Non-XM content alert! 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e. in Tampa, Florida
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2025 5:56 pm
by entirelyturbo
So I decided the best solution to my problems with my 32-year-old French car was to buy a 34-year-old Italian car!
May I present my newest acquisition as of yesterday evening... my 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e.!
It arrived in port in the USA a little over a week ago, and was finally delivered to me in Tampa, Florida last night!
I hear Type Four Cromas are even more scarce than XMs at this point, even in Europe, and I am fully convinced this is one of the nicest condition Type Four Cromas left on planet Earth. I have also been personally told by a well-known car collector that it's the first Croma that he knows of to make it stateside.
It has 53k kms on it, which makes it the second lowest mileage of any vehicle I own (including my 2017 Mustang!).
It has an audible issue with a belt, I suspect it has a bad bearing in a timing belt idler pulley or tensioner pulley, so I will be driving it very sparingly until I get that sorted out... and I have to do all the official paperwork on it still anyway.
But I'm very excited to add it to my little collection, and I though you'd all enjoy it as well!
Bonus picture with my XM
Re: Non-XM content alert! 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e. in Tampa, Florida
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2025 8:26 am
by Dieselman
What are you like..?
You are certainly being individual with your classic car selections.
It's fitting you have a FIAT to go with the Citroen, the two companies have long time been "brothers in arms", sharing technology and components.
I've not had any experience with the Croma, but we had a Tipo DGT for a number of years, which was generally a good car, reliable and incredibly well packaged...small on the outside, huge on the inside.
My bosses had a pair of Thema turbo's.
It will be interesting to read your thoughts about the Xm v's the Croma. I suspect you will find the Croma dynamically lacking, but the engine will be a real gem...you need to get friendly with the local Police...
I see the fuel injection is Bosch LE-jetronic.
The best way to find a noise is using an engine stethoscope. Our Tipo developed a noise where it sounded like a rod was about to escape the crank-case.
A poke around revealed a noisy alternator nose bearing...fixed for £5.
Modern lightweight engines really do transfer noise.
Re: Non-XM content alert! 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e. in Tampa, Florida
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2025 11:54 am
by Degens
Maybe you like this: comparison of Croma with Mercedes, Audi and CX:
Re: Non-XM content alert! 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e. in Tampa, Florida
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2025 12:10 pm
by Dieselman
That video is a bit tame...
Nothing to do with Croma's, but if one is looking for a job on the Grand Tour.
It will be interesting to read your thoughts about the Xm v's the Croma. I suspect you will find the Croma dynamically lacking, but the engine will be a real gem...you need to get friendly with the local Police...
Since it has that squealing noise, I've driven it all of about 10 kilometers since I got it
But what I did notice in that short time is that the Citroën's throttle response seems to be rather, shall I say, relaxed compared to the Fiat. The Citroën accelerates strongly under boost, but it's not in a rush to respond immediately to input. The Fiat is! It feels very enthusiastically Italian like "let's go, let's go, let's go!" even at neighborhood speeds.
Which makes sense... I don't consider the XM a sports sedan really, more of a posh cruiser with some turbo power.
The best way to find a noise is using an engine stethoscope. Our Tipo developed a noise where it sounded like a rod was about to escape the crank-case.
A poke around revealed a noisy alternator nose bearing...fixed for £5.
Modern lightweight engines really do transfer noise.
Well, I did a timing belt and balance shaft belt job on it and started it up naked (with no timing covers or drive belts) and it's still making the noise exactly as it was. So that eliminates any tensioner or idler pulleys associated with the timing belt (since I replaced them), and it eliminates any accessories (A/C compressor, P/S pump, alternator, and water pump) since I had no drive belts on it.
I did buy one of those electronic professional mechanic's electronic stethoscopes and intend to use it for diagnosis the next time I have a chance (who knows when that will be), but I'm afraid it's gonna be a major drivetrain-component-out issue from here on out, because my guess at this point is it's either a balance shaft bearing (which would be an engine-out job) or a pilot bearing (which would be a transmission-out job).
That's okay, because I still have good reason to believe it's one of the best-condition-overall Type Four Cromas left on planet Earth. It's worth the struggle.
Here's a pic of the undercarriage sent to me by the seller in Switzerland:
Oh, and here's another pic with the Croma and XM together at my house, just for fun:
Re: Non-XM content alert! 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e. in Tampa, Florida
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2025 6:41 am
by Dieselman
As you note, the Xm turbo is designed to increase torque over a wide rev range, not for outright power, or sporty driving. It is called the CT (constant torque) for a reason.
For the Croma squeal. If it's the spigot bearing it should only squeal when the clutch is disengaged, the release bearing would squeal when the clutch is engaged only.
To check if the balance shaft bearing is noisy, run the engine with the balance shaft belt removed, it will be a bit less refined than normal, but fine.
Those double sided synchronous timing belts are a great solution to give contra-rotating balance shafts.
As you say, the noise is minor detail in the grand scheme of things.
Nice one!
