Rough idle - caused by split breather pipe?

[VilleV]

Some of us here have experienced rouhg idling lately and it seems that split breather pipe could be the cause for this.

Now I know that Wrecks has had his changed by the dealer and this seems to quite a common problem. Some 500 owners have had theirs changed as many as three times on a car with a mileage of 20000 miles!!!:eek: Thomas told us that there was also a smell of oil, but do I remember right when saying that Thomas´ car was also a little rough when idling?

I was also wondering if you Thomas had a photo of the pipe in guestion and if you were able to post it here?

My car is still a little rough on idle. Not so that you could see it in revcounter but you can definitely hear it from the exhaust note and I know it hasnt done this before. So for now there could be just a small split in the breather pipe which I cant find, and this is causing the rough idle.

So, this is just something to keep an eye on for everybody. Especially if you notice that your engine isnt running as smoothly as it should or if there is a smell of oil. Seems to be quite a common fault!

[smurfette]

I had to have the breather pipe replaced as I could smell petrol inside the car. I didn't find the crack in it causing an idle problem though. Maybe it depends how badly it is cracked?

[VilleV]

I would think a split in this pipe would cause the engine to get air from the hole. And that might cause rough idling. Correct me if my theory is wrong!

[wreckmaster]

My breather pipe is not changed yet, as it takes a long time to get it delivered from Italy :( So I am waiting..... On my car almost the entire underside of the pipe is "rotten"! Looks almost like it has melted! And it has a whole which is at least 1-2 cm ++ large! The car idles roughly, as decribed! But it seem to be worse when it is cold than when it is warm. I can see it on the rpm gauge as well as hear it, chasing between aprox 700-1000rpm! The dealer said this was probably caused by wrong air values because of the split pipe! And offcourse there is the oilsmell which comes from time to time! I will try to take a picture ASAP! But I cant promise it before after the weekend as I am working night shift this weekend! The 500 is actually so bad these days that I use it as little as possible :( I rather use the Bravo, because of the rough idling and the smell! I miss my 500! Hope it gets well soon :)

[VilleV]

Phoned my dealer today about the rough idle and they told me to come by. So I did and they updated my ecu software once again and for now it seems the roughness is gone! I will keep an eye on it for sure, but I hope they got it fixed so easily.:icon_thumleft: They didnt do anything about the rattle tho...:mad:

[wreckmaster]

Ok, here are the pictures of the split breatherpipe:icon_thumleft: Better late than never I guess...

The pipe is in here:

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx28/wreckmaster1/25e86d1e.jpg

This is the one:
http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx28/wreckmaster1/d3ee5652.jpg

The damage is on the underside of the pipe:
http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx28/wreckmaster1/fb0171e3.jpg


I went to the dealer to have the pipe changed today! So I gave the keys to the mechanic and he took it in to the garage:icon_thumleft: 15minutes later he came back and said it was done, but that there was one more pipe that was rotten......It turned out that they had ordered and changed the wrong pipe:(:( The one I wanted changed, the breather pipe is still there! So they are gonna order the new one, and I am looking at a new couple of weeks with waiting......:(:( But there seem to be problems with more than just the one, as the one they changed today was also rotten:( How is this possible on a one year old car??? Must be made out of really bad rubber IMO:(

[VilleV]

Thanks for info and pics Wrecks! Makes me wonder what could have caused those pipes to leak!!! Doesnt sound too good...:confused:

[wreckmaster]

It cant be much else than poor rubber quality, I think :( Maybe the pipes is not resistant against the fumes from the engine breathing??

[VilleV]

Now that the temperatures are back up to more decent numbers (from -2c to -10c), everything is back to normal with the car. No rough idling or bad starts!:icon_thumleft: So it seems that italian car like the 500 isn´t really at its best when its freezing cold, but I´m one happy camper again!:D

[.Lefteris.]

Ok, here are the pictures of the split breatherpipe:icon_thumleft: Better late than never I guess...

..................



I went to the dealer to have the pipe changed today! So I gave the keys to the mechanic and he took it in to the garage:icon_thumleft: 15minutes later he came back and said it was done, but that there was one more pipe that was rotten......It turned out that they had ordered and changed the wrong pipe:(:( The one I wanted changed, the breather pipe is still there! So they are gonna order the new one, and I am looking at a new couple of weeks with waiting......:(:( But there seem to be problems with more than just the one, as the one they changed today was also rotten:( How is this possible on a one year old car??? Must be made out of really bad rubber IMO:(

:good_post: thanks for the info!

[wreckmaster]

I had service on the 500 yesterday, and I asked them if there was a update for my ecu availeble, because of the idle thing! It was not any ecu update availeble, they said.....So no update for my 500 so far:(

[VilleV]

That´s kind of funny because my dealer told me they had an update for the ecu. Didn´t do anything for the rough idle tho, but it did help the cold start problem a little. If it´s cold enough, like -20c, the car still isnt the best starter and the idle does go a little rough, but I´ve learned to live with it by now. These are not faults you know, they are features...:rolleyes: