Conference terri::cars_uk

    I did the job over the Xmas hols.  Not technically difficult but very
    awkward.  The lower wing shield, air filter assembly, and vacuum
    advance/retard mechanism on the distributor have to be removed to get
    the timing belt cover off.  The Haynes manual is misleading - the
    tensioner bolt needs to be slackened only sufficiently to enable the
    mechanism to be pushed out of the way - *NOT* completely as the manual
    implies.  Setting the crankshaft and camshaft pulleys is easy, the
    distributor pulley is another matter - it moves very easily and is
    difficult to hold in place. I recommend having a helper to slip the
    new timing belt onto the pulleys as three hands are needed.  The 
    distributor timing must be set statically before trying to start the engine
     - IT WILL HAVE MOVED A LONG WAY OUT. The engine started first time and the
    timing was OK when I checked it with the strobe.  Total time was about 3
    hours including time to figure out the next moves.
    

> The Haynes manual is misleading...

Well now... there's a novelty... :-)

    
    The thing to remember about Haynes manuals is that they are written
    by experts working on virtually brand new (or very young) cars.
    Things do fall out when a car is a year old, but after 5 or 6 years
    (let alone 20!) things are seized in place or filled with grease
    which has been contaminated with oil and road muck.
    
    Haynes manuals can be very frustrating, but I think they're very
    good, having once rebuilt an engine from one when I had EVEN less
    knowledge of cars than I do know!
    
    Mark

    
    What's really needed is a book which tells you how hard you can hit
    something without breaking it! - ie all the things learned from many
    years of swearing, skinned knuckles, and freezing to death trying to
    persuade the car that it really does want to take you to work on Monday
    morning!

 I landed on this note as a result of a keyword search. My question to 
 the panel is on a FIAT Tipo, mods feel free to move it if you want.

 My Tipo has been sitting in the carpark since yesterday with a very sick
 looks on its face. The problem is definatley electrical but where on earth 
 do I start looking ?

 The Problem started yeterday, when I started up (all OK up to now) and 
 then turned on the dipped lights. At this point the engine died.

 And this is the weird bit......

 Now if I remove the key and open either the front doors or the hatchback,
 the ignition lights come on.  If I sit in the car and close the lock on 
 drivers door the ignition and Diesel preheat (mines a petrol) lights 
 glow for a while and one of the relays in the fusebox starts to whine.
 If try the hazard lights the whining intensifys but fails to flash the 
 indicators.

 And to cap it all if I put the key in the ignition lights come on (at 
 normal brightness) the engine turns over but no ignition. In fact in this
 position I get ONLY the ignition lights, no wipers/lights/radio/nothing else.

 I view to poking about with it at lunchtime has anyone any ideas on where I 
 should start ?

 Mark.

    Yikes! I have absolutely no idea, it sounds like quite a problem with
    the electrical system, yes. Burned out wiring ie. some have 'fused'
    together ?!
    
    I'll wish you luck on finding out this one, and duck out now while
    everything's rosey..... :-)
    
    Dan

 Hi Dan,

 Yep, its a strange one, but there is one thing I forgot to add......

 Last night in discust and amid a bunch of expletives I slammed the car 
 door and the central locking made a buzzing noise. I got in, and managed
 to start it again. But, once I put on the lights the engine died again.

 This tends to rule out the 'burned-wiring' idea and to my thinking points
 to a dodgy earth contact somewhere,

 Mark.

    Oooooo! Cursing a Fiat? You should no better than to do that!
    
    I can't believe a dodgy earth, probably something in the door by the
    sounds of it, is responsible for all these problems! But hey, stranger
    things have happened ...... I guess your best bet is to check all the
    fuses, then start a methodical search for what's working and what
    isn't, then strip the car down (okay thats sounds serious, I mean 'take
    off the door panel, etc etc...!) and check the connections!
    
    I don't envy you, matey!
    
    Dan

 All fixed,

 On the cable from the battery - to the engine grounding point the cable 
 is spliced about halfway along. At this splicing point a couple of what 
 could be best described as 'star discs' are attatched to the cable.

 All the ground wires are tagged onto these disks. Removing all the spade
 connectors and cleaning them off resolved the problem.

 Thanks Dan for the suggestions,

 Mark.

    I'm going to have to take the top-end of my other half's Uno 70S/1300cc
    apart to replace the camshaft carrier-cylinder head gasket.  For sure
    I'm going to have to alter some of the valve clearances.  Question:
    
    Has anyone changed the valve clearance shims on one of these motors
    and, if so:
    
    - can it be done without the special tool to depress the cam followers?
    - how difficult?
    
    All inputs/advice welcome.
    
    Thanks,
    
    John

    Re. -1: To answer my own question - the only realistic way to change
    the shims is to take the camshaft carrier off.  There is one minor (!)
    point to beware of. I carefully measured all the clearances before
    dismantling the top of the motor.  I then measured each of the shims
    and figured out what was needed to bring everything into spec. on each
    valve.  After it was all reassembled I checked the clearances again and
    they were ALL .003" - .004" too wide.  
    
    Oil leaks from the camshaft carrier/cylinder head interface were a
    known feature of this engine.  It looks like Fiat changed the gasket
    material to prevent this problem and the ndew one is thicker than the
    original.  After stripping everything down and changing the shims again
    everything is now within nominal/+.001".
    
    The joys of DIY motor mechanics. 
    
    John
    
    PS It doesn't leak oil any more.