(G) Uno45 bites the dust

My step mums lil uno BBQ'd itself tonight, just outside a petrol station. I've not looked at it yet so have no idea whats damaged, all i know is that it started smoking from under the bonnet so she turned the engine off.

It carried on smoking, then started itself up again, ran a bit and then died - but carried on spinning the starter. Apparently lumps of burning plastic fell out the engine bay - fire extinguisher was used to put it out.

99% sure its not going to be fixed. Will know more tomorrow, ive got the fun task of driving it back under tow!

update, some pictures

cant open the bonnet to take a pic of the bay at the moment. i jumped on the bonnet to shut it whilst i was driving (under tow!) back home.

its def very dead tho

ickle electrical fault there me thinks,

Would go with replacement loom though, helped fit a new loom to a Clio but it was time consuming and annoying.

Bad luck

Liam

Most mechanical parts should be ok

Strip it and scrap it! Bad luck...

Looks like the underbonnet soundproofing fell on the exhaust.

BTW Steve C, you don't REALLY want a FIAT 126... really you don't. I used to have one. Worst car ever made - makes Austin Allegro look like a Rolls-Royce. Come on, even a Trabant is faster, safer, nicer to drive, more economical etc. etc.

A half-spin in my 126 was the most terrifying experience, but overall the car was the absolute pits. 60 mph absolute top speed, usually less, and 30 mph up a steep hill (my Alfa 164 will go up the same hill easily at 75-80). I managed to get 22mpg on a long trip in the 126 (would have been a one-hour drive in any other car, haha...) Crudely designed and built - driveshafts have blocks instead of CV joints. All usual FIAT failings of rust etc. as well. What other car, made in 1982, had a non-syncro straight-cut first gear, four wheel unassisted drum brakes, and a mere 24 bhp?

-Alex

nah, that melted mess on the manifold is/was the airbox

oops - did you srcap it mark?

nope.. not yet - the insurance man has to come and deciede if its a write off or not (that'll take all of 5seconds to do!)

until then, its sat over the road.. in my parking spot of all places!

Find out how much you could buy the car back for from the insurance company.

You could probably make something at the least by stripping it and selling parts seperately (hint hint)

alex, the 126 wasn't built for speed. They will appreciate in price the same way 500s are doing now. I want one for the novelty factor and for a laugh, not for everyday transport.

SteveC,

Ah Ok then :-)
I was worried about finding this message again as I couldn't remember where I'd posted!

Yeah I just found that as an everyday car it sucked big-time... the car I had before that was an Austin Princess and, mmm, that was better!

One piece of advice. If first gear is broken/inoperative then buy the car anyway... mine was busted, and I put in another gearbox so that I had a first gear. It wasn't worth the trouble - first is so low and noisy (gearlever gyrated in circles) that it's no use anyway!

Another piece of advice! Check the accelerator cross-rod under the carpet and soak it in WD40. You're right about the 'for a laugh' bit - my accelerator used to jam in the full-down position with quite humourous consequences. Of course I used to find this out just as the need for 'top speed' had passed!

-Alex

Arc,

OK, sorry for the mistake - at least the FIAT badge from the airbox survived? :-)

Thanks for the advice Alex.