Hi there, I'm looking for a Fiat tool #60421 , valve shim removal tool, any suggestions where I might find such a beast???
I've seen posts on the X1/9 forum about just pulling the cam tower box... I'm reluctant to pull the cam tower, as I'm sure that's gonna be a whole can of worms I don't wanna open, but I HAVE to adjust those valves. #4 exhaust valve clearance is ZERO. The rest of them are not so great, but the zero clearance has me alarmed.
Any advice/input on a tool, or some crazy voodoo alternative? Must I sacrifice a newborn baby goat to the FIAT gods???

So I got my grubby lil paws on a valve shim tool... would not fit. Would. Not. Fit. WTH I have used plenty of these shim removal tools on motorcycles, never had an issue. So I tried the "screwdriver method" with no luck. Got close several times to having a freshly paroled shim out of its motor prison, but to no avail. That's when I decided it's time to throw caution to the wind and pull the cam tower. ahhhh much better. super super easy.

While I had the cam box off the motor, I had the sadistic urge to try the valve shim tool - just to see if it would fit. Without spring tension, it slid in effortlessly and fit perfectly. WTH?! is there some eye-talian trick to using this stupid thing? Because when I had the cam tower in place, I couldn't even get the tip of the tool in. (I know, I know, "That's what SHE said")

Aside from grinding the tip of the tool down, I'm not sure how it's supposed to work. Obviously, Fiat valve springs are a LOT stiffer than old motorcycle valve springs. I tried appyling more force on the tool, but it would just dance around and not actually slide into place. I have the Fiat factory service manual which is absolutely no help. I have several aftermarket shop manuals, they're not much help either.

Another thing I was looking for advice on... Anyone know the torque spec for the cam tower retaining nuts? I find plenty for the head bolts (61 ft/lb) but nothing on the cam tower bolts. Thanks in advance.

Discover the thread dimensions of the nuts. And the torque will be a know quantity..
cant help on the tool Im afraid.
Charlie

13mm nuts. i torqued them to 25 ft/lbs, it was a "comfortable" tightness.

Valve clearances are done, now for the timing... was timing the darn thing when kaput. I think I have a clogged fuel filter. ahhh fix it again, tony... next weekend...

Hello fellow Fiat friends, it's been a few months. Last post I wrote, I discovered that I the Fiat had dropped a valve, requiring engine work. Ahh, Fix It Again Tony... I happen to have an extra motor for my 128 that I have been tinkering with, and the extra motor has come in handy. I needed a new cylinder head, the old one was toast. Back and forth to the machine shop I don't know how many times. Three months later, I finally had a set of good valves, keepers, seals, and other fun stuff that was no good on the old head. Also I discovered some unusual wear patterns on the camshaft making the cam lobes uneven, so I got a mild cam and new cam tower box. I finally got the head back, so the last week has been a week of late nights in the garage after work. I set the valve clearances, installed the head, and reassembled the rest of the motor. I put in a new cam belt tensioner bearing and spring and new hardware. And of course a new cam belt. Went to start her up, she turned over just fine but she just wouldn't start. Not even a cough! I checked everything again and discovered that the carb wasn't getting gas. I installed a new generic electric fuel pump, rechecked the"rough" ignition timing and she roared to life! Tonight I will be setting the timing, adjusting idle and fuel mixture, and hopefully taking her for a short road test. I've been taking pictures throughout the entire process, so once I figure out how to upload pics on this forum, I will do so. :slayer:

Hello Fiat friends, the Green Beast is alive and well. Sort of. Now she needs a carb rebuild and there's some weird shimmy/wobble from the front end on acceleration I need to figure out. Other than that, she runs great! Very fun to drive. But, despite all this, it has come time to say goodbye to the Fiat. I need to get a truck for work and cannot afford my little toy any more. I will be selling this 1973 Fiat 128 very soon. Anyone interested?

dhammond75 said:

Hello Fiat friends, the Green Beast is alive and well. Sort of. Now she needs a carb rebuild and there's some weird shimmy/wobble from the front end on acceleration I need to figure out. Other than that, she runs great! Very fun to drive. But, despite all this, it has come time to say goodbye to the Fiat. I need to get a truck for work and cannot afford my little toy any more. I will be selling this 1973 Fiat 128 very soon. Anyone interested?

Click to expand...

Hi,
put it in the Forums classifieds section.

it's FREE and will reach a worldwide audience..

Charlie

Carb rebuild finished last night. I'll be tuning her up either tonight or tomorrow night. I have found it to be much easier to work on the engine with the hood removed - 8 screws and the grill is off; once the grill is removed, accessing the 4 13mm bolts that hold the hood on is easy. This might sound crazy, but it actually saves time to remove the hood. Especially when checking valve lash clearances.
So, she's almost ready for sale. I'll be sad to see her go, but I know there's a Fiat nut out there that will give her a good home.
Here's some pics, as I promised...

it's been a LONG TIME since I've worked on one of those engines..

Hi guys, I'm still working on this old Fiat. Carb adjustment was a royal PITA and still giving me grief. The Beast want to idle a bit high, and we seem to have a bit of a 'flat' spot upon acceleration. The manual specified 1-1/2 turns out on mixture screw, but that was way too lean. I backed it out to about 2-1/2 turns and it performs much better, but we are not quite "there" yet.:bang:
I managed to acquire an old dwell meter off of ebay, hoping this will help with carb adjustment and timing. It arrived in the mail yesterday - "The All-American Dwell Tachometer" - in the original box! Crazy. The box is so old there is no bar code on it. Or instructions in Spanish lol. My kids asked me what a "TACO-METER" is for. Being the smart aleck that I am, I told them it is for measuring tacos. (Come on, that was funny.)
Since I unexpectedly have the day off, I will be in the garage... trying out my new taco meter.