Hi folks,

it appears the old uno is loosing water. It looks like the water is dripping down on the left hand side of the engine near the crankshaft pulley area once the system gets up to operating temperature. I cannot really see the source as the camshaft covers are on the left side of the engine.

The head gasket was replaced in the last 18 months, so I doubt that is the problem - anyone got any suggestions/ solutions for this uno issue?

Thanx

Well the waterpump sits on that side... P.S. sure the gasket was put in with the right side faceing up?

Hyperspace said:

Well the waterpump sits on that side...

Click to expand...

That was my first thought as well. Coolant pump sits behind cambelt cover and is driven off the cambelt. Remove the cambelt cover and it will be clear if the water pump is leaking or not.

Hey Peanutville, which Uno have you got?

The coolant system is slightly different on the Turbos.
Attached are pictures of the Turbo coolant pipes and direction of flow.


Like hyperspace says though, the water pumps on all the Uno's are on that left hand side.
Are you sure it isn't watery oil?

Its pretty easy to take the timing belt cover off, its safe to run it like that too, so whip it off & run it up to see where its coming from.

It could be a core plug too.

Think of it this way, many beach buggies proudly display their belts.

Or presure test it cold...

https://www.fiatforum.com/uno-guides/62853-detecting-miniscule-coolant-leaks-cold-uno.html

I also used it on my 1.0ie Uno and found the leak was an o-ring in the pump exit (easy fix)

WOW - what a quick helpful response! - Thank you...

The car is a Uno mia with a standard engine. Glad to hear popping off the cambelt covers is easy as it can be a right mission on other vehicles. I'm pretty certain that is the area of the leak.

Will let you know how the job goes

There is also a large round core plug (you may call it a 'frost plug') in the end of the block, about 50mm diameter, shaped like a paint tin lid. It rusts from the inside if the cooling system is ever neglected - then one day, it starts to leak. This is quite near the cylinder head (behind the cambelt) and should be easy to inspect with the belt cover off.

Cheap and relatively easy to replace (there is another one at the gearbox end which is a lot less easy because the gearbox and flywheel have to come off. See https://www.fiatforum.com/uno/145226-120-47-24-uno-45-updated-aug-08-jan-09-a.html?p=1539882 to get an idea of what the core plug looks like).

EDIT: I see you've already been down this path once before... https://www.fiatforum.com/uno/154053-engine-water-leak.html?highlight=core+plug and that time it WASN'T the core plug when I said it was... But with that corrosion on the steel pipe, I'd still be suspicious of core plug condition (or Welsch plugs as you call them )

-Alex

Had the Uno on the ramp recently fixing the exhaust and I could see water dripping down on both sides of the engine block and down past the sump, but predominantly on the cambelt side.

So this time I think it must be the engine core plugs.... hopefully not the one on the side of the gearbox!

I will pop the cambelt cover off this weekend...

Lol ja, we changed my uno's core plugs on the cambelt side yesterday, they were so close to through, after some light scrapeing of rust, the water came gushing out. No doubt the ones on the other side will go soon, but my wallet is empty after haveing to pay the engineers to weld my top and then all the new stuff to put it back on.

Yep it's the core plug under the cambelt & its pouring out and actually not drivable. The one in the head looks perfect however.

What size is the core plug? looks like approx 50mm?

Thanx

Ooh, I don't know, I just handed the lady the knackered one and asked for a replacement. Frog knows why they chose to make it out of a rusting metal rather than say brass or something durable.

The plug is a 50mm unit, I agree they should be made out of a rust resistant material. The plugs in my golf are a zinc colour & were still 100% after being in the engine for 18 years. But I guess its down to the owners as anti freeze has rust inhibitor ingredients.

My leak has been rectified & also re-set the timing as the cambelt was off & now the engine is running far smoother ;-).

Thanx for eveyones input!

Thanx for the pointers - ended up having to pop the g/box off to replace the other frost/ welsch plug anyway. During the course of the task I noticed other issues/ queries which the forum maybe able to assist with ;-)

1 - Where can I source detailed information on the gearbox, the Haynes does not have the relevant gearbox chapters (I know you have mentioned in a thread before) Would like to get accurate torque settings tightening everything up.

2 - Do I have to replace the flywheel bolts or can I just re-use them with loctite. (They were not that tight unlike my VW flywheel bolts which you can only use once)

3 - How do you remove the bottom ball joints - use a ball joint splitter like the steering tie rods? Unfortunately there both split and need replacing - I have not replaced this design before.

4 - Without the gearbox chapters I have no idea of the gearbox capacity - any rough ideas please? I suppose I could just refill until until it pours out of the refill hole.

5 - Will also be replacing outer cv boots & the clutch as there are no grooves on the friction lining and within 2mm of the rivets(?) in the middle.

6 - While the car was in the garage I wanted to rectify the camshaft cover oil leak which is leaking everywhere. The oil was really milky inside & on the dipstick indicating a possible blown head gasket. Would this be possible if it was replaced within the last 18 months?

Apologies for all the questions, but the forums are a wealth of knowledge and assistance is ALWAYS appreciated ;-)

Thanx.
Will upload pics shortly...

Here are the pics...

worn clutch



oily gearbox




Milky deposits inside top of camshaft cover


Milky deposits inside top of camshaft cover.2


Welcsh / frost plug



If I whip the head off will I need to replace the head bolts? forgot to mention that previously - thanx

never heard of replacing the head bolts, i'm 99% sure u reuse them, this 1 is because no one knows everything
gearbox oil capacity for 1.0 4/5 speed is 2,4 L
for 1.4 is 2 L

anywhay the Welcsh / frost plug, do you have a picture when it's mounted on the engine?

Here is the shot with clutch re-installed, but you can see the replaced plug in the following 2 pics highlighted by the green circle.