wrong there at all

 

[Al n Val]

Hopefully problem solved, it’s started on the button last 2 mornings so fingers crossed.

That said i’m trying to get into the habit of turning off the stop/start as that’s when all 3 events have happened.

I’d recommend everyone to check their battery earth strap and if it’s a clip on one to either replace it or add a 2nd one.

Cheers everyone Al

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[A S R]

Yes! I had a huge problem on my Burstner Elegance last year up in Scotland. I couldn’t for the life of me work out what the problem was for a few days because the battery seemed fully charged but had the dimming dash lights / clicking / non starting etc… It wasn’t the starter motor or solenoid either. It was only when I was ( eventually ) parked up at Kinlochbervie for a few days I removed both battery leads, cleaned all connections and reassembled that the problem disappeared! I now have a brand new starter battery sat in the passenger door footwell “ just in case “ I may actually make up a second earth strap like yours and fit that so it shouldn’t happen again. It’s been perfect ever since but why not double up on the leads. It did, strangely, start most times I tried off my jump starter pack thing when it was playing up.
And of course it was on a Saturday evening it first played up and the following Monday was a bank holiday so there were NO garages open for 2 days.

 

[Al n Val]

Same here regards breaking down bad choices/timing

1st time was end of March this year on a French motorway services where breakdown services aren’t allowed on, you have to call the motorway police who assign they’re recovery mates who charge ‘000’s of euros to get you to a safe place.

Luckily it started after about 40 mins and a similar amount of phone calls to Fiat Assist and various breakdown advisors, so I shot off before being hounded by more phone callers asking me to pull up and stop so I could sign the forms. Not a chance in hell was I going to stop.

It didn’t do it again until last thursday when stood at a very busy junction on Nottingham bypass heading for the dealer where we’d left our car, stop/start engaged and that was it, nothing again, i’d bought a Noco jump starter the previous week for “just in case” and thank god I did.

Then arrived at Pateley Bridge THS for this last weekend away, pulled onto the grassed pitch and started to lower the self levelling rams when for the first time I got a low battery warning, this told me it had to be a bad connection, so I went straight to the battery earth, moved it and the engine started no problem.
It’s been 100% reliable since fitting the new earth cable so i’m gaining confidence everyday. I just need all the other jobs sorting then i’ll be happy once again.

 

[Al n Val]

Update

unfortunately the same thing happened again yesterday so i’m now stuck for what to do next

 

[Bolti]

Have you got someone that can check the error codes on the ECU?
As I said earlier it sounds just like ours did when the alternator went.

 

[GoldenVision]

My B2B hasn't worked from new (9 months old Ducato). Eventually fiat "discovered" it was the earth strap.

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[Dutch 68]

Update

unfortunately the same thing happened again yesterday so i’m now stuck for what to do next

Change the other Earth straps on the vehicle? By the sound of it that could be an issue ? Many years ago I broke down with a 1 day old car, investigation then turned towards connections and a quick connector to the starter motor wasn’t pushed home and fallen of completely, pushed together and worked fine

 

[1967bowesj]

Al n Val
Theres a gap in the side of cab batt box you can drop an extra earth through then track into engine bay. Spare bolt on gearbox or mount and you remove the crap strap in that part. Your body link in the new strap is feeding the neg side of battery but the poor strap between chassis and engine is now breaking the chain.
Not a hard job but annoying you need to do it

 

[Al n Val]

So we’ve just fitted a new 35mm earth strap to the gearbox and chassis

Fingers crossed

Also i’ve just thought, it’s done this now 4 times and each time is when we just done a long journey so everything hot.

I wonder if this has some relevance to the problem