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General Murphio's Meanderings

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General Murphio's Meanderings

Equally, the fiat factory ecu setup (magneti marelli) is very simple. Three parts, ecu, coil pack and sensor. Very accurate, no moving parts to wear out, no setup, easy to diagnose and no maintenance required.

I have no issue with the original distributor setup, but it's easy to see why every car and engine manufacturer moved away from it.

cheers, Steve
 
What do you think?
 

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stevehg said:
I think you should have waited for a bit more cloud cover, so that the sea matched your paintwork. ;)
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:D:D... you have given me an idea though. Get paint matched to that sea colour from the photo on my next respray.:)
The island of Harris feels really tropical, out of the wind behind,the wheel of a Fiat 500.
Harris and North Uist are the best places I have been for driving the car. Long, mainly straight, very smooth, undulating roads and amazing open scenery...highly recommended.(y)
So Murf has done nearly 400 miles over two days, with three ferry crossings of about 60 miles of sea. We drove almost onto a deserted beach and I was encouraged to off-road up a seriously dodgy track which is described as being suitable for high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles only. The "encourager" took a video which he promises to put on Youtube.
All-in, a lovely two days driving in probably the most beautiful of the British Isles.:):)
On the Sound of Harris Ferry by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
Leaving the ferry at Tarbet on Harris by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
Hosta Beach, North Uist by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
In the hill above Hosta Beach, North Uist by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
Monty's Cottage, North Uist by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
 
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You'll have to get a chess set so you have something to do if you get bored. Not that you would with that scenery.
 
Vitesse said:
You'll have to get a chess set so you have something to do if you get bored. Not that you would with that scenery.
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It would have to be a Meccano set I think.:D
Mull this coming weekend. Another 300 miles or more, four more ferries, three days in the saddle.:)
I've just treated Murf to a fill of Mobil 1 10W60 oil in preparation. I am a bit nervous after some reasoning for not using it I just found on the internet.
But it seems air-cooled engines do have special needs and I think we all agree that the 500 can get very hot indeed. Recently I have been thrashing it a little which seems to please the engine judging by the sound and smoothness, but the oil light invariably comes on at idle when on long journeys. I know that can be expected but I hope the thicker oil will maintain pressure better. I suspect that if anyone can test it to its limits then it must be me.:D
MAL_7182 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
MAL_6916 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
 
The switch is set in a poor position in the crankcase for measuring pressure
Must if been a design compromise
My engine only measured 10psi where the switch is mounted but 80 psi at the oil pump outlet for my external filter
 
An update with the new oil. I took the car well beyond 60 mph on the clock for the first time, on the flat for a short distance and did the 16 miles to Inverness at a really fast average speed. I managed to get the oil light to flicker at tickover but not a definite ON as before.
Initial thoughts are that the Mobil 1 is keeping the engine cooler, which can be felt and seen from the thermostat flap position not being wide open all the time.
Also, the background hot oil-vapour smell (which I really like and is one of the "signatures" of the 500 engine for me) has gone.) :( Mind you, the oil smells have been dwindling for a while as I have tackled the leaks.:)
 
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Glad to see it's an improvement Peter. I don't have a direct comparison, but no complaints here either with 10w60. I used Castrol Edge as it was bought with an good offer at ECP last summer.

I did the first oil change last week, and it was in very good condition, although it had only covered a few hundred miles, not thousands like yours. ;)
 
I like the fact that the container says that it's for motorsport; I like little Murf being in that bracket.;)
...gratuitous short video of the engine.
MAL_7197 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
He's eagerly awaiting the reward I will be giving him when we reach 10,000 miles together; which we should do later this week. I'm building a new garage for him and Bluebell to live together.
MAL_7199 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
 
So no room for Mitchio in the new accommodation? Or am I getting ahead of myself and a new extension will need to be built in the future.;)
 
Poor Mich; he will continue to repose in my old garage. I have agreed to clear it out so that our new tenant can use it as a workshop. I am going to box him in a corner and he will be out of bounds for at least a year
I'm not sure he's quite strong enough to lift yet in any case and I don't want to face two piles of scrap every time I take Murf out for a spin.:eek:
 
As promised, my postings about our meanderings end today. I started my reports to answer a question of "how far can you go in a 500?" and the answer so far is 10,000 miles (since his first MOT after restoration.) That was 20 months ago and therefore has averaged 500 miles a month.

In that time we've broken down three times, all related to petrol.
1. Ran out of fuel after knocking the wire off the gauge.
2. Got water in the carb after cleaning the engine.
3. Very recently suffered from fuel vaporisation which quickly sorted itself.

We've had one puncture and had to reset the tappets once. The distributor worked loose once which led to erratic running.
I guess that I must have filled the tank about 50 times.
Overall, it's been no more trouble than using my modern car and so much more fun.

Today the clock clicked round to 42,404 miles in deepest Perthshire, where very appropriately, Murf was on ground which was new to us along Loch Tay.
MAL_7495 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr
We did 260 miles down and back up the A9 and when we got back Murf conveyed four adults (another first) to the local Indian restaurant and back home with us feeling a good bit bigger and heavier. He even took us to vote in the EU Referendum.

I hope that after reading this more people will be persuaded to get out further and more regularly in their 500s. However unlikely it may seem, the Fiat 500 is a sturdy, capable, frugal and potentially reliable, proper motor-car. Choose your roads carefully and you won't be left far behind in the traffic.

Although I won't be updating our travels here, I do post to Facebook from time to time on the Fiat 500 Club website and we do have a lot of future trips lined up, with more challeging tours hoped for in the next few years.
 
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Peter,

It's been great to read about each excursion "as it happened" and you've proved, beyond any doubt, the ability of the 500 with gentle regular maintenance.

Thanks for the reports, and the awesome photos which make me, in flat East Anglia, very envious.
 
Thanks for the updates Peter. I have been inspired to drive further. Just need to get it back together first!
 
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