General New owner with questions

[jk900]

Greeting to all,

Recently join the club with a 69 500f, very happy but I do have a few questions. While replacing the carpet I found out the accelerator paddle and brake paddle joint have some kind of brown rusty looking fluid leak. Is that normal? may be WD40 residue from PO? or rather a mechanical fault?

While driving, there's outside wind blowing through the steering column. Is that a normal feature of the car or is there some plastic cover that's missing that was supposed to block the wind? It's winter time and frozen legs are doing me any good.

Also, the little fiat had a 650cc engine with synchro box transplant. My question is, can a non-sychro gear box mate with this bigger engine? coz my gear box is rather crunchy and feels nothing like a synchro gear box should be. Curious to know if the PO lied or if I'm expecting too much from a 40 years old design.

Thank you in advance.

 

[dragonwagon]

Draughts up the steering column are not normal...I'd suggest that a rubber seal or similar may have perished where the steering box shaft enters the car. It is possible to mate the 500 box with the 126 bellhousing I'm told. It might be easier to rebuild your existing box though.

 

[jk900]

Draughts up the steering column are not normal...I'd suggest that a rubber seal or similar may have perished where the steering box shaft enters the car. It is possible to mate the 500 box with the 126 bellhousing I'm told. It might be easier to rebuild your existing box though.

Thanks dragonwagon,

I will inspect the steering column for leaky seal and hopefully stop the cold wind coming through. After driving a bit more I realize the gear box is definitely not a synchro one, but I am not going to bother about it right now coz it's doing its job at the moment. Will report back with improvement in the future.

 

[Bambino]

In my experience, when I buy an old car, and that is fairly frequently, one of the first things that I do is change all of the fluids - engine, gearbox & diff oils, hydraulic fluid and water.

Might be worth a go here as well - at least that way you know the fluid is fresh, appropriate and the volume is correct.

Also check the engine number - the 126 engines began with 126A whereas the 500 series started with 110. He may have told you that the engine was 'upgraded' to sweeten the deal. Either way you sound like you've got a crash box - not a bad thing really.

Chris

PS: The 126 gearbox synchros do not like modern oils as the additives attack the phosphor bronze synchros. I use Castrol Manual VMX-M 75W-85 an API GL-4 oil in my 126 box. Not sure what the equivalent would be in the US.

 

[tjmra]

Sound advice to change fluids. Have a good look at what comes out of the motor / gearbox just in case there are lumpy bits in there. (Can't do much with the steering box if it is still bolted to the car except top it up.)

I don't buy old cars often, but when I bought my 500 I distinctly remember getting so excited during my first drive that I had to stop and change my own fluids pretty quickly as well..........

I have run down to the garage and pulled the powertrain out of my car so I could take a photo for you. This is of a photo of a standard 500 motor and non synchro box. Note the starter motor is at the top of the motor. I think a 650 / synchro box sees the starter slightly offset towards the distributor side of the engine.(foak??)

Only other advice I can give you is to grab a workshop manual if you don't have one. Car is simple to work on and the manual will answer a lot of questions.

Can you post a couple of photos for the tragics that lurk here please? As I have said before, it is a safe bet that we don't care what it looks like, just happy to know another one is being kept on the road.



(I lied about taking the motor out for the photo.)

Regards

Joe R

 

[the hobbler]

If there is a '126 engine in your car, and as per the advice from Bambino, a quick engine number check will settle that then it could have a 500 non-synchro gear-box in it, but only if the bell housing has been changed to match---a fairly straightforward job. However, it does seem to be daft to fit a 126 (either 595 or 652 versions) engine and then go to all the hassle of mix-and-matching gear-box parts (unless the original 126 gearbox was totally knackered). I reckon that if your car has got a 126 synchro box, somebody has been driving it rather unsympathetically. As you said though, at the moment it does its job, so enjoy it and just hone your double-declutching skills.

 

[Bambino]

I think a 650 / synchro box sees the starter slightly offset towards the distributor side of the engine.(foak??)

Yep. I've attached a couple of photos that illustrate the differences between the two bellhousings.

Chris

 

[jk900]

Thanks Chris and Joe,

Those pics will definitely help me identify the gear box later on in my ownership, thank you for showing me that. Thanks for the advise for flushing all the fluids, which I will do next.

I took the little fiat out last week and it drove well, a bit of snow rallying made it an epic journey. Haven't sort out the wind drought but that didn't stop me from driving it.

Oh and I recently broke the front hood releasing cable right at the end of the handle latch part, the end nut just shed off. Is there an easy fix for that. Sorry I do break stuff alot.

 

[Bambino]

Oh and I recently broke the front hood releasing cable right at the end of the handle latch part, the end nut just shed off. Is there an easy fix for that. Sorry I do break stuff alot.

Probably best just to replace the entire cable before the other end snaps off and you can't get the hood open at all

They are cheap and easy to fit.

Chris

PS: Like the snow - we don't get a lot of snow where I live. Oh yeah, the car looks pretty good as well

 

[tjmra]

I broke my bonnet cable very early on in my ownership. To get me going, I just used a push bike brake cable inside the original sleeve. Bike cables are braided and have a small stop attached to one end. Made it as tight as I could on day one and the thing did not seem to stretch through use.

Was going to be temporary but it lasted about 15 years. New 'proper' ones are available through any number of the 500 spares guys and probably cheaper as well. (But if that's all you are going to buy then freight may be the issue.)

Thanks for the photos, does not look like it needs work at all. Enjoy.

Regards

Joe R

 

[jk900]

Thanks Chris,

Found a replacement from mr.fiat.com, ordered and will replace that when it arrives.

Joe, if the new cable breaks again I will definitely try your method, sounds like a fantastic DIY fix that may be I can do.

A bit off topic. I bought a pair of replacement front shock absorbers because the old one is clunking occasionally on the road. They are supposed to be the cheapest from Mr.Fiat but the ones arrived look nothing like the original. Turns out the supplier gave me a beefier one (I suppose) because it's a more heavy duty and more expensive spec that they sell as an upgrade. However none of the lower washers fit the space of the original gap and I ended up using some old washers to keep them fitted. Not complaining just heads up for the potential modification required.