Seeking Advice on Troublesome '03 Fiat Barchetta: Symptoms Indicate Possible Fuel Pressure Regulator Issue

Hey there, Had a similar issue with my '06 Fiat Bravo, petrol engine too. Same symptoms your Barchetta is showing. Especially the sputtering, jerking, and the scary part of the engine shutting off on me. Had about the same km on the clock when I first noticed the issues. Took me a minute as well to figure it out, but yeah your guess about the fuel pressure regulator might not be too far off. Mine was a fuel system issue as well, more specifically the fuel injectors. Those babies were pretty clogged up, messing with the fuel-air mixture, hence the black smoke, the awful smell, and the increased fuel consumption. The fuel filter change was necessary in my case too, but the injectors were the primary culprits. Seemed serious at first, but once diagnosed correctly, it turned out to be fairly common for cars with that mileage. My advice is to tell your mechanic to look into the fuel system, particularly the injectors. It wasn't a very easy process but it helped in getting my car back on track. Good luck with your Barchetta! Let's keep these Fiats running smoothly!

Hey Wow, I didn't consider the fuel injectors. Seems like your Bravo's situation mirrors mine pretty closely. I'll definitely be taking your advice and ask my mechanic to scrutinize the fuel system - injectors and filter especially. Bit nosy here, but you remember roughly what was the damage to your wallet when it came to fixing this, and has anything else cropped up since? Cheers for your help, really appreciate it!

Hey. No problem, we're all here to help each other out, aren't we? About the cost, luckily it didn't put too big a dent in my wallet. Just to address the fuel pressure regulator, it cost me a pretty decent 45€ to correct the error entry that cropped up after I got the fuel filter changed. Ever since then, my Bravo's been running like a champ! Had the mechanic take a look and he gave it a clean bill of health. That fuel pressure regulator issue was sorted, and she's been purring like a kitten ever since. So, better to get it checked out sooner than later. It's a bit of a pain, but all in good faith to keep our Fiats running. Hope that puts your mind at ease a bit! Good luck with the mechanic visit!

Thanks for your input and sharing your experience. It's definitely eased my worries a bit knowing all this. Really glad to hear that your Bravo has been running smoothly since sorting out those issues. Looks like I have a clearer idea of what to ask my mechanic, and the potential cost isn't as daunting as I feared. Gonna get my Barchetta sorted as soon as possible, fingers crossed it's just the fuel system playing up. Thanks once again for the help! Let's indeed keep these Fiats running. Cheers!