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Cinquecento Yellow Cinq Sporting

Introduction

Yellow Cinq Sporting (Bapbap)

Well rather than update my saying hello thread I thought I'd better start a members motors one...

https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecento-seicento/418377-new-cinq-sporting-owner.html



Here's my 1995 Broom Yellow Cinquecento!

I've previously had a Classic Panda, but sold it when I didn't think I needed a car. I then resorted to a K11 Micra for a while, which got me to work and back but was a desperately dull rusty torqueless lump. Anyway after a catastrophic MoT failure I managed to persuade my wife that a tiny Italian car was the way forward and started hunting. No Pandas were local to me (VmanC has bought them all :) ) but the little Cinq was. A PX to clear and needed some love love but drove beautifully, and not too much rust, so I jumped at it.

It's great fun to drive, no engine mods (yet) but willing and torquey and everything a small Fiat should be. Less good was the clutch biting low and the interior has seen some abuse. In fact I really don't want to think how the car got into this state....



The previous owner also felt unable to remember what fuel to use. I assume he struggled to count to 11 without removing a sock.



Clutch is now fixed, and the alternator has been replaced after it started making a scary grinding sound. And it means I can now hear the timing belt idler (or maybe water pump) starting to go. And the thermostat is jammed open so it takes most of the 20 mile commute to warm up. And the windscreen washer didn't work. Replaced the connectors when I had the wheel well liner out and it's fine now. Non return valve has been replaced by a short length of electrical insulator and lots of insulating tape. It'll do for the time being.

I had a a good read through the threads before tackling the alternator. And dropping the offside of the engine and removing the mount really is the way to go. It sounds scary, but access is suddenly very good, and the job was a breeze.



Anyway I'll use this as a blog when I tackle something.
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So had a bit of an overheating last night. After a bit of an enthusiastic back road dash I noticed the temp gauge creeping up. Slowing to a halt I noticed steam coming from the bonnet, and the gauge was up to about 100 deg. I switched off the engine, let it cool down and poured in all the water I had - about 300ml - as the coolant expansion tank was empty. The heater was blowing cold at this point as well. I noticed the expansion tank cap wasn't tight and as I tried to tighten it up it felt like it was jumping threads.


From there I crept home via a petrol station to pick up some more water and coolant, and poured in another litre and a bit. Temp dropped down to 75 deg which is the normal running temp at the moment with my crappy thermostat.

And this morning it held a steady 75 deg all the way down the motorway at 70 mph.

I'm a bit confused as to why this happened. I know the thermostat is stuck open, so why would it overheat? Do I need to change the coolant pump as well?
 
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This weekends job - replace the thermostat. No photos as moisture and phones don't really mix.... I also sprang for a replacement coolant expansion tank as the old one was really filthy inside and I really couldn't see a good way to clean it. If you have any ideas let me know. Also flushed the engine and radiator which no surprise was rather skanky as well. The block has a fine coating on orange on it (yuk) and there was a little oil on top of the water from the radiator. I'm assuming the head gasket has gone at some point in the past. No mayo on the oil cap though, or oil on the drained coolant so not too worried.

Most time consuming part was working out how much of the coil pack to remove to get to the thermostat. Answer - all of it...

Next jobs

Pre emotive MoT - isn't due till May but I'd like to know what it'll fail on.

Cambelt, idler and water pump. I've a squeak from the offside front of the engine when idling warm, so I'll tackle that soonish. Plus 1000 miles on decent 50/50 mix coolant should break down the worst of the crud I hope.

Back end clonks - probably bushes although may need to do this for the MoT.

Oil change. Probably ought to.

Deskank the seats. Although the odd smell has gone which is good. Maybe I'm used to it.
 
Why do people treat these cars so badly, I've read loads of "look what I've just bought" threads, and it's always the same story. Same oil and filter the car came with, orange coolant, bushes gone, brakes seized and rusty. Poor little fiats.

It always makes me smile when one lands on the drive of someone like yourself, who treats them to a dignified old age, and looks after them. Saving them from the scrap yard.

Nice little car you have there sir, shall I count on you're support when I set up the neglected cento shelter. A fiat is for life not just for Christmas.

How are those front shocks still oil tight, when they look that rusty.
Good luck with the refresh on her.
 
Why do people treat these cars so badly, I've read loads of "look what I've just bought" threads, and it's always the same story. Same oil and filter the car came with, orange coolant, bushes gone, brakes seized and rusty. Poor little fiats.
.

"because it's just a cheapo Fiat", then when they break from neglect (often after they've gone long past what they should have without care) "It's a Fiat, what do you expect?".

Yet when a Fiesta or similar breaks "You get what you pay for, poor thing is old, was just a cheap runaround, hadn't been looked after clearly".

There's a clear difference in attitudes towards certain makes of car and Fiats sadly tend to end up in the hands of folk who rag them until they expire then blame it for being a Fiat.

Always makes me smile too when i see a cento (or any old Fiat) get a fresh lease of life :)

P.s that unleaded fuel sticker seemed to come as standard (probably because when the cinq first came to these shores it was around the time lead fuel was getting totally phased out), both Cinqs i have owned had that sticker too and many more i have seen have it. I think the ones that don't have it must have got them removed by owners/had them blasted off with power washers etc etc
 
Should still have lead in petrol, back then it smelt like petrol. Not this 10% ethanol 95ron crap we have now. V power is a bit better.

I remember buying 2-4 and 5 star, still sold it down here in '96. Then lrp came out, that was quite good. This unleaded crap is horrible. How the yanks get on with 88ron I don't know.
 
Thanks for the kind words folks I appreciate it. An old cento home does sound good, I've seen the same for Pandas as VmanC lives just down the road and his storage area is a thing to behold.

Partly it's wanting to do right by the wee car, partly I need a cheap reliable motor to commute to work, partly it's wanting to learn some more car maintenance skills so I can tackle the VW camper I've got tucked up in a mates barn, and increasingly it's become sentimental. I really enjoy driving it and my 18 month old son loves it to bits. He's named it Bapbap after the sound the horn makes when I peep so say bye... Even the Missus likes it.

And yes those shocks defy science. I'm expecting sarcasm from the MoT tester. Said mate with barn will suggest coilovers (he's deeply involved in RetroRides) but I suspect slamming would involve leaving bits of sump on the lane to my drive. And I'm 43, so that sort of thing isn't really becoming of a gent such as me. :)
 
Actually the front tyres are pretty decent - pretty new Acceleras which seem fine for what I need. Maybe a little understeery but I don't have the skill or courage to exploit every last % out the car.

I also started pricing up dampers and was pleasantly surprised how little they can cost. Anyone got any experience of the shop4parts ones? £28 a side seems very cheap.
 
What make are the shop4parts ones, I've had good and bad generic ones.

Kyb are pretty good, especially if you're not going to go around roundabouts cocking a wheel.

I always use the buy cheap buy twice rule. But £28 sounds tempting, uh oh, magpie syndrome. Must buy shiny things.


(At the cento trust, we endeavour to give these little Italian cars with polish accents a dignified life with plenty of oily care. Because at the cento trust we never put a good cento down)
 
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